Few things are as important as maintaining strong relationships with clients. That’s why it’s so astonishing that many web development businesses don’t have a strategy in place for keeping clients engaged and marketing new service offerings to them.
If you don’t have CRM software, now’s the time to invest.
Five Reasons to Give CRM a Whirl
You’ve heard about CRM software in the past. Perhaps you’ve even toyed with the idea of giving it a try. But are you aware of the specific benefits of investing in CRM? There are many of them and your business would do well to carefully consider how careful adoption and implementation could benefit your business.
1. Incredible Selection
There’s never been a better time to invest in CRM. There are literally dozens of options to choose from. And because there’s so much competition in the CRM industry, this means you (the customer) have access to more features, better prices, and increased innovation. You’d be wise to tap into these benefits.
2. Better Customer Relationships
“CRM systems store all your customer data securely, so when employees interact with a customer, they can build rapport quickly because they have access to all the customer’s necessary details,” one expert reports. “This gives customers a positive purchasing experience because they feel understood by your company and are more likely to remain a loyal customer as a result.”
For a large organization with hundreds or thousands of customers, knowing each individual client is impossible. However, customers demand to be known. If they call up and have a question about a certain aspect of their website, they expect the customer service rep to know something about their account. A failure to meet this expectation waters down your brand image and dissuades future business. With CRM, it doesn’t matter who picks up the phone. They can immediately see which website a client has, past issues they’ve dealt with, and how long they’ve been a customer.
3. Streamlined Processes
CRM software isn’t just about customer service. With CRM, everyone in the organization benefits from a streamlined process and access to information. From sales and service to support and accounting, everyone is working with the same information and is, therefore, able to deliver a consistent experience.
4. Access to Real-Time Data
In today’s business environment, you can’t afford to be working with last week’s data. In some cases, it’s even dangerous to deal with yesterday’s data. This is where CRM becomes incredibly valuable.
With the right platform, you can gain actionable, real-time intelligence on who’s visiting your website, which emails customers are opening, and who you’re reaching with various marketing materials. This is more valuable than you realize and lets you focus on core business activities, as opposed to tracking down reports.
5. Easy Lead Nurturing
“From start to finish, CRMs keep you organized,” expert Jonathan Herrick explains. “A CRM gives you integrated tools to take leads from online sources (like your website or social media), and turn them into new customers.”
How so, you may ask? Well, leads from a variety of sources are tracked and combined into a single platform. Contacts can then be labeled and organized into categories that allow you to send relevant information and content that reaches them at the exact stage of the conversion funnel they’re in. The end result is more qualified leads and less wasted resources.
Don’t Avoid CRM Any Longer
The longer you avoid CRM, the greater the chance that you’re leaving money on the table by failing to engage your customers in the appropriate manner. While CRM, on its own, won’t make your business an overnight success, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
