In order to interact with customers effectively and maximize the conversion of leads into real sales, it is necessary to implement and properly configure a CRM-system. With the help of this service you can significantly increase revenue and profits without spending much on advertising and promotion. In numbers, it sounds something like this: profits can grow by 40-100%, operating expenses can be reduced by 1.5-2 times.

What Is The CRM-System?

The name of the CRM software literally means “customer relationship management”. It is developed taking into account the implementation of a wide variety of business processes that are performed by sales departments to sell goods and services to users, companies and institutions.

To understand the processes and implementation of customer relationship software, you need to know the basic terms.

A lead is a potential buyer of products or services who has responded to an advertising message through a communication channel.

Commercial proposal is a proposal that is prepared for a specific potential client, regular customer or specific target groups. Commercial proposals can be sent via an electronic database of potential and regular customers or in the form of a letter by email. The CP should be drawn up taking into account the characteristics and motivation of a specific target group.

A deal is an appeal from a client or to a client, which is recorded up to all stages and results.

A person of contact is a person with whom you need to contact during telephone conversations, correspondence via email or instant messengers. Very often a point of contact and the decision maker are not the same.

Decision-maker is a person who makes a decision on approving or rejecting the consideration of proposals during a negotiating cooperation.

Benefits Of CRM-System Implementation And Customisation

This system is necessary for companies of different scale of activity, since it provides a number of advantages:

  • significant increase in sales volumes, total sales proceeds and the level of business profitability;
  • increasing the loyalty of new and regular customers. Sales managers do not forget that they need to call back or perform a certain action, make a commercial offer and send it through a convenient communication channel, etc.;
  • efficient use of staff time. Managers and the head of sales will need to spend less time on specific tasks, thanks to streamlining and simplifying the work with customers at all stages of the sales funnel. Free time can be redirected to perform strategically important tasks;
  • operating costs for all business processes reduction;
  • detailed and accurate analytics on the basis of which you can build real long-term and short-term plans, make effective management decisions, and adjust the work of staff.

Customer Relationship Management Operation Principles

The software is built on the principle of fixing all the working processes of the sales department and their integration with accounting programs, warehouse accounting, and other automated services. The software has a very convenient working interface, which is similar to an Excel table, only with functionality adapted to the work of the sales department. A separate card is kept for each client, which displays all information from the first contact to the last transaction. You can track the entire chain of interaction between the manager and the customer, listen to phone calls, create various documents according to prepared templates and send messages.

When the company has installed and configured a modern Customer Relationship Management system, the software prompts to open the client’s card while calling him/her. Thanks to this, you can immediately see the name and surname of the contact person, purchase history, etc. Even a manager who has not worked with this customer before can easily respond to him/her. But what is crm implementation?

Here are some Customer Relationship Management implementation stages:

  1. The key software functions determination, requirements for the performed tasks, the possibility of integrating with other systems in the enterprise, the size of the budget for the software acquisition and implementation.
  2. Software installation and adaptation. Even those functional blocks that are developed under an individual order must also be adapted directly at the software installation site.
  3. System testing, performance check of all key functions. If the testing process reveals shortcomings and difficulties, they will be fixed by the developer's specialists.
  4. Software mastering. Under the guidance of the developer, the customer's staff masters the system, performing the main work. All employees who will use the CRM-system must be trained and instructed.
  5. Closing the implementation process and starting technical support for the software. Technical support is essential for the smooth and efficient software operation.

Features Of Working With The Program

So which of the following is the first crm implementation strategy?

After CRM-system choosing and installing, managers and other employees of the sales department and related departments get access and the opportunity to work with the software.

The software contains the following main blocks (displayed in the left panel):

  • Desktop. It displays key sales indicators, the activity of managers (the Dashboard displays the number of transactions and their status, the number of contacts and other important data);
  • Transactions/Deals. The most important section, without which it is forbidden to interact with the client. Deals include all outgoing and incoming requests from potential or regular customers. In this section, you can make settings for such filters as creation date, stages, managers, products, current or overdue tasks, etc .;
  • Contacts. There is a database of all counterparties with the history of transactions for each client. Contacts can be created while registering a new deal;
  • Tasks. The section is formed based on the goals set for certain dates. The manager sees the tasks that need to be completed on the right day, as well as information about overdue tasks;
  • Analytics. This is an analytical reference which shows the number of transactions at different stages of the sales funnel, the conversion of transactions, as well as the achievement of planned indicators in terms of sales volumes and other figures;
  • Customization. In this section, you can make settings for the main functional blocks of the system.

What Should The CRM-System Include?

While choosing and implementing software, you need to consider the list of key business processes for promotion and sales. Usually customers do not use all the capabilities of the implemented system.

What must be in the CRM:

  • A sales funnel. This is a universal scheme of stages that the client goes through from awareness of the need to interest and action (purchase, subscribing, other targeted actions). Tracking indicators at all stages allows you to quickly adjust the work of marketing and sales specialists.
  • Deals. Customization for new and current clients. Transactions are carried out in stages. They contain all the important information about each counterparty. In this section, you can trace the stages of the transaction, the actions of the manager, information about the company, points of growth and products that will be of interest to this particular customer, and much more.
  • Analytics. Setting up reports in sales funnels, various sections, activity of the sales department (calls, distribution of commercial offers).
  • Tasks functional. Setting tasks allows managers to work every day within the assigned tasks, which can also be configured by priority.
  • Integration with the website, landing pages, other branded online resources of the company. Integration with telephony. It allows you to generate deals and tasks for sales managers automatically when you receive calls or online requests.
  • Leads allocation and tagging (classification by categories “hot”, “warm”, “cold”).
  • Integration with the managers-clients correspondence by email and various messengers. This setting allows you to recreate the entire communication relationship with the client if the manager leaves the company.
  • Integration with automatic calls.
  • Setting up automatic mailing to the customer base using the messengers.

The Most Common And Convenient CRM-Systems

For effective work you can use:

  • Bitrix24
  • AmoCRM
  • Pipedrive
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • 1C:CRM
  • BPMonline.

The right choice and implementation of a CRM-system enables companies to increase sales, reduce the cost of attracting and serving customers. If the system works as intended, then transactions for current clients can be conducted and closed even by those managers who have not previously worked with this counterparty. The software is suitable for medium and large businesses selling products or services in the B2B, B2C, B2G segments. While implementing software, it is necessary to use all the key functions, adapting them to the characteristics and business processes of a particular company.