Owning an online business comes with many responsibilities, but nothing is more important than customer satisfaction. Any business owner knows that you could have it all: a good-looking website, quality products, a good work ethic, etc., but it all falls flat if you do not have happy customers. It is what makes or breaks you.
That is why more and more businesses are investing in CRMs. You might have even heard that term mentioned. But, what exactly is a CRM?
What Is CRM Software
CRM is an acronym for Customer Service Management, and it is software. Its prime function is to help business owners develop a relationship with their customers. Many people use it to make the proper steps towards professionalism.
However, quality CRM software can do so much more than that. You are probably wondering how to know what you should look out for. No need to worry! That is why we are here.
Allow us to present you with the most important features in CRM software.
1. Workflow Automation
We would all like to make life easier for ourselves, would we not? That is just what this feature does – it simplifies your professional life. Workflow automation lets you program CRM software to automate repetitive tasks such as:
- Set up automated responses for messages
- Program CRM to send follow-up messages if a customer does not respond in a certain period
- Track the number of calls your sales representatives make, and their duration
- Set up automated performance reports
This feature is usually available as an upgrade in most CRM software. But we believe it is more than worth the extra cost.
2. Contact Management
Now, this feature is amongst CRM core functions. Any software worth its salt has this. Contact Management helps you collect, store, and organize customer data.
Customer names, contact information, email addresses, social media accounts – everything gets stored in a user-friendly, easily accessible database.
3. Tracking Interactions
CRM software also gathers customer information from the first interaction with your business to the most recent one. When a potential customer (or business partner) reaches out to your business in any way, CRM picks up on it.
That is how it creates a customer (partner) profile, which allows anyone in your team to distinguish between customers (partners) with ease.
4. Customer Service Optimization
It is of the most important features to watch. Poor customer service is amongst the leading reasons for switching brands. You may offer quality products and design, but if you do not provide quality communication, you might as well hang a virtual ‘out of business’ sign.
Here is what you want to look for in CRM software to boost your customer service:
- A 360-degree view of customers. Your CRM software should show all there is to know about a customer.
- The CRM software you have should use customers’ first names to personalize their whole experience.
- Auto-tracking of all communication points. You need to have access to it all – from lead acquisition to sales history.
- Keep track of all visits, purchase history, incidents, and other activities. Having insight into this allows your customer service agents to always be on the same page.
5. Sales Forecasting
Sales forecasting is a feature that adds a dash of clairvoyance to your CRM software. But, with actual data, of course. It predicts your future sales using current data and trends from the sales pipeline.
That way, you can alter your marketing plan as necessary to avoid potential revenue loss. It is an outstanding feature if you need to create forecasts months beforehand.
6. Email Integration
This one is for the team. Tracking emails in an old-fashioned way can be draining. So, look for CRM software that prioritizes email integration so you can connect with Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, etc.
It allows for segmentation and management of contact lists, integration of calendars, and more. The feature will simplify cross-communication for your sales agents, helping them increase their productivity and organization.
Conclusion
Customer satisfaction can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Or, in this case, the business’ back. That is why so many people nowadays run towards CRM software. It is practical and usually user-friendly. But, before you go running off to get yourself one, you should be clear about your business needs.
CRM software can come with a bundle of features, many of which you will never use. What are you looking for? Do you need to improve your customer service? Organize your data? Automate workflow? No need to work up a headache. We searched for you.
Our list of the essential features shows what you will want in your CRM software. Finding a CRM with the features above will bring you happy customers, happy employees, and a happy self. We hope that now you know what to keep an eye out for.