CRM Software

If staying afloat in rough economic waters were not enough, small-midsized businesses (SMBs) are experiencing frustration and inefficiency when it comes to integrating data management and business software that have been intended to help them manage costs and grow revenues.

 

A white paper by SageCRM, published on TMCnet, reveals that customizing applications for particular needs ranks the top--63 percent--of common software problems. This is followed way behind by duplicate data entry points and coordinating software updates each at 32 percent.

 

“Many SMBs are utilizing contact management and accounting software but most don’t have a solution that provides visibility and insights from data,” says the paper. “And they’re finding that customization and data management across different systems can be very challenging.”

 

Software customization can be challenging for a number of reasons. Complex systems may require a depth of technical understanding that SMBs do not have in house, yet often it is the company’s need to spend time, perhaps with an outside implementation expert, to scope out its exact industry-specific needs, which then guide a well thought out customization plan.

 

The paper also found that an overwhelming majority of SMB use enterprise resource planning (ERP) software—79 percent—to manage sales, manufacturing, distribution, and HR. A sizable minority—38 percent--use customer relationship management (CRM) applications.

 

Yet while ERP and CRM solutions complement each other by fully integrating back-office accounting and inventory data with front-office sales opportunity management, fewer than 1 in 10 SMBs believe they are seamlessly integrated. Most feel that they have some room for improvements when it comes to data sharing.

 

 

In response to the customization issue the whitepaper recommended making sure the basics such as workflow / critical business processes are covered in key areas like CRM, sales management, and operations management before looking at customized applications. Customers/users should demand flexibility in their solutions. They should select applications expressly devised to be built on and modified to meet specific needs.

 

The white paper also suggested unifying finance, sales, and operations information in a single system, to eliminate duplicate data entry and time wasted, and errors made in manually synchronizing departments. Multiple solutions within workgroups or between departments often lead to multiple versions of customer information, creating mistakes. In handling updating software the paper put forward them on a single platform and look for solutions that can be quickly deployed and efficiently mapped to specific business requirements.

 

“You’ll be up and running quickly with software that’s right for your business right from the start,” said the paper. “Your organization will benefit from simplified accountability and a single point of contact: whether you start with a complete suite or start small and add on functionality as you grow.”

 

To resolve ERP and CRM integration issues the Sage white paper asks readers to consider combining these platforms into one solution. The benefits include more effective and profitable customer service through employee time and IT resource efficiencies and providing more information, presented holistically, to enable more insightful and profitable business decisions.

 

When buying integrated tool the paper advised looking for solutions that help:

 

*          Improve sales performance with tools that help sales staff retrieve vital information quickly and easily

 

*          Manage and track every element of marketing campaigns like objectives, leads generated, and lead follow-up to determine how effectively campaigns deliver ROI

 

*          Resolve customer issues efficiently with user-friendly tools that streamline access to relevant customer data

 

“Better communication between departments results in enhanced customer satisfaction and retention, helping you strengthen your reputation in the market­place,” says the paper. “Look at solutions that offer a powerful set of tools to streamline the sharing of data between departments. When you have the confidence in your ability to streamline time-consuming processes, manage your business’ complex finances, and focus your sales, marketing, and operational functions on the customer, good things happen to your bottom line.”