Important CRM Features

​1. Workflow automation

 

• CRM software can make your life easier by automating your workflow. Look for software that lets you set up custom rules and comes with sales force automation to help you and your team be more productive.

• By using rules, you can set your CRM software to automatically perform a specific action based on triggers or events, such as these:

• When a potential customer fills out a contact form on your website, the CRM software automatically directs the message to the right sales representative or department.

• When a sales representative receives a message, the CRM software automatically sends a preset response to acknowledge the message.

• If a lead, prospect, or opportunity doesn’t respond to your message or proposal, the CRM software automatically sends a follow-up message after a preset amount of time, such as 48 hours or two business days.

• When a sales representative makes calls or sends messages to a contact, the CRM software automatically logs hours and keeps track of all communications.

• As sales representatives complete tasks, the CRM software automatically reports them to supervisors and upper management for performance reports.

• Workflow automation features can also take the time and legwork out of tedious sales tasks, such as order processing, order tracking and inventory control.

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​2. Customization

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No two businesses are the same, so the best CRM software can cater to your business’s unique needs. Some CRM solutions let you choose which features to include in your package, and some also allow you to customize basic areas, such as with the abilities to add contact fields, choose which data to show on your dashboard and create custom reports. You can also customize with extensions, plugins and other add-ons to expand your software’s capabilities.

If you need even more customization to truly tailor the software to your business, many CRM software providers offer more advanced options using APIs. This gives developers access to all technical specs and coding for full customization of your software. The API also allows you to integrate the software with existing business solutions your company uses to streamline processes.

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3. Third-party integration

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Connecting your CRM software to other solutions you already use can save you tons of time and money. Most CRM programs offer third-party software integrations; the key is choosing one that’s compatible with the software you use and easy to implement.

 

Here are a few things you can do with the right third-party integrations to make your life easier:

 

• Run CRM software straight from Outlook, Gmail or other email clients so you don’t have to keep switching between apps.

• Automatically sync sales and order information with your POS system and accounting software to eliminate manual data entry.

• Automatically build email lists and launch email marketing campaigns from either your email marketing software or CRM software so you don’t have to open both.

• Back up and sync data with Dropbox, Box.com and other popular cloud backup storage services.

• Depending on your software, some integrations may require IT administration.

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4. Customer service

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Tech Academy will provide you the CRM software that can help you acquire and retain customers by providing excellent customer service. Look for the following capabilities that will allow your sales reps and customer support team to perform their best:

 

• Gives you a 360-degree comprehensive view of customers that shows everything there is to know about a customer from the first point of contact

• Automatically tracks all points of communications, from lead acquisition to closed sales and sales histories

• Logs all incidents, website visits, purchase histories, and other activities for future reference and to keep all reps on the same page

• Uses customers’ first names to personalize all correspondence

• Has unique reference numbers for each account, customer and help issue

• Automatically sends customers acknowledgments of their inquiries and messages so they don’t feel ignored

• Supports premade email templates and call scripts that answer the most common questions

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5. Employee tracking

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CRM software is a great way to track employee activity and performance. Tech Academy provides you the CRM software that gives employees their own accounts where they can individually track their hours, tasks, meetings, sales numbers, goals and other items. The software should also give supervisors and upper management access to dashboards that let them view individual employee goals, completed tasks and other metrics of productivity. This can help managers write employee performance reviews, create incentives, reward strong employees, and identify those who are struggling and address areas of improvement.

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6. Lead management

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A lead management feature will help you to identify your leads and the actions they’ve taken along the sales cycle. Through the lead management process, you’ll be able to score your leads and, if needed, filter them off to a different member of your team to turn select leads into customers.

 

Sometimes dead leads sit in a CRM for weeks or months. A smart sales manager stays on top of leads and redistributes quiet or seemingly dead leads to different members of their team for reengagement.

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7. Real-time data

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Real-time data has become the main driver for CRM systems. Good CRMs can pull real-time data from devices, applications and even appliances. These are just a few of the benefits of pulling real-time data:

 

• It helps you make better-informed marketing decisions about bidding price and placement of online advertising.

• You get an instant snapshot of market demand, so you can update your marketing plan accordingly to yield better results.

• You can identify which of your products and services generate the most revenue, and which generate the least and may need a boost in exposure.

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8. CRM analytics

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CRM analytics, also known as customer analytics, offer insight into customer data. This data is important because it can help you make better decisions about the types of products, services, marketing and overall communications you distribute to your customers. Look for these specific analytics in a CRM:

 

• Customer segmentation that is simple to read and understand

• Clear profit and loss data to help you determine your ROI

• Informative web analytics that illustrate customer website use and behaviours

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9. Reporting

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Reporting is the feature that brings the results of your sales and marketing efforts all together. The more of different report types you can access, the better:

 

• The number of leads that come in during a certain amount of time

• The number of sales generated during a certain amount of time

• Which of your sales agents closed which leads and how many they closed in a certain amount of time

• The number of outbound calls being made

• The effectiveness of your emails

• The stage at which your leads converted, helping you identify opportunities to close leads in a shorter time

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10. Email

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Tracking emails through a traditional inbox can get overwhelming and confusing. It’s important for every single sales email to be received and addressed in a timely fashion to increase the probability of generating revenue.

 

An email feature in a CRM helps keep your sales reps organized and productive. They can integrate their calendars to schedule appointments and engage prospects and customers accordingly. Another great email feature is the ability to automatically pull in email templates so reps spend less time crafting email content. You can use this feature to create several email templates, such as these:

 

• Basic information about the company, segmented by industry

• Follow-up after a phone call

• Follow-up after one email has been sent

• Follow-up to a proposal that reps are waiting on customers to return

• CRM software can be a useful tool for businesses of all sizes, but it’s important to select a truly effective platform that can scale with your needs.

 

As Tech Academy we are capable of delivering all of these 10 features in our CRM Software Solutions ! On top of it you can ask for any additional features from us that may require customized software development or technical adjustments.