How can a CRM system improve your business and help you grow?
In part 1 and part 2 of this series, we discussed what CRM is and how it improves your business’ bottom line. We also discovered how CRM can help you be authentic in the way you build your business.
In this final blog of the series, we discuss how CRM isn’t just for customer relationships.
Yes, you read that right! CRM also creates stronger internal communications, helping employees to look out for each other, pick up from and cover for one another.
CRM builds better relationships with your Employees, Suppliers, Communities and Shareholders too.
Many CRM experts around the world are now calling CRM, ‘XRM’ – which represents Everything/Anything Relationship Management (the “X” comes from “eXtended”) – and you can see why from what we have discussed so far.
CRM / XRM is about managing and nurturing all business relationships – customers, employees, suppliers/vendors, shareholders and communities/supporters.
CRM improves your internal communications
So, how does a good CRM help you with internal communications? We all know that if your team are taken care of, are content with their work and operate in an environment where supporting each other is the norm, there is an absolute link to how that affects your customers positively. The more our staff feel taken care of, the more our customers feel that care externally. CRM helps with internal communications between your people and teams in a practical and consistent way.
For example, if one of your colleagues has been dealing with a customer account and has called in sick or is on leave, long term or short term, you can pick up where they left off in dealing with the customer – no stumbling – and proving to the customer that you are professional and truly do care about them. That’s a big stress reliever for sales, support and customer care teams. They don’t need to ‘bluff’ and ‘guess’ what, where and when were the last interactions between you (the company) and the customer. The transition is smooth and seamless, enabling your team to do their job properly.
CRM helps internally in very practical ways. It keeps administration tidy and is a hub for all customer and prospect details – from contact details and email communications to projects, contracts and documents sent and received.
It’s surprising how many companies waste precious time by NOT having a central business brain, i.e. a CRM (check out the first blog in this series for more on this). Some companies’ teams and processes are so siloed, often with each member of a team having their own contact list in something like an Excel spreadsheet and using their own ways to keep track of communications between key customers and/or suppliers. This way of working is so inefficient (don’t get me started! 😊) and creates teams that work solo not just siloed. As a result, when one of the team is away or ill, there is no easy way for team members to pick up the slack if a customer/prospect requires immediate attention. It also cheeses off everyone in the team. Frustrated staff means – well, you know. It’s just not good for anyone in the business and it’s definitely not good leadership (if you’re a leader, get on it!).
CRM enables coordinated teamwork
I have witnessed many companies having several “master” contact lists – talk about a contradiction… the fact that it’s a “master” means that there should only be one!! CRM centralises all your contacts for the business. Not just your customers (who are key, of course) but also your suppliers/vendors, stakeholders and communities/supporters.
Develop best practices
For small businesses especially, you must find ways to increase productivity and efficiency. CRM will enable you to spot and implement best practices and see that every employee stays on the same page and that the business runs smoothly. It will also make it easier for you to onboard new employees, help them understand the work, start working faster, and provide them with the marketing tools and information required to perform their jobs more effectively. It will keep your costs down and help you to operate profitably.
I loved this little tip from a recent Nimble CRM blog: You can also consider using a digital adoption solution, like that offered by Whatfix, to adjust to your users’ onboarding needs and deliver personalised journeys. (PS: your stakeholders/investors will love this!). If you’ve never heard the term before, digital adoption solutions are “pieces of software designed to increase application adoption rates among enterprise customers or employees. DAS walk users through the application, guiding them step by step through each feature to help them learn to use the application to its fullest extent.”
Have I convinced you yet?
CRM improves other external relationships (besides customers! )
Your CRM/XRM (remember, eXtended Relationship Management) promotes healthy relationships with suppliers, business partners/stakeholders and the community (other businesses in your area), including supporters.
Check out this infographic from Finances Online – it’s sure to impress your stakeholders and/or business partners if you need their approval to begin implementing a CRM system:
Many CRMs provide amazing Business Intelligence dashboards and reports customised for your teams and any external reporting you may need to supply. Stakeholders and investors appreciate receiving up-to-date, clear dashboards on how the company is performing at an executive level. CRM helps deliver KPIs, OKRs and required business strategies and goals, allowing you to retrieve reports and BI in just a few clicks.
Other external relationships
A CRM ethos also helps with just keeping the community around you sweet, helping you to take care of your key vendors/suppliers. Simple things like cards on work anniversaries, appreciation emails or social posts, involvement in community projects, local charities or environmental endeavours are all steps to ensuring your company’s actions match your company’s published Culture and Values… that you’re walking the walk and not just talking the talk.
So, have I convinced you now?
Conclusion
A well-implemented CRM along with well-defined supporting processes will, without a doubt, increase your bottom line. Keep your clients, your employees, your suppliers, your community and your stakeholders happy! CRM is all about Relationship Management!
Review
Over this series we have covered the following:
- What CRM is (an interactive database that truly is the brain of your business), and how it improves your business’ bottom line.
- We discovered the importance of adopting CRM as a core business ethos, believing that it will improve every aspect of your business.
- We introduced the idea of a CRM Champion in your business to take ownership of the system and processes.
- We’ve mentioned several of the CRM platforms available and went through the steps for choosing the right CRM for your business.
- We explored how CRM ensures you and your team remain ‘authentic’ in dealing with your customers, both new and recurring.
- We explained how CRM nourishes all business relationships. Keep your clients, your employees, your suppliers, your community, and your stakeholders happy! CRM is all about Relationship Management!
- We also outlined the key functions of a good, hard-working CRM:
- Helps you to become customer-centric.
- Helps you to sell more and grow more.
- Analyses the needs and behaviours of customers.
- Improves sales and marketing.
- Predicts future business needs.
- Facilitates you and your team in being Authentic – you’re not just another business, you are unique and your CRM helps you to provide the best customer service out there in the market. Guaranteed to increase your bottom line.
If you would like support or advice in choosing the correct CRM for your organisation, please contact me here to organise a free 30-minute consultation.
Resources
- Catch up on the first and second parts of this CRM series.
- Do you already have a CRM but struggle to get your team to use the system correctly? Check out my CRM Champion workshop.
- Work from home and process tips
- If you find that your team struggles to make phone sales calls, check out my post, 15 Tips to Crack the Art of Cold Calling.
Natalie Garland-Cooke is a Business Consultant, Trainer and Mentor and independent CRM expert. Her company, Natalie Cooke Consulting (www.ncco.ie), works with many businesses, both large and small, to create and improve business processes and drive business growth.