Business owner has been trying to building their own customer relationship management system, to make their business more standardized, here are some basic rules for your to follow:
1. Easy to use. CRM systems for enterprises are generally geared towards the needs of management, not the actual people who use the system on a daily basis. (shipping with logo) Because in small business the decision maker is often the same person who’ll also be using the system, CRM software for small business must be easier to master to be chosen as an appropriate solution by the small business owner. (shipping with logo) If the system is simple enough to onboard its users without paid webinars and training, it’ll additionally cut the costs of implementations.
2. Customizable. There are no two same businesses. Even if you decide to go for a CRM system that caters to the broadest audience, you’ll quickly find yourself in need of tuning it up a bit. Adapting a CRM to exactly your business is what makes or breaks the CRM adoption for many companies.(shipping with logo)
During a trial period (which most systems have) it’s important to run your use cases through the system and see how it complies. CRM may come in several packages with different functionality, so it’s worth making sure that the one you’re choosing fully satisfies your company needs.(shipping with logo)
3. Third-party integration. Many CRM systems try to cram as many features as possible into their service. This often results in an overpriced and complicated product.
Instead of hunting for a CRM that can do everything, search for a system that integrates with what you use. Come up with a list of integration requirement and see how they do it. (shipping with logo) For example, not many systems include the lead capturing capabilities natively, but they can be easily added via Zapier integration.
4. Niche-based. Depending on the industry you’re in, there might be a CRM for that. CRM systems are generally geared towards a sales process. However, a common procedure may vary from one business to another.
For example, if you’re in real estate business, a dedicated real estate CRM system would allow you not only manage deals with potential property buyers but would also integrate with third-party property listing or would be preset to create your own listing. (shipping with logo) Keep in mind that such CRM systems might be more pricey than a generic one, although, the later one, might allow for customizability that provides you with similar results.
5. Cloud-based. Deploying a CRM system on your own equipment is a way to go for having a complete and unquestionable ownership over your business data. (shipping with logo) However, for a new business, deploying a standalone CRM system is a significant expenditure item (both deploy and support).
A cloud-based CRM allows to quickly set up a CRM and access it from any device. Additionally, nothing holds you back, so if after some use a particular CRM proved to be unsatisfactory, you can easily migrate to another one.
6. Mobile access. Many businesses may be working in the field much more often than sitting in front of their desktop PCs. An effective small business CRM should provide you with a mobile access to its data. Hence, a native Android or iOS app would be a great supplement to the core system. (shipping with logo) Worst case scenario, a system should at least allow for an access via a mobile web browser.
7. Security. The CRM data is one of the most valuable resources for your business, so you should feel safe about entrusting it to a service provider. (shipping with logo) Carefully read the software privacy and security statements and, if you still have questions, better ask the CRM company representatives directly.