Common Features in A Typical CRM
Did you know that 50% of CRM projects fail because of a lack of insight and understanding of CRM software? If you are thinking of adopting a new CRM software, you need to have a better understanding of the software and its basic features.
Customer Relationship Management solutions can do more than just manage customer relationships. With the right CRM software, you can not only stay connected with your customers, but you can also boost your sales, increase operational efficiencies, generate and convert leads, and foster brand loyalty.
Therefore, choosing the right CRM software is crucial for business growth and success. So, when it comes to getting CRM, here are some important features to look for in a perfect software that will fit your business needs.
Features for Personalization
Customization
Every business is unique, and a good CRM is one that can be molded to suit the unique needs of a business.
The CRM you choose should be flexible enough to cater to the needs and requirements of your business. Your CRM should adapt to the way you do things – the type of information you collect, the ways in which you interpret and view data, and even the layout and language of your preference.
If your CRM is customizable, you can have more control over the collection and presentation of data. Consider the customizability of the following features when choosing a CRM:
Customizable Layouts
Customizable Fields & Modules
Views and Filters
Multi-language Support
Quick Editing
Most CRM software offers a Quick editing tool to make development tasks easier and less time-consuming. With this tool in your CRM software dashboard, you can quickly add a new record or create forms within seconds. Quick editing also allows you to do bulk editing at the same time.
With quick editing, you can keep your data updated with the latest information. Instead of exporting data and editing it in Microsoft Excel, you can edit all your records online. It is a faster, easier, and foolproof method of editing huge data files online directly on your CRM platform.
How CRM Simplifies the Sales Process?
View, Edit, and Delete Data Online
Add New Records Online
Create Forms from Ready-made Templates
Features for Automating Your Workflow
Workflow Automation
How much time do you spend doing manual, repetitive tasks?
On average, employees spend 37.5% of their workday on mundane tasks that can be easily automated.
Scheduling meetings, sending emails, recording information, and following up with clients are repetitive tasks that are present even in the most glamorous jobs. Although these tasks are boring, they are critical for smooth business operations.
The more time employees spend on manual tasks, the less they work on developing strategies and coming up with creative ways to benefit the business. What is more, manual work is prone to human error, which leads to decreased productivity.
CRM solutions offer workflow automation, eliminating human error and the wastage of time and money. With workflow and service automation, you can protect your business from customer attrition. A good CRM software also allows you to automate processes for higher efficiency and productivity.
An efficient CRM helps you automate your customer support, operations, sales, and marketing activities via virtual agents, interactive voice response (IVR), and more. CRM can also help automate most tedious tasks like order processing, inventory control, order tracking, etc.
Workflow Automation
Task Management
The right CRM software should include task management for your employees. Get rid of lag times and delays and increase operational efficiency by creating customized workflows and automated notifications.
Without task management, your customer queries and requests might end up in the pending folder for a long time. Therefore, it is important to have a platform that allows the assignment, management, and collaboration of tasks.
This way, your employees can assign and complete tasks in time. Another great CRM feature is that it offers a shared calendar with all the team members and automates the task management process based on the time and availability of the employees.
Task management capabilities of a good CRM include:
Calendar Integration
Customized Task Lists
Automation
Bulk Actions
Another feature that you need to look for in CRM software is bulk actions. This feature is built-in high-end CRM software, and it lets you do multiple tasks simultaneously. With this powerful feature, you can handle large data quickly and efficiently.
Some common bulk actions that you should have in your CRM software are:
Add tags to multiple contacts or clients at once
Add contacts to a particular campaign at once
Add contacts for a call campaign, & start calling them one by one
Export contacts at the same time for record-keeping
Delete contacts or data from CRM
Features for Communication & Collaboration
Team Collaboration
With an innovative CRM solution, you can keep your teams updated, collaborate on ideas and keep everyone in the loop. You can also increase team collaboration via integrating a chat tool with your CRM to send reminders, calls and messages online to your teammates.
CRM also allows your team members to automate sales updates, so everyone is on the same page. You can also tag your teammates or managers on a sale that needs their attention. It also allows you to assign tags and filters making it easier to pull up specific records.
CRM also allows managers to create tasks and groups and share their responsibilities. All teams are required to input their progress to enhance visualization of the projects and make sure every team is on the same page. It is especially useful during the pandemic when most of your employees are working remotely.
Keep everyoneupdated
Keep track of sales updates
Seamless communication via chat integration
Multi-platform Communication
CRM allows multi-platform communication, allowing businesses to reach out to their customers & stakeholders through various channels - be it email, social media or website. Apart from communication, CRM also stores the full correspondence history with your clients under their individual records. This way you can target the customer more efficiently.
With CRM integrations, you can also get valuable information on your customers including bounce rates, click rates and email open rates to get the most out of your customer interactions.
With so much valuable customer data at your fingertips, including contact history, the next time you connect with your lead, they are more likely to convert - leading to increased sales and higher profits.
Boost conversation with customers
A detailed history of customer interaction
Increase lead conversion
Import & Export Data
Good CRM software allows businesses to import and export data of numerous formats from various platforms. For example, the CRM you choose should allow you to import data in .cvs or .vcf formats.
Similarly, it also allows you to export data, including information logs, reports, and datasheets, into your computers for record-keeping. This is a very useful feature if you are upgrading your CRM software as you can easily move data from your old software to the new one.
With Import and Export feature in your CRM, you can also back up your old data in a safe location for record-keeping and create more space on your cloud-based CRM software.
Import & Export Data to Other Business Software
Transfer Data from One CRM to Another
Backup Data
Features for Business Analysis
Real-time Analytics
Real-time data analytics are essential for CRM systems. CRM gives access to real-time data to managers, so they can leverage this data to address customer needs efficiently.
A good CRM software can capture data from different platforms, including applications, websites, and 3rd party applications. With extensive data at your disposal, you can make better-informed decisions and understand the market.
CRM analytics also helps you understand your customer by measuring campaign performance and breaking down targets into achievable goals. A good CRM should help a business make data-backed decisions by providing real-time reports, analyze trends, and track KPIs.
Create Multi-dimensional Reports
Analyze Sales & Customer Data
Track KPIs and Compare Results
Sales Forecasting
Another basic feature that a CRM must have is sales forecasting. The sales forecasting feature will help you predict your future sales based on the data from your previous sales and current pipeline activity.
You will not only be able to forecast sales but also see the performance of each stage of your sales funnel and identify areas that need improvement. By using old data and trends, CRM can highlight new market areas and opportunities to change your marketing and sales plan accordingly.
Apart from predicting future growth, sales forecasting will also help you anticipate changes in the market demand to prepare for risks.
Predict Sales Volume
Identify Sales Anomalies
Enhances Sales Process
Efficiency
Identify Sales Sentiment & Conversion Potential
Reports Builder
One of the best features of a good CRM software is that it can organize your sales and customer data into files and then use that data to generate reports. The reporting feature is a standard in the CRM industry, as, without it, CRM is nothing.
Your CRM should be able to generate intelligent reports based on market insights.
It should allow you to choose report presentations so you can visualize sales trends, performance, campaign results, and more.
Make sure you can view these statistics from your Dashboard to ensure that you stay updated all the time.
Standard Report Templates
Customized Report Builder
IImport, Export, and Share Reports
Audit
CRM should also include an Audit feature so you can ensure optimal CRM usage and adoption. This way, your business can take the maximum benefit of the CRM platform and enjoy higher efficiency. The audit can help you find potential flaws in your CRM software and any problem or deficiency in capturing information.
It will help you understand your CRM software better and uncover areas that need improvement. With a CRM audit, you can also ensure that all your teams, including sales and marketing, are updating information on the software regularly.
- Set Criteria and Rules of Validation
- Automate Approval Process to Minimize Errors
- Review Processes Through Smart Dashboards
Features for Managing CRM Security, Use & Users
Security
With a CRM, you can have full data transparency. A smart CRM allows the admin to view all accounts and see how company data is being used. It reduces the chances of cyber threats as you can view user login data for 30-60 days to pinpoint suspicious logins and access.
CRM also gives higher data protection by allowing you to force logout from devices to prevent risks like account sharing. It should also offer multi-factor authentication and IP restrictions to keep your important data protected.
A good CRM also gives you the option of encrypting your sensitive data with strong and unhackable AES 256-bit encryption. It prevents important data from being leaked or lost.
Customizable Layouts
Customizable Fields & Modules
Views and Filters
User Management
Another essential feature of CRM software is user management. A good CRM should allow the admin to control user access to the CRM.
With user management features, you can allow how many internal and external users can access the CRM, how much data they can access, and what functions are available to them. Businesses can improve their security and decrease costs with this feature.
With the right CRM, you can set different levels of permission, assign user roles, and control who sees and shares what in the CRM to protect customer data and company IPs.
Standard Report Templates
Customized Report Builder
IImport, Export, and Share Reports
Permissions
CRM software contains sensitive information about your clients and customers, so you need to make sure it comes with strong security. CRM should allow you control that you easily configure and grant your employees some level of access to the data. It should also allow you to control who can view, edit, and delete information.
Similarly, all permissions should be enforced across all systems, including Dashboard, reports, personal information, etc. This way, you can ensure data protection and make sure the right people get access to the appropriate data.
How does the CRM handle permissions?
Social Media Features
Social Media
What are your customers saying about you on social media? You can find that easily with the right CRM. CRM lets you harness the power of social media to build brand awareness, increase customer satisfaction, generate leads, and build strong customer relationships to convert leads faster.
A good CRM software should let you integrate social media platforms with a built-in monitoring feature. This way, your marketing team will be able to monitor your company's social media tasks and performance on a single platform
A good CRM has all the tools needed to get important insights regarding your social media pages and your customers. You should be able to integrate social media management platforms like Hootsuite to streamline your social media management.
Monitor Customer Feedback & Interactions
Manage Leads from social media
Post on social media
Live Chat
A smart CRM software allows users to integrate a live chat feature and access contacts through it. There is no need to switch apps as you can connect with your customers easily. This way, your customer support team has important customer data within reach to provide a personalized experience to customers.
It also allows you to add chat transcripts as notes and includes important details about individual customers regarding their history with your brand. It helps build relationships and nurture leads.
An advanced CRM also offers a chat widget that can be incorporated onto different screens, so you have the option available at all times. This way, you can spend more time chatting with your customers and leads and less time doing repetitive tasks and data management.
It should also allow you to load customer profiles from your customer base during the conversation. This way, your sales rep can take a quick look at customer history without needing to leave the live chat window.
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Manage contacts in the live chat feature
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Manage contacts in the live chat feature
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Manage contacts in the live chat feature
Social Media Analytics
Only with in-depth knowledge can your social media marketing yield actionable insights into marketing strategies. If you don't understand the data, you will not be able to grow your audience. This is where social media analytics come into the picture. All best CRM software offers a social media analytics tool to help you measure your social media marketing success.
This tool allows you to measure various metrics like click-through rates, impressions, likes, and shares across various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. After analyzing data, you can apply your findings to boost overall growth and sales in the future.
With this tool in your CRM, you can also compare the performance of different campaigns to see what works for your company. You can also monitor your brand on social media to see how your target audience interacts with your brand online and perceive your content. After integrating this smart tool with CRM, you can also reach out to potential leads and customers on social media to build relationships.
- Click-Through Rates,
- Impressions,
- Likes, Comments & Shares,
- Engagement Rate,
- Reach,
- Conversion Rate,
- Bounce Rate,
- Cost-Per-Click (Cpc),
- Net Promoter Score, and more.
Mobile Compatibility & Integration Features
Mobile Ready
A good CRM is mobile-ready. When it comes to successful businesses, time is money. Even a few minutes delay can result in lost deals and unhappy customers. With a mobile CRM, you can keep in touch with your leads on the go, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.
A mobile-ready CRM allows your teams to manage tasks on the go and stay connected 24/7. A good mobile CRM offers apps for major platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux with a shared calendar and reminders for important events.
With a mobile CRM, you ALWAYS have access to sales analytics so you can track your KPIs and targets on the go. Your teams can stay connected even on vacations to ensure no maximum lead capture.
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24/7 easy access to analytics
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Stay connected with teams on the go
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Spend less time tracking information/ faster processing
Third-party Apps Integration
Another important feature that you should look for in CRM software is the ability to integrate with third-party software. Most good CRM offers third-party integration so that you can manage all functions from a single dashboard.
With third-party integration, you can run your CRM directly from your emails, like Outlook or Gmail, so you won't have to switch between apps frequently. Similarly, you can sync any other software with the CRM, thus eliminating the need to switch between apps. You can also back up your data in Dropbox or any other cloud backup storage.
One-way or Two-way Sync
Calendar, Contact, & Drive Sync
Map Sync
Features for Automating Marketing Tactics
Marketing Automation
An intuitive and smart CRM software not only helps you with marketing automation, but also with targeted marketing. With a CRM, you can segment your leads and have a unique approach to marketing with an added benefit of automation.
A great example is that of Glaceau, a vitamin-enriched Smartwater brand, began targeting men and women aged between 18 - 49, as they were more inclined towards health and fitness. Due to targeted marketing, the company grew approximately 29% in less than one year!
Businesses witness a 451 percent increase in qualified leads when using marketing automation
CRM makes sure you don't miss an opportunity by automating your marketing campaigns to build lasting relationships. Instead of a one-fit all approach, you can have tailored marketing campaigns to fit your audience.
Automate email marketing and more
Capture ALL leads
Tailor-made marketing campaigns to target customers
Lead Management
Lead management is a process through which marketers attract new leads and then analyze the incoming leads to identify and nurture qualified leads to convert them into profitable business opportunities. Typically, salespeople gather leads from multiple sources manually and then devise a plan to convert them into deals.
With CRM, this process becomes significantly more efficient as the software automatically collects leads from multiple channels and allows salespeople to automate the workflow, develop personalized plans, analyze results, and adopt multiple lead management features to convert more leads.
Customer purchases are 47 times larger if leads are nurtured - Annuitas Group
CRM lets you orchestrate your customer's journey by coordinating the activities of business departments and third-party apps to create a seamless user experience. It offers integration with various online platforms, including social media, emails, telephony, and customer portals, to let you have more control over your lead management strategy.
The software will help your sales team focus on the right leads at the right time and yield higher conversion rates. It will help convert leads into potential customers by identifying and scoring each prospect and developing a plan for the sales team.
Identify Quality Leads
Nurture Qualified Leads through Personalized Campaigns
Engage with Leads Effectively Across Multiple Touchpoints
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