Avoid the Paper Napkin for Client Management

Do you manage your client’s information on a paper napkin? Finding the right customer relationship management system is not an easy task. It’s also a personal task. Your CRM must fit your sales style, your goals and your business culture. Yesterday, Promotional Consultant Today passed along three important areas to consider when evaluating the right CRM for your business. Today, we share more areas to evaluate for the right CRM fit.

Your Sales Cycle
This can be as simple or as detailed as you need it to be. Some things to think about:

• Do you need to keep track of your sales cycle with each client?
• If you sell products, do you need a system for keeping track of your inventory?
• Do you need an online shopping cart?
• Do you want to be able to invoice your clients directly from your CRM tool?

Your Team
How many people are in your team? Is it just you, just a few people or is there a big team? Size does matter when looking for the right CRM system.

When working with a team you want to keep track of who is working on what piece of business.

Do you need a social network site for your team (something that works like Twitter and Facebook, but privately for your team)?

If there are more people on your team, are you all using the same operating system? [Hint: consider using a cloud-based system so this won't be an issue.]

Consider looking into a time-tracking system, even if it is just you.

Where does everyone work? At the office? From home? Or, are they mostly on the road?

Important To Check Out
Now that you know a little bit about what you need, ask yourself the following questions about the system you are considering.

• Accessibility. Is the system accessible? With today’s technology consider looking into a cloud solution. You’ll have access to your important information no matter where you are. All you need is a computer, iPad and iPhone or any other smartphone.
• Security And Backup. Is your information secure and is there continuous backup?
• Pricing. What’s the cost? Know your budget and remember more expensive does not necessarily mean better (for you).
• Export strategy. Is it portable? If you do decide to leave the office, you want to be able to easily take your information with you.
• User-friendly. Is it easy to use and is there a good support system?
• Reviews. Do you like what you are reading?
• Customizable. Are you able to change things such as your dashboard, fields, reports, etc.?
• Integration. Does it play well with other systems such as e-mail, calendar, scanners, invoicing, online forms, etc.?
• Social Media. Some CRM systems let you sync your contacts with social media sites, so you’ll always have the latest news and information.

Source: Athenee Mastrangelo helps busy professionals use technology to stay organized, productive and connected. She is available for workshops, online training and individual consultations.