Making the Transition from Spreadsheets to a CRM

Making the transition to a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application can seem like a daunting and costly step. Identifying the right time to make the transition is key to time-management and growth. An effective CRM can help you manage customers, identify sales opportunities, analyze sales trends, and stay organized. However, keeping your CRM effective is crucial to its success.

What are your needs?

Before pressing purchase, it is important to understand what exactly you are looking for in a CRM. For example, HubSpot allows you to do everything in one platform like sending email sequences or Marketing Newsletters (but, of course, this comes at a price). Pipedrive is more limited in the marketing options, but allows for extensive reporting to identify trends and easy communication with customers. There are even up-and-coming platforms like Mondays’ CRM that are more cost-effective but may not be as comprehensive. Whatever you are looking for specifically - do your research - because once you choose, you will not want to switch! (Been there, done that - and would not recommend it!) Thus, it is important to recognize your needs for today as well as what your needs will be next year and beyond.

Set up the CRM system

The initial setup of the CRM is critically important. Besides just setting up your team in the software - the pipelines need to be created, deal values need to be set, probabilities have to be created, and properties need to be delegated. When you begin to import data, double-check to ensure it is correct and clean. Quite often, organizations that think a CRM is not working for them, did not take the time to properly setup the CRM to optimize its capabilities.

Take advantage of training

Many of the major CRM players offer training (whether it is free or paid). Take advantage! Ensuring that your team is trained on how to use the CRM effectively will ultimately guarantee you will get the most out of your investment.

Test and optimize

Optimize your CRM for your team. Do you want to send automated emails to those who reach a specific stage or filling out a form? Do you need a reminder to send a follow-up email after a week of no response? There is a workflow for that! Optimizing the CRM to meet your needs will ensure it is used most effectively.

Employee Time & Turnover

Chances are, you don’t want your employees copying and pasting data all day when automation could do that same work in mere minutes or even seconds. Automating your process can seem like a daunting task, but ultimately it will lead to better use of employee time and your employees will feel valued, decreasing turnover. Quite simply the preparation and planning pays dividends in the long run.

By implementing the best CRM for your organization, you can improve the efficiency of your sales team, stay organized, make informed decisions, and ensure no opportunities are left behind.

The BLOQQ team has years of experience in improving sales processes - we’d be happy to do a no obligation review of your needs and discuss the various options available in today’s market. Contact us to learn more here.