Why Does Every Organization Need a CRM?

In this day and age of wonderfully hi-tech innovations, customers have become much more sophisticated in the ways that they shop and how they want to communicate with you and evaluate their experience. This means that you, too, must make sure to stay up to speed on the best ways of conducting business with these savvy folks. If you haven’t started already, you need to be using CRM software, and here’s why:

First and foremost, you need a place to store contacts anyway, so why not use the most efficient tool available? Outdated methods like spreadsheets or paper files really limit your team’s visibility into customer interactions, as well as your ability to make informed, timely decisions—especially as your organization grows. Using a CRM program will give your entire staff a central, convenient location of immediately accessible, real-time information and data, so you’ll be able to assess what works (or doesn’t) in order to increase customer retention and improve sales success rates. The best part is that CRM saves each client’s information in a single, up-to-date file. This means that it can be easily accessed, and updated immediately, for each interaction that anyone on your team has ever had with that contact: meetings, emails, phone calls, live chats, scanned documents—everything is right there in a single spot! You can even cross-reference the files with schedules, calendars, and other software programs. Such convenience (and major time- and stress-saving) is priceless.

       Not only does CRM help you save time and stay organized, but it keeps every stakeholder on the same page. Whether it’s your customer service agents, sponsors, team leaders, customers, etc., everyone who’s been even remotely involved should, ideally, have matching notes. With CRM, these fine details are less likely to be lost, so communication is practically crystal clear. With everyone on the same page, it can save a lot of time and money, and can vastly improve customer relations! When your organization presents a seamless, united front, it gives your customers confidence; they’ll put more trust in you as a result. Finding and retaining customers is challenging enough as it is, so why risk losing them due to miscommunication?

Lastly, using CRM to monitor and understand how your clients engage with the organization can foster stronger, longer relationships. Knowing their habits, preferences, and what they’ve complained about (or been delighted with) can lead to organic, unforced upsells and suggestions for new opportunities to do more business. You will create closer, more informed relationships with your customers with your CRM solution, because you will have tracked their complete journey taken with your company. Like old friends, your customers’ needs and your business will be growing, together—and that’s a connection worth nurturing.