What Category of CRM Leader Do You Fall Into?

By Krithika Viswanathan, Product Marketing MBA Intern, Sales Cloud, Slesforce

As a leader, your mission is to deliver business results. And at the core of this mission are your customers and employees.

That’s why you work hard to set your team up for success by staffing the right people, setting a positive culture, and motivating your team. But what tools are you providing your team to deliver these business results?

If you do not have a customer relationship management system (CRM) — or your current CRM system is outdated — you could handicap your team instead of empowering them.

A CRM system allows you to effectively manage your customer and prospect relationships. It helps your employees deliver business results by minimising the time they spend on low-value tasks, thereby freeing up time to build customer relationships and deliver solutions.

So, whether your current CRM is paper-based, on-premise, or cloud-based, there may be an opportunity to update your technology or processes to increase productivity and revenue.

Read this: Your CRM Health Checklist

In a new e-book, Frost & Sullivan identified four categories that companies fall into when it comes to CRM, as well as the steps that leaders in each category can take to modernise their current systems.

We’ve provided descriptions of each category below (from least to most sophisticated), so you can figure out what sort of CRM leader you and your business are and what opportunities might be on your horizon. Here they are:

“Never Evers”

Your organisation currently uses a non-digitised CRM system. This requires a lot of upkeep by your employees. But, an update to your CRM to automate and optimise information across the company could minimise manual work for your employees.

But first, you must commit to change. This can be the hardest part for many but investing in a modern CRM today will greatly pay off tomorrow. Involve key internal stakeholders from the very start and don’t be afraid to leverage your CRM vendor to help make the case.

“Digital Dabblers”

Your organisation uses digitized methods, primarily spreadsheets, or a similarly basic system. An update could deliver a more customised sales process, a better way to qualify and nurture leads, and the ability to track all customer interactions in real time.

To do so, you must first assess your organisation’s current processes, methods, and systems. Understanding your current landscape will help you identify the options and features you need most in an all-encompassing platform.

“Still in the 90s”

Your organisation deployed a CRM system years ago but hasn’t upgraded it since. You could be missing out on important technology that allows your salespeople to access information anywhere and anytime.

To take full advantage of today’s CRM technology, you must first understand what’s available today and what capabilities your current system is lacking. Mobile capabilities, for example, allow your employees to access customer data from virtually anywhere. Social capabilities, on the other hand, allow your marketing department to understand every touch point your customers have with your company.

“Taking the Lead”

Your organisation actively uses an omnichannel CRM; however, you’re still lacking the latest and greatest technology. With an updated CRM, you could close leads faster and improve forecasting accuracy via advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning.

To take your CRM to the next level, you must first determine whether your system uses AI and machine learning. With the help of these modern technologies, your organization can work smarter, not harder. AI can help your salespeople understand which leads to prioritize as well as how to forecast more accurately.

How Can You Take the Lead?

Curious about the additional steps your organisation should take to update your CRM? Read Frost & Sullivan’s “Modern-day Sales Team, Yesterday’s CRM?” to better understand where your organisation falls and what three steps you can take to move towards a more modern and powerful CRM platform today.

Want to know how you can upgrade your current CRM system or integrate it with other systems? Email asklava@lavaprotocols.com or call 03-7885 9720 and Lava Protocols can advise you on what works best for your business. 

Article first appeared on the Salesforce Blog.

Lava is a cloud solutions provider and an authorised Salesforce Partner in Malaysia. We have more than a decade of experience in cloud solutions which includes marketing automation, CRM implementation, change management, and consultation. We pride ourselves in not just being a CRM partner but in also understanding the needs of our customers and taking their business to the next level.