What Is CRM and How Can It Increase Your Sales

July 2016

What is CRM?And How Can it Increase Your Sales?

What is CRM? And How Can it Increase Your Sales?

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Executive Summary

Executive Summary

This white paper takes a look at Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and describes how

it can help organizations manage interactions with customers and prospects more effectively.

It explains why more and more businesses are turning to CRM and illustrates how much faster

companies can boost their sales cycle thanks to user-friendly cloud-based solutions, accessible

from multiple devices.

The main points to note are:

• Adoption of CRM solutions is growing rapidly

• Cloud-based solutions are having a major impact on CRM

• CRM solutions can be personalized to meet your business needs

• Such solutions can offer a host of business benefits

• CRM can help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) stay ahead of the competition


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1. The Definition of Customer Relationship Management .......... 4

2. Key Characteristics of a CRM Solution ........................................ 5

3. How to Tailor CRM Solutions to Meet Your Business Needs .. 7

4. Why Small Businesses Should Choose CRM ................................. 9

Conclusion .................................................................................................. 12

Appendix: CRM: Did You Know? ........................................................ 13

CONTENTS


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1. The Definition of Customer Relationship Management

1. The Definition of Customer Relationship Management

CRM is a system that companies use to manage customer interactions. It includes all sales and marketing operations

aimed at optimizing the quality of the customer relationship, increasing loyalty and maximizing revenue and margin per

customer.

CRM utilizes an array of innovative support technologies and applications to guide users through a company’s processes

and practices and helps convert positive business relationships into profitable business growth. A lot of SMBs define CRM

as a 360 degree view of the customer on one application. Information in a CRM solution could include the following data:

company name; SIC (Standard Industry Classification) profile; address; phone number; website address; contact name

and job title; social media account details; purchasing history; buying cycle and preference of product and service.

CRM solutions are aimed at all types of organizations, regardless of size or sector. Generally speaking, companies start

investing in CRM software when they have approximately 5-50 employees. There are many examples of components

being made available on a subscription basis, allowing anyone in any sized business to better manage their clients using

this kind of software. A CRM solution allows a company to keep track of interactions whether it’s for a customer or a

prospect. It allows a company to monitor and grow existing business, as well as nurture new opportunities.

The scalability of these applications allows very small businesses to expand to more sophisticated features that enable

them to: collaborate with colleagues and customers; manage customized marketing campaigns; assemble insights from

social media conversations and put together a holistic picture of their company’s health in real time.


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2. Key Characteristics of a CRM Solution


A good CRM solution includes a contact database, details on inventory, purchasing, invoicing, and the ability to offer

multichannel payment capabilities. This means you can send out invoices and have your customers pay them through an

online payment solution. So instead of having to wait that 30 days or an extended period of time, you get paid

immediately. Such an all-inclusive solution allows small businesses to operate and function on a daily basis. CRM solutions

offer businesses a way to manage customer data and customer interactions together with the customer life cycle and

contract life cycle. CRM solutions also enable you to access business information, automate sales, automate the order

process and handle marketing and customer support and service, along with the employee–vendor relationship.

The main thing that most companies look for in a CRM solution is the ability to separate their customers and prospects

while managing their sales and marketing processes. This could involve the creation of leads and tracking them through

the entire customer lifecycle from initial contact. The problem is that many organizations decide to invest in a particular

type of software accounting package for their basic accounting and wages. But then they decide to use an entirely

different system, perhaps involving spreadsheets, to manage their marketing activities. And as there is no link between

both systems, this leads to inefficiencies.


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A good CRM solution can solve this problem by linking up a

customer list, for example, to an accounting system. This

means companies can look at data and leverage if for

investment cases. For example, you may have employed

several people to carry out a specific marketing operation.

By analyzing what you find in your CRM you can then

establish the number of contacts you need to make, or how

many mail shots you need to send out in order to achieve a

specific result. The great thing about a CRM solution is that

it allows you to be as in-depth as you choose. Therefore if

you wish to add more information to it you have the

capability to do so. You may start off choosing two modules

and then moving forward you may wish to upload another

module. This agility enables you to grow your solution as

you grow your business

Digital technologies have profoundly changed the way we

do business and this is characterized by CRM’s move toward

the cloud where it is easier to store data. As Scott

McKissack, Senior Manager CRM, Neopost USA explains:

“Digital CRM involves a convergence of digital marketing,

social business and big data coming together to create new

business strategies in order to identify new customer

behaviors and enable communication via new business

channels.” Digital business transformation however is still all

about business. And the way people handle the adoption of

the transformation will determine if it is evolutionary or

disruptive. One of the biggest changes caused by

digitization is the growth in SaaS (Software as a Service),

making technology much more accessible. Today businesses

can access software via the web, giving them the scale and

reach of becoming a big player.

Digital CRM involves a convergence of digital marketing, social business and big data coming together to create new business strategies in order to identify new customer behaviors and enable communication via new business channels.”

Scott McKissack Senior Manager CRM Neopost USA


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3. How to Tailor CRM Solutions to Meet Your Business Needs


The CRM options on the market today are not “canned” products. You can create and tailor your solution to meet your

specific business needs. So if you choose one with for example six or seven modules, you can isolate and select the

modules that make the most sense for your business. Here are a few examples:

• If you have a retail company, then inventory and purchasing data is very important. You may already have an

accounting system in place but you could opt for inventory and purchasing modules and use them in conjunction

with your accounting system.

• If you wish to increase revenue for your company you can customize your CRM solution to focus on improving

the selling process and opening up new avenues of business based on a comprehensive view and customer

prospect intelligence available from CRM analytics.

• If you are aiming to reduce costs, you can unitize CRM to reduce inefficiencies that cost your business money.

You can reduce customer acquisition costs by making sales more efficient, allowing sales people to call on more

customers with a more relevant message and purpose.

• If your goal is to increase margins, leveraging one of the most powerful features of a CRM application, the

complete view of the customer and your relationship to that customer, is crucial. This powerful view will provide

insight into customer needs, preferences and buying patterns, and allow for identification of up sell opportunities.


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A CRM solution is a great way for organizations to manage

their database, especially in a small business environment.

There are CRM solutions available today that are geared

toward companies with less than 20 employees. Before

investing in CRM, many of these companies use Excel

spreadsheets to itemize and outline all of the information

they need to run their business. But when they understand

how productive it is to have all their data in one place, they

decide to invest.

One of the fears expressed by small businesses before

committing to a CRM solution is the cost. But when

companies calculate the cost savings they could enjoy

with the CRM solution they are willing to sign up. Another

fear is based on a perception that these solutions are

complex. However as Warren Tait, Customer Services

Director, Neopost UK points out: “There are vendors on the

market who are willing to walk customers through the

different processes and do a lot of hand-holding during

the early phases, making the adaptation period so much

smoother.”


There are vendors on the market who are willing to walk customers through the different processes and do a lot of hand-holding during the early phases, making the adaptation period so much smoother.”

Warren Tait Customer Services Director Neopost UK


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4. Why Small Businesses Should Choose CRM


Higher Productivity

Having more in-depth data in one centralized system allows for less time-

wasting activities throughout the day. As Michele Tessier, Digital Sales

Supervisor for Inside Sales, Neopost USA, explains: “CRM solutions help you

identify buying patterns and trends, enabling you to better customize your

marketing efforts by knowing more about the companies you are targeting.”

A CRM solution can instantly supplying metrics that can be used to measure

an individual’s performance and identify weakness that can be discussed

in future sales meetings or training sessions. Investing in CRM is a way of

establishing a workflow and a business process in one system, offering endless

business benefits.

More Organized Processes

A CRM tool, often called a Contact Management System by small businesses,

provides a one-stop solution that enables you to access data regarding every

facet of your business. CRM gives the departments within your company a

360 degree view of all customer interactions. It allows for: recording of every

interaction with customers; a vision of past and future activities, and will do the

work of providing reminders, setting up appointments and follow ups - which

are tedious tasks to do and keep current with.

CRM solutions help you identify buying patterns and trends, enabling you to better customize your marketing efforts by knowing more about the companies you are targeting.”

Michele Tessier Digital Sales Supervisor for Inside Sales, Neopost USA


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Efficient Prospect Management

Many small businesses do not realize that, when they are using an Excel spreadsheet or just manually entering

data, there’s no mechanism in place to efficiently keep track of prospects. A CRM tool gives you the capability to

make sure prospects do not get lost in the system. Imagine you’re getting more appointments with a particular

segment and, depending on your business sector, you may be organizing direct mail or emailing campaigns. This

enables you to forge a link between prospects and customers. This engagement process helps you understand a

certain dynamic, as long as you ask the right questions. What you have got to remember about CRM is that you

need to know what questions to ask of the data in order to be able to get the answers you require.

A More Structured Approach to Performance

Closely monitoring activities and tasks means you clearly know the needs of your customers, enabling you

to follow up in a more structured manner. The ability to create KPIs (key performance indicators) between

engagement processes is important. For example you can establish the effort you need to make, by physical

mail, telesales, email, social media or another channel, in order to achieve engagement.

Improved Customer Engagement

A good CRM solution ensures that your customers are more easily and accurately segmented and their needs

are clearly identified. This means you can interact with them meaningfully at the right times, leading to more

sales, faster sales and higher customer retention and satisfaction. A good CRM solution enables you to manage

sales and marketing campaigns by physical mail, email, SMS or social media for example. This means small

businesses can communicate with customers via their preferred channel, increasing customer satisfaction and

engagement.

A Better Understanding of Your Data

Data is one of the most valuable strategic assets your business owns, and, if analyzed the right way by your CRM

solution, it can be of unlimited value. According to Patricio Robles’s article ‘The Five Biggest Benefits of CRM

Systems: “Popular CRM platforms typically offer a variety of homegrown and third party tools that

enable companies to understand their CRM data and learn things about their customers that wouldn’t be

possible otherwise.”

Better Lead Management

CRM gives you the ability to manage leads from the infancy stage all the way through to the new customer

stage. So whether are talking to a prospect, sending a quote out or creating a proposal, the system can manage

the whole thing from start to finish. It provides visibility, speed, efficiency, collaboration, data intelligence,

accountability and a better customer experience. This improved customer experience is obtained from better

more accurate segmentation, better need identification and history analysis which help identify the right times

to engage the customer.


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Real-Time Mobile Access to Sales Data

Sales teams can benefit from access to CRM solutions on their mobile devices in the following ways:

• Real Time Collaboration: Each sales person has access to what the other sales team members know, anytime,

anywhere. The information isn’t locked up, it’s available to anyone who needs it, whether they’re in the office

or not.

• Current updates with Accounts & Activities: Sales people can access files and learn the latest news, get social

updates on contacts and be alerted to account/customer announcements.

• Faster business with focus: A sales person’s speed greatly increases when she can quote, communicate,

close contacts, obtain contract signatures with eSignature types of applications, and submit orders while out

in the field.

• Easy management of Accounts, Contacts, Leads, and Calendar: Sales people can take a picture of a business

card and create a lead, contact or an account with the push of a button on their smartphone. She can be notified

in real time of a lead and act on that lead from the field. She can even launch a customer lifecycle engagement

action plan with a few screen touches on her smartphone.

Conclusion


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Conclusion

In today’s highly competitive market, businesses that manage

their customer relationships efficiently are more likely to

succeed than those that don’t. This is why the investment in

CRM solutions has skyrocketed in recent years1. For those of

you who are still sitting on the fence, bear in mind that a well

implemented SaaS, or cloud-based CRM solution will replace

your manual systems with more efficient processes. It will give

you the opportunity to move away from spreadsheets and

collaborate easily across the entire customer lifecycle. You will

be able to find real value in your data, make your teams more

accountable and improve the customer experience, leading to

a faster increase in sales.

1 The Five Biggest Benefits of CRM Systems, Patricio Robles: https://econsultancy.com/blog/66287-the-five-biggest-benefits-of-crm-systems/

Appendix:CRM: Did You Know?


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Appendix: CRM: Did You Know?

According to ‘18 CRM Statistics You Need to Know for 2016’, by Mark Taylor from SuperOffice2: “The CRM industry sector

is growing at a staggering rate and in 2015, we saw increased use of CRM software on mobile devices. This was aided by

businesses increasingly adopting cloud-based CRM solutions, allowing their employees to access software anywhere they

go on the smart device of their choice.” Mark’s article provides the following statistics:

2 18 CRM Statistics You Need to Know for 2016, Mark Taylor: http://www.superoffice.com/blog/crm-software-statistics/

CRM Growth Not Slowing Down• A forecast from Gartner anticipates that the customer relationship management market will be worth $27.5 billion

worldwide in 2015. Rising to $37 billion by just 2017.

• We can see that CRM software leads this technology investment, with 49% of businesses planning to

increase spending.

Access to CRM via Multiple Devices• 48% of CRM users now access their software from a smartphone, with 45% accessing from a tablet.

• Although this figure is still lower than that from a laptop or desktop, this rising use from mobiles and tablets

means that 81% of users are now accessing their CRM software from multiple devices.

Increase in Cloud-Based Solutions• It’s this increasing need to access software from multiple devices and locations that has led to the rise of using

cloud-based CRM solutions.

• We can see that 6 years ago only 12% of businesses used cloud-based CRM – This figure has now increased

to 87%!

2016: The Year of the Customer• All of these statistics and research point towards 2016 being the year of the customer.

• We live in a world where 80% of consumers will research your product online before making a purchase, 87% will

use their mobile device to shop and will use several channels to interact with your brand.

• In order to engage potential customers across multiple devices in multiple channels, you need data. And with

CRM software, you are able to create a 360 degree overview of each person you connect with.

The Rise of Mobile CRM• Mobile CRM access does not just increase use of the software, but also the productivity of the workforce.

Statistics have shown a rise in productivity of around 15%.

• And it doesn’t stop there. Users of mobile CRM are achieving better results!

• Research by Innoppl Technologies showed that 65% of sales reps who have adopted mobile CRM have achieved

their sales quotas. While only 22% of reps using non-mobile CRM have reached the same targets.


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Sources

Contributors

• 18 CRM Statistics You Need to Know for 2016, Mark Taylor: http://www.superoffice.com/blog/crm-software-statistics/

• The Five Biggest Benefits of CRM Systems, Patricio Robles:

https://econsultancy.com/blog/66287-the-five-biggest-benefits-of-crm-systems/

Michele Tessier – Digital Sales Supervisor for Inside Sales, Neopost USA. •

Scott McKissack – Senior Manager CRM, Neopost USA •

Warren Tait – Customer Services Director, Neopost UK •


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Documents

What Is CRM and How Can It Increase Your Sales