If you are a small or medium-sized business it is likely that some, or all, of your customer data, is stored in a spreadsheet, word document, Outlook, or another system. I, for one, completely understand – a spreadsheet is probably the most productive program on your computer, you’ve already paid for it, so why not use it for everything, right? The simple answer is no; it is as important to use the right tool for the right job when choosing software solutions.

Perhaps this sounds familiar - some years ago a customer spent weeks entering new prospect data into Excel. When finished, they sorted the list by surname and saved the document. While presenting the sheet to management they realized they had sorted the sheet by the surname column so it no longer matched the other details. It was the wrong tool for the job and they had no choice but to start again.

Innovations like Google Docs™, Microsoft Office 365, and Office Online resolve some challenges but they have not dedicated solutions for dealing with customer data. The simplest and most cost-effective solution is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management system).

Businesses absolutely need CRMs! CRMs are purpose-built to store customer data and, unlike spreadsheets and other software, provide features to help you grow and improve the efficiency of your business. CRMs help you retain existing customers and find new ones, plus there is less risk of data corruption, data loss, or it falling into the wrong hands!

CRM software provides businesses with a complete view of each customer throughout their journey with your business. Imagine the power in being able to view all of the communications with your customers, such as calls, emails, notes, documents, quotes, and meetings, in just one place.

The earliest connection with a potential new customer prospect is typically from a form on your website, email or phone call. CRMs automate the first two with “web to lead” and “email to lead” functionality. Just log into your CRM, look at the list of leads and there they are! When the phone rings, enter the lead details as you are given them. Because CRMs are great at automation, new leads are immediately sent a confirmation email and the relevant member of your team alerted, by email or text.

CRMs are great for automating your workflow processes and include powerful report-building tools, for example, to segment like-minded leads and customers into campaign lists for sending campaigns from the CRM or to help you to make informed strategic decisions about your business.

A CRM is a game-changer for your business. At FuseIT we recommend using Salesforce, which is the leading cloud-based CRM. Please contact our team for more information.