The Ultimate How-To CRM Guide is the document that you need to make your decision between cloud-computing technology and on-premises. We call it "Ultimate" because it is the Ultimate How-To CRM Guide, the "Must-have" Guide :)
2. Contents
What is a CRM ?
What are the benefits of using a CRM?
What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
What can CRM automation provide?
Why choose a cloud-based CRM ?
CRM as a centralised system
How to manage departments?
3. What are the benefits of using a CRM?
• Typically, businesses would use a database application
like Access to track their customer data and relations,
as well as spreadsheets to hold numerical data and
word processed documents to hold other notes and
information. However in today’s dynamic business
world; with ever increasing competition – means the
need to stay one step ahead of competition is
imperative for business survival. How can this be
achieved? Through the use of a CRM system which
enables you to track customer data, manage and track
sales leads, manage campaigns, forecast sales,
measure ROI and automate many marketing and sales
tasks.
• These days, with the vast numbers of competition out
there, the number 1 factor in survival and growth is
customer retention, which can be effectively achieved
through the use of a CRM.
4. What is CRM ?
• Customer Relationship Management or CRM tools
enable companies to close the loop between
marketing and sales.
• CRM’s allows companies to track customer data,
manage and track sales leads, campaign management,
sales forecasting and ROI measurement.
• Advanced CRM solutions also offer marketing
automation and marketing campaign management
that enables managers to measure the success of their
campaign and the planning of future marketing
campaigns.
5. Recent Benchmark tests reveal:
• Increase revenue by 41% per sales person
• Decrease sales cycles by 24%
• Lead conversion rate improvements of over 300%
• Customer retention improvements of 27%
• Decrease sales and marketing costs by 23%
• Improve profit margins by 2%
6. What are the benefits of using a CRM?
• CRM software greatly improves the relationship
between your company and its customers, which
leads to increased sales, customer satisfaction and
number of clients.
• Increased efficiency and effectiveness regarding the
processing of customer orders, relationship and
related data.
• Having a central database of customer relationship
data, including buying behaviors and status, allows
businesses to effectively segment and target each
group accordingly. This ensures that all leads receive
tailored marketing efforts.
7. What are the benefits of using a CRM?
• Cloud computing is the way of the future and all companies
will be associated with it, either directly or indirectly. It is
estimated that by 2014, the market for cloud computing
solutions will be worth $148.8 Billion. The benefits of a cloud-
based CRM solution are extensive. These include access to
your companies CRM, anywhere where an internet
connection is available, around the globe. Cloud-based CRM
solutions, are hosted by the company providing the solution.
• Off-site hosting – You benefit by having your cloud computing
CRM solution hosted by a separate company who specialize in
securing their own software solution, optimizing their servers
to suit the software and providing in depth, comprehensive
support channels to their clients.
• Cost Effective - Your Company doesn’t need to purchase
additional hardware, software or human resources to
introduce a new cloud-computing system. This means
decreased costs, lower security risks, less maintenance, more
efficient management and ultimately less head-ache’s. Also
there will be less expenditure on data and energy.
8. What are the benefits of using a CRM?
• Scalability and flexibility - of cloud-based CRM solutions, means the
CRM solution can grow with you and your business. Cloud-Based CRM,
doesn’t require additional hardware per additional user. All it requires is
for the vendor to be notified and for the necessary back-end
adjustments made.
• Highly automated – Cloud based systems are highly automated, which
means universal changes and seemingly large tasks, can be completed
instantly and updating of systems can be done seamlessly. It is estimated
that by 2014, such automation will decrease the labor associated with IT,
by 25%
• Reliability - of cloud-based systems is a big positive for all businesses.
The Data is backed up instantly, which means increased protection from
data loss and peace-of-mind for all users.
• Simplicity – cloud solution requires less ground work by the clients,
which means decreased human resources and more specialized support
staff.
• Relatively quick to set up – CRM based solutions are software based
packages, thus they are relatively quick to set up. Your CRM provider will
have the hardware implemented and ready to go, with the IT staff ready
to enter the required data, to start your CRM.
9. What are the benefits of using a CRM?
• The way of the future - Cloud based
applications are quickly taking over from local
based software. This is because of the cost
effective benefits, decreased hardware,
software and human resource requirements and
the increasing need for businesses to provide
mobile office options. The top CRM brands will
provide a cloud-based CRM solution, so be sure
to enquire about cloud-based options, which
are sure to be of benefit to your organization.
It is believed that eventually, most business
applications will be served through cloud-based
system, due to the cost effective nature of
cloud-computing.
10. What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
• Capture Leads: Funnel all enquiries and leads from multiple
sources into one centralized database for further qualification,
rules-based assignment and follow-up.
• Customizable Management Workflow: Provide online access to
the centralized database with fully customizable roles and
permissions for sales, marketing and the extended enterprise
team including distributors, channel partners and third party
support vendors.
• Track leads instantly: Track leads from lead generation to close
• Sales Force Automation: Support sales force automation (SFA) and
contact management to increase sales productivity and enrich
interactions with prospects and customers.
• Closed loop Marketing: Close the loop between marketing and
sales.
• Analyze your business: Measure ROI on marketing campaigns to
better target marketing budgets for maximum revenue impact
11. What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
• Data mining: Data mine for marketing intelligence
• Manual of use: Access to sales tools, success stories and
sharing of best practice
• Workflow automation: Basic tasks are automated,
reducing time-consuming paperwork and shortening the
sales cycle.
• Manage funnel: Customer profiling allows sales teams to
identify the most qualified prospects, improving customer
interactions and resulting in higher close ratios.
• Disaster Relief: All the CRM’s data is stored offsite with a
company who specialize in security and data
management, to ensure your data is safe and backed-up
instantly.
• Sales Forecasting: forecast and pipeline reports support
individual and team planning, goal setting and evaluation
12. What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
• Instant Report: Real-time lead tracking and reporting
allows users to see what is working best so that messages
can be refined accordingly.
• Marketing campaign: Knowledgebase and data mining
tools facilitate audience targeting for future promotions
• Promote your brand: Additional value-add capabilities
such as promotion-specific microsites, landing pages and
online event registration sites further support demand
generation efforts.
• Business Intelligence Dashboard: Generate reports and
save them on your dashboard. These reports dynamically
update based on activity.
• E-marketing: instant marketing results.
13. What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
Time Management:
• CRM’s allow managers to focus exclusively on their work;
avoiding distraction from your core business. This means
managers will work with greater efficiency, effectiveness and
productivity, doing what they do best. With built in scheduling
tools and calendar options, users are able to manage their
appointments, meetings and work schedules, more efficiently.
Workflow/Marketing Automation:
• With CRM Workflow/Marketing Automation, you can manage
your data efficiently by importing data, creating campaigns to
determine leads source conversion rates, develop and track
multiple marketing activities per contact, synchronize data
with your mail client, generate & capture leads, approve your
captured leads through web sites and assign to the right sales
persons in your organisation and much, much more.
• CRM’s can also segment your leads to allow for you to
appropriately tailor to marketing efforts to each segment. This
maximises the effectives of your campaign and will generate
more leads and ultimately more customers.
14. What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
Improved Customer Service:
• Improvements in customer service can be instantly
realized, as all the customers data can be accessed
with just a few clicks on the CRM. Users can search for
each customer individually and find data relating to all
buying behaviors. Quality CRM’s will filter the results
to allow for increased efficiency when accessing
customer data.
Instant Reports:
• With your CRM, you can instantly generate live
reports for lead tracking and reporting allows users to
see what is working best so that their marketing
messages can be refined accordingly. The reports all
assist in communicating the data to the sales,
marketing and management teams.
15. What can you do with advanced CRM Systems?
Contact Management:
• Contact Management tools are included within your
CRM which make keeping track of your customers
contact details simple and efficient. The range of
benefits includes:
– Easily update customer records, with 1 click
– All contact history including notes, activities,
emails, calendar events, deals etc, can be stored
in one central location.
– Develop relationships with your customers and
access a complete history of all communications
– Manage any number of contacts and profiles
– Send personalized emails direct to your leads
16. What can CRM automation provide?
Sales Force Automation:
• Sales force automation will improve the efficiency,
effectiveness and productivity of your sales team. This system
will also improve the communication between the sales team
and customers. In order to maximise effectiveness, all
customer interactions should be handled by the sales force
automation system.
Close the gap between marketing and sales:
• Closing the gap between marketing and sales provides your
company with many important benefits. You are able to track
your leads from the moment your marketing campaign
creates a prospect; to the moment they enter your sales
pipeline; into the future. The benefit being, you can analyse
the effectiveness of each step in the sales process and
understand how and why you are getting the results you are
getting. This helps understand exactly which areas of the
campaign require improvement, to get the desired successful
results.
17. What can CRM automation provide?
Measure ROI:
• Marketing departments are always required to justify
their expenditure to receive their slice of the budget.
Knowing that a marketing campaign managed to
generate X number of leads is important, but doesn’t
provide justifications for budgets.
• By measuring and analysing your marketing campaigns
to better target marketing budgets for maximum
revenue impact. Forecasting performance in made
simply, with in depth chart, graphing and reporting
tools, to keep you up to date. By having the ability to
measure the results each campaign delivers, you are
able to accurately measure the effectiveness of the
campaign and budget appropriately for future
marketing efforts, which will in turn, increase profits
for your company.
18. What can CRM automation provide?
Marketing Campaign:
• Quality CRM’s includes knowledge and data mining tools to facilitate
current and future audience targeting promotions. Marketing
Campaigns will be more refined to target each customer in each
segment, which in turn will drive more leads into your sales pipeline.
Users can track buying behavior of customers and understand
statistically how their marketing campaigns are affecting the purchasing
behavior of customers.
Data Mining:
• Most CRM’s include Data Mining tools to effectively manage data and
interpret data from within the application, to produce clear and concise
user-friendly output.
• Data Mining occurs in a 5 stage process:
– Extract, alter and load transaction data from customers, into
database
– Store and control data in database
– Make data warehouse available to management and IT dept.
– Analyse the data with application.
– Display data in user-friendly forms e.g. Charts and Graphs.
19. What can CRM automation provide?
Promote your brand:
• Additional value-add capabilities such as promotion-
specific micro sites, landing pages and online event
registration sites further support demand generation
efforts. Superior CRM’s will provide tools that allow
users to create tailored emails to target specific leads
and customers.
• One advanced feature in some CRM’s is they allow
you to track the moment the email is sent, to the
moment it is received and opened by your lead. This
helps you to track what your customers want and
what they are interesting in knowing more
information about. This means your company can
streamline its marketing efforts and produce the most
profitable results. Be sure to confirm with your CRM
provider that this feature is available.
20. Why choose a cloud-based CRM solution?
Updates:
• As technology is forever changing and developing, a
dynamic back-end that updates without end-user
intervention is ideal to keep to your organization running
without interruption. A cloud-CRM can provide this as the
maintenance of the CRM back-end is handled entirely by
the providing company. It’s highly beneficial to your
organization if the CRM solution provided includes free
updates for the life of the product.
API:
• Your organisation will benefit, if your CRM solution allows
you to adapt it to other applications used by your
organization e.g. online newsletter sign-up form. API’s will
allow your CRM to exchange data with other applications
and services. This will be quite beneficial to your business.
21. Why choose a cloud-based CRM solution?
Scalability:
• With the increase in leads, customers and the size of your
organization, comes the need to increase the capacity of
your CRM’s database. Quality Cloud-based CRM’s have
the ability to grow with your business and adapt to your
growing client base. Be sure to enquire about the
scalability of your CRM solution, before implementing it.
Cloud Security:
• CRM providers and vendors are usually more up-to-date
with their security and protection systems, as oppose to
small or medium enterprises. Businesses will benefit from
peace-of-mind, knowing their exposure to security risks is
greatly decreased as oppose to having the responsibility
of securing and maintaining their CRM, when they need
to be focusing their resources on sales and marketing.
22. Why choose a cloud-based CRM solution?
After Sales Support:
• An easy to use, yet powerful CRM solution is ideal for businesses.
However after sales support of your CRM solution is imperative to
the success of the CRM’s implementation. Successful support
begins with a comprehensive support tool, with a link built into
the CRM. Superior CRM companies will provide a central hub of
24/7 support data e.g. a blog or online documentation, which will
give you peace-of-mind knowing you can have your queries
answered promptly, to maintain the highest quality of productivity
and efficiency as possible. Live demonstrations and webinar’s are
other important features of a quality CRM as they provide a
hands-on approach to training and learning how to use your CRM
system, at your own pace!
Tailored CRM Solution:
• Superior CRM solutions provide customization options for your
CRM to suit the industry your business operates in. e.g. Retail,
Insurance, Health, Education, Call Centre, Construction, Services
etc. Just notify your CRM provider of your businesses industry and
request that your CRM solution be customized accordingly.
23. Why choose a cloud-based CRM solution?
Offline CRM:
• Quality CRM solutions will provide support for
Offline use. So no matter if you’ve forgotten your
mobile modem at home or your mobile phone has
simply dropped out of range, you can still edit the
CRM data and synchronize with the cloud based
CRM, when you connect to the internet again.
Analysis:
• CRM’s provide ability to analyze customers and
their buying behaviors. By offering tools to track
customers purchases from becoming a lead to
becoming part of the sales pipeline and beyond, all
data can be analyze by your CRM. This not only
assists with providing appropriate budgeting, but
also lets businesses see the impacts of their
marketing campaigns. This is a vital tool for survival
in a business world full of competition.
24. Why choose a cloud-based CRM solution?
• One efficient and easy to use Centralised system –
• Superior CRM’s will be simple, straight-forward cloud-
based systems, that offer a central hub of securely hosted
customer relationship data management tools.
• Efficiency is maximised with a centralised CRM system
and response times cut, allowing for better management
of customer data and ultimately improved customer
service.
• Your customer data can be managed seamlessly, just with
the click of a button.
• e.g. Medical centre’s can benefit from having their
practitioners in the CRM and allowing each GP to input
patient data, manage their history and effectively keep
track of the patients health status. The administration of
the medical centre can assign patients, update contact
records, send mail merged emails etc.
25. CRM as centralised system
Centralise all communication and client’s information, folder and
documents into 1 easy-to- access system:
• All your client and customer’s communication and transaction data
and documents are all integrate into 1 easy to access system and
because it’s stored in the cloud, it can be accessed from anywhere
around the world, where an internet connection is available. This
also includes web-enabled mobile devices like iPhones and other
smart phones.
System that reduces administration burden:
• 39% of a sales reps time is spent on completing administrative
tasks. High-quality CRM’s can halve this amount, with built in
automation tools. Users can easily update customer records with
just 1 click.
• Administration time is slashed due to all customer relationship
data such as contact information, business transactions and
marketing campaign progress, all being stored in one secure, easy-
to-use, cloud-based CRM application. Put an end to the days of
switching between a number of documents, spreadsheets and
database applications to find the data you are looking for. Your
CRM provider handles all your customer data from one central
application.
26. How to manage any department?
Your CRM helps you manage any department (HR, SALES,
Contact centre etc):
• Being able to access your entities data from one central
application, will improve the efficiency and productivity of
any department in your organisation including HR, Sales,
Contact Centre, IT, Marketing and of course,
Administration. Gone are days of switching between any
number of applications to access data about your
customers, sending out marketing campaigns, forecast
sales & ROI etc.
Centralised all information about products and services, so
that it can be easily controlled by customised live report:
• Combining your customer data with you CRM’s powerful
live reporting tools, you can access real time reports for
measuring the effectiveness of your campaigns and
response of your leads.
27. How to manage any department?
Improved Customer Service:
• Improvements in customer service can be instantly
realized, as all the customers data can be accessed with
just a few clicks on the CRM. Users can search for each
customer individually and find data relating to all buying
behaviors. Quality CRM’s will filter the results to allow for
increased efficiency when accessing customer data.
Instant Reports:
• With your CRM, you can instantly generate live reports for
lead tracking and reporting allows users to see what is
working best so that their marketing messages can be
refined accordingly. The reports all assist in
communicating the data to the sales, marketing and
management teams.
28. Contact us
LeadMaster APAC - Level6,
80 Mount Street,
North Sydney,
NSW 2060
Enquiries:
Ph:+61 2 9464 0700
Fax: +61 2 9464 0777
SalesCRM: +61 1 300 852 599