5 ways CRM can help your business today

1. Make improvements to your bottom line

Introducing a CRM platform has been shown to produce real results – including direct improvements to the bottom line. CRM applications have a proven track record of increasing:

• Lead conversion by up to +30%
• Sales by up to +30%
• Sales productivity by up to +30%
• Customer Satisfaction by up to +35%
• Faster decision-making by up to +38%
• Revenue by up to +25%

Average Percentage Improvements Reported by Salesforce Customers. Source: Salesforce Relationship Survey conducted 2014–2016 among 10,500+ customers randomly selected. Response sizes per question vary.

2. Identify and categorise leads

A CRM system can help you identify and add new leads easily and quickly, and categorise them accurately. By focusing on the right leads, sales can prioritise the opportunities that will close deals, and marketing can identify leads that need more nurturing and prime them to become quality leads.

With complete, accurate, centrally held information about clients and prospects, sales and marketing can focus their attention and energy on the right clients.

3. Increase referrals from existing customers

By understanding your customers better, cross-selling and upselling opportunities become clear — giving you the chance to win new business from existing customers.

With better visibility, you’ll also be able to keep your customers happy with better service. Happy customers are likely to become repeat customers, and repeat customers spend more — up to 33% more according to some studies.

4. Offer better customer support

Today's customers expect fast, personalised support, at any time of day or night. A CRM system can help you provide the high-quality service that customers are looking for. Your agents can quickly see what products customers have ordered, and they can get a record of every interaction so they can give customers the answers they need, fast.

A CRM can improve your customer’s experience across customer service, marketing, and more.

5. Improve products and services

A good CRM system will gather information from a huge variety of sources across your business and beyond. This gives you unprecedented insights into how your customers feel and what they are saying about your organisation — so you can improve what you offer, spot problems early, and identify gaps.

Customer management solutions can speed up and improve how you locate, win, and keep your customers happy.

Here’s what cloud-based CRM offers your business

CRM and the cloud computing revolution have changed everything. Perhaps the most significant recent development in CRM systems has been the move into the cloud from on-premises CRM software. Freed from the need to install software on hundreds or thousands of desktop computers and mobile devices, organisations worldwide are discovering the benefits of moving data, software, and services into a secure online environment.

Work from anywhere

Cloud-based CRM systems such as Salesforce (Learn more: What is Salesforce? ) mean every user has the same information, all the time. Your sales teams out on the road can check data, update it instantly after a meeting, or work from anywhere. The same information is available to anyone who needs it, from the sales team to the customer service representatives.

Reduce costs

CRM can be quick and easy to implement. A cloud-based system doesn’t need special installation, and there’s no hardware to set up, keeping IT costs low and removing the headache of version control and update schedules.

Generally, cloud-based CRM systems are priced on the number of users who access the system and the kinds of features you need. This can be very cost-effective in terms of capital outlay, and is also extremely flexible — enabling you to scale up and add more people as your business grows. Salesforce is flexible in terms of functionality, too — you’re not paying for any features that are not useful to you.

A cloud-based CRM platform offers you:  

• Faster deployment
• Automatic software updates
• Cost-effectiveness and scalability
• The ability to work from anywhere, on any device
• Increased collaboration

Salesforce CRM

Salesforce is the world’s #1 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. It offers cloud-based applications for sales, service and marketing for small, midsize and enterprise organisations, with a focus on sales and support. It brings together all your customer information in a single, integrated platform that enables you to build a customer-centred business from marketing right through to sales, customer service and business analysis. This gives you more complete understanding of your customers to drive your business’s success.