Tag: CRM for Small Businesses

The 3 Biggest Benefits of Using Cloud-Based CRM for Small Businesses

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Most of what we do today is done in the cloud. The cloud stores all of our data, including that on our computers, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and other daily devices.

Your customer relationship management or CRM software is a key component of your sales and marketing strategy, right?

As a sales professional, you depend on your CRM technology for its great contact management features, its ease of use every day to manage your sales pipeline, your customer interactions, nurture and improve your customer relationships, boost revenue, maintain your customer base, and grow that base.

What if cloud computing and your CRM software interacted in a major way? There is a solution for that, and it’s known as cloud-based customer relationship management software, or simply cloud-based CRM.

This article examines the sales and marketing cloud CRM software in detail.

First, let’s define cloud CRM software, then let’s explain how it differs from on-premise CRM software. Here are three key benefits we believe you can reap from using a cloud-based CRM for small businesses.

Let’s get started!

The cloud-based CRM for small businesses involves hosting your CRM tools and software on the cloud. This is easy to use and accessible from anywhere, anytime.

01: The Freedom to Work from Anywhere

Our discussion earlier touched on one of the most appealing aspects of cloud-based CRM software.

This is the freedom your employees have with cloud services.

By using cloud-based CRM, this software is accessible from anywhere, unlike on-premise solutions, which are tied to an onsite server. Users will only need internet access to access the software.

There are many moving parts in businesses big and small. The employees spend time at their workplace and outside it.

Some of your top salespeople and marketers may attend conventions, expos, and networking functions for the purpose of expanding your company’s reach. Some of your employees may work remotely.

You won’t be able to use your CRM solution right off the bat when you use an on-premise solution.

It is a rule in the company that you cannot access the CRM if you are not in the office. It doesn’t matter if your CRM software is only an on-premise solution.

In many ways, that can hurt your business.

You can sync up the cloud-based or SaaS CRM Software between your team members’ tablets, smartphones, laptops, or whatever devices they have handy. Since it’s all online, they can still access your CRM features (phone calls, emails, etc.) even if they are out of state or out of the country.

Isn’t that pretty amazing?

02: The Room for Scalability

Your small business hopes to grow.

As if it needs to be said. When your software or tools aren’t up to date, it becomes problematic. You want your CRM software to grow with you as you add new employees and provide new services.

We are referring to an on-premise CRM, so it might be able to support your growing business needs, but it might not. You can only know how much growth you will experience and how fast it will happen.

You need a CRM that is scalable. You can therefore rely on your software to handle the growth spurts your company will inevitably encounter in the years to come.

The advantage of cloud-based CRM software is that it can be scaled up as well as down as needed.

03: Great Reliability

You want to make sure any new product or service you invest in is reliable before you invest any money. Does it work reliably? Is the software accessible at all times?

If you are interested in using CRM, we are not necessarily speaking of on-premise software, in which you have to stay at the office.

The issue we’re referring to are those unavoidable incidents and problems. For example, suppose there is a power outage? If the software fails, what will you do?

Without a CRM system, you may still be able to work, but you may face a lot of problems. Not only would productivity suffer, but some of your customer data, including contact information, could also disappear.

In an on-premise CRM model, this is not meant to scare you.

The data is always being backed up with cloud-based CRM, so everything gets protected automatically.

To Conclude

All your most important data is stored in the cloud with cloud-based customer relationship management software. You can access it anywhere, anytime, and it is regularly updated.

As the server is not located at your office, your employees can still log in if they travel or work remotely. Just about anywhere, they can use their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and home computers to access the Internet.

Customer relationship management provides a host of advantages for sales team automation, resulting in world-class customer service, customer support, and relationships.

Check out the features of CMR Runner – a cloud-based CRM Software for small businesses, which comes with solutions for tracking leads, task scheduling, monitoring, and other day-to-day activities. Simply speaking, CRM Runner is your one-stop solution for field service and office management.

Field Service Provider APP

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If you run a technical field enterprise and your client sees there’s something strange, who do you think he will call? An urgent call from a client should be a top priority of field service providers. Be the kind of superheroes they wish to see, saving them from minor or even major fixes. Even it was only a leaking roof in the kitchen, or blurry CCTV captures, in real life, these clients wanted to see problems being fixed. Another, do you mind if plumbers can arrive in time and fixes issues in just a single attempt? In many reports, costumer’s satisfaction when it comes to field services (plumbers, drivers, installers, doctors, etc.) is still annoying. Why? There must be downfalls in the management and operations since their bosses do not see them working in the field. They simply deploy them and then nothing more. This is a helpless scenario in the field service sector. Now, can we fix these? Of course, some technologies can enhance the field service management, making it more transparent both for the management and customers. A Field Service Provider APP is what you are looking for.

A Field Service Provider APP is a system used to manage the majority of field operations such as dispatching, job placement, inventory, driving, scheduling, and more. In spite of each business’ hassles and demands, there is help available fit to a company that provides field services. Here, a working app should be placed. It will double the efficiency of work. It will remind field workers to give time on tasks. We can’t deny the fact that others are taking advantage of their time in the field doing personal transactions like doing the grocery or having a haircut. If you have men in the field, then you have to see to it that they are working. Check them from time to time.

Check if they are doing their jobs properly and reprimand them if necessary. The absence of workflow control in any business will create a negative result. Whether you are in the office, having a conference or on vacation for a few days, see how your people are doing. A friendly service provider app will provide you the things you need. Let them do proper documentation and invoicing the paperless way. With an excellent app, you can avoid scheduling overlaps, mismatching of laborers to ordered jobs and inability to address urgent client request. Invoice delays won’t be a problem since they can do invoicing themselves using the system.

If you have your pains in field service management and you’re tired of experiencing those over and over again, get a Field Service Provider APP. Experience work in progress. Problems are common for any business. But, why allow them to happen if you can prevent them? It is time to find the right solution fit to your budget and needs. Here is where the Field Service APP can come to help, taking under control your workflow, operational costs, invoices, fuel consumption, working hours, workloads, and more.

CRM for Small Retail Businesses

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Is a CRM for Small Retail Businesses Worth the Cost?

Small retail businesses are faced with many challenges.  Managing customers, employees and inventory leaves little time for planning new products and marketing to keep increasing revenue.  A CRM for Small Retail Businesses can help manage day to day operations in a more streamlined way.

Some client relationship management systems offer more than a small business needs and some are free but also don’t have the tools to maximize potential.  Ensuring that the platform chosen is worth the cost is about how well it works into the way a business already runs and what additional features it offers to help the business continue to grow in a manageable way. Choosing a CRM that has all the benefits and features a specific small business needs is key to it being worth the investment.

CRM for Small Retail Businesses

What are the benefits of a CRM for Small Retail Businesses

The list of benefits for using a CRM for small retail business growth is quite long.  The tools and automated processes free up time for employees, managers and owners.  That time is spent acquiring and retaining customers instead of running in circles being less than effective.

CRM systems track customer information and help keep team members in the know about changes to schedules, work loads, and responsibilities.  Those who use a more automated system find that inventory tracking and purchase history tracking enable them to make better informed decisions about what takes up space on the shelves.

Remembering who customers are and what they like is easier for employees when they use a CRM system.  When customers feel valued and employees feel informed the payoff is a better customer experience and more reliable team member.  CRM systems give employees the information they need to be confident in providing an excellent customer experience.

 

Features to look for in a CRM for Small Retail Businesses

When choosing a CRM it’s best to look for one that works with the way a business currently functions.  Choosing solely based on features often causes a higher investment.  Unneeded features have been reported as big reason that employees don’t stick to using the new system.  While features should not be the most important factor when choosing a CRM for small retail businesses, they should certainly be considered.  The following 4 features are needed for retail businesses to get a competitive edge.

Inventory tracking

Tracking inventory is vital to a small business.  With a CRM system, managers can get low stock alerts, order reminders and view inventory trends at the click of a button.  If a small business has or plans to expand past one location, choosing a system that tracks inventory across multiple locations is ideal.

 Customer tracking

Tracking customers and their purchases is helpful when choosing new products and when to offer a special.  Understanding how customers purchase, what price point they purchase at and what gets them back into the store are important bits of information kept in a CRM for small retail businesses.

Customizable reporting

When a CRM system offers customizable reporting, managers can ask employees to update them on specific things during and at the end of their shift.  This enables managers to hold employees accountable even when they aren’t there – a feature that also works well for making sure a product reset was finished. Managers can require a picture of the reset is attached to the report.

Integration with marketing

Small marketing tasks like sending out a coupon in an email 3 days after purchase are easily integrated into a CRM system for small businesses.  Tracking information, how they purchase and which ads they respond well to, aide owners in predicting profits and how much money they can make from a pop-up sale.

 A CRM for Small Retail Businesses should be able to grow and scale

Being small enough to learn easily while also being enough to grow into is a tall order for software.  The best CRM for small businesses includes enough features to maximize functionality, not so many that employees are confused and an overall flexibility that allows for rapid growth. Choose a system like CRM Runner that has customizable features that can work well for now and after a growth spurt.  Click here to schedule a demo of the best CRM for small retail businesses.

Easiest CRM for Small Businesses

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The Easiest CRM for Small Businesses Helps Manage Work Flow and Client Communications

Solutions for common problems that business owners and solopreneurs face are not always obvious.  Finding time to handle paperwork, marketing and servicing clients are the major challenges that most owners report.  The solution for these problems is implementing the use of one of the easiest CRM system for small businesses.

Easiest CRM for Small Businesses

The easiest CRM for small businesses integrates into day to day operations seamlessly

While many business owners think about features and cost when evaluating a new CRM, that isn’t the biggest factor to consider.  The easiest CRM for small businesses works with the way a business already functions.  Features that allow team members to go about their day in a similar way to before makes it easier for team members to want to use the CRM system.

When looking for the easiest CRM for small businesses, owners should engage in a free trial before making a final decision.  What looks ideal on the surface may not work well for how employees complete tasks.  CRM systems that streamline processes and take care of repetitive tasks will help managers feel more informed and keep employees more accountable.

 

CRM Runner - Manage your Business

 

 What features are in the easiest CRM for small businesses?

User friendly features are an important part of the easiest CRM for small businesses.  Some systems offer more than a business needs and some don’t offer enough features or customization to entice employees  to use it.  Once the system has been seen as an inconvenience by team members it will be hard to see the value and educate them on the why behind it’s use.  The following features are thought to make it less difficult to run and manage a small business.

Client communication tracking

A software that tracks client communications all in one place is beneficial to small businesses that are growing.  Real time updates keep employees, managers and customers in the know with one action.  When customers feel like everyone they talk to knows about is a concerned with their problems, they turn into lifelong purchasers.

 Employee monitoring tools

Monitoring employees and their performance from anywhere through an app is the number one time saver for managers.  Understanding where employees are and exactly what they accomplished is vital to knowing who to replace and who to promote.

 Scheduling and timekeeping

The easiest CRM for small businesses also includes timekeeping and scheduling functionality.  Most small businesses utilize several different programs to accomplish these tasks.  Keeping it all together gives a better overall picture of the business, it’s employees and the clients that it serves.

The differences in a CRM for one person business and the easiest CRM for small businesses

There are few differences in the easiest CRM for small businesses and a CRM for a one person business.  Aside from not needing to track employees, most features needed in a CRM for a one person business are also needed to effectively manage a small business.  Solopreneurs that have thought about growing may want to experiment with employee tracking features and reporting before making a hire.

The main difference in the small business and the one person show is that information must be readily available in a CRM for a one person business.  This same thing is also what makes using a CRM for a one person business just as important as it is for a small business with employees and more than one location.  A CRM, like CRMRunner, that is available from anywhere is ideal for when one person is running the show.

 A CRM for one person business should be cloud based

A CRM for a one person business has to be available from anywhere.  When one person is running the entire business the ability to answer a customer’s question and find out if the product they need is in stock – all while in route to the next sales meeting is essential.  Logging on from anywhere with internet to have access to a customer list, lead information and sales trends can help a one person business get an edge over their competition.

Automating processes that run in the background helps a solopreneur get everything done and scale for growth.  When a CRM is working for a business, it’s like having another set of hands and an assistant that keeps up with everything.  CRM users say that can make all the different for an owner/operator that lacks time and energy.

Simple CRM for Small Businesses

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A Simple CRM for Small Businesses Helps Increase Profits

With a simple CRM for small businesses, owners are able to automate tasks and track more aspects of their business.  These insights lead to customer satisfaction and increased efficiency.

Owners of small businesses often wear many hats and work after hours to complete administrative tasks.  When an owner can’t be everywhere at once, it’s hard for them to continue to maintain the same level of oversight once their business starts to grow.  With a simple CRM for small businesses, owners will be able to know what’s going on with their business at the touch of a button.

CRM software for small businesses often have the same basic functionality.  Depending on the type of CRM you’re looking for, you may need additional features that a basic CRM software can’t provide.  Each industry has different needs for which CRM system will work best in their day to day operations.

Simple CRM for Small Businesses

A Simple CRM for small businesses has the features needed to increase efficiency.

Increased effectiveness is top priority for those looking to invest in a CRM for their small business.  Most online CRM systems accomplish this by automating repeated tasks, tracking customer communications, and providing a central location to keep necessary customer information.

Many CRM systems for small businesses include additional features that help managers and team members communicate without tracking each other down.  Some industries, like those that rely on field staff, find that the use of additional features decreases time spent on projects, increases profit and improves the impression customers have of their business.

What features are in a basic CRM software?

Basic CRM software typically functions to maintain all of the information pertaining to a customer and their account in once place.  Often these basic CRM systems track communications with the customer.  This is very beneficial for staff to stay up to date about what the customer has already expressed and what they are expecting. When a customer feels like a business understands their needs and is working to meet them, they turn into satisfied referral sources.

With a basic CRM software, staff can log on and see all of the customer information.  This enables them to quickly answer questions and catch up on the issues the customer needs to have resolved.  A basic CRM functions as one place to look for information when it’s needed most.

What to look for in a less annoying CRM

Many employees have a hard time adjusting to using a new CRM system if it doesn’t fit into the way they normally go about their day. Often they have trouble understanding the interface or navigating through features they don’t need to access.  Many employees simply don’t use the system and then it begins to be an afterthought.

Business owners that look for a less annoying CRM for their employees report that their team wants to use the system.  Easy to use features and customize-able reporting that smoothly fit in to the way the employees already work keeps them excited about using it.  It also helps them easily find the value in changing the way they have been doing things.  If they have to change their whole work routine, it’s likely they will resist the change.  Businesses that implement a less annoying CRM for their employees see increased effectiveness and a boost in employee morale.

Choose a web based CRM software for improved efficiency

For small business owners who are monitoring employees and meeting with potential clients a web based CRM software is essential.  When using a cloud based CRM, all updates happen in real time and are accessible from anywhere that has internet.  Applications that are available on any device make it easy for employees to update their managers.

Web based CRM software allows on-the-go access that is invaluable for sales and field staff.  Knowing where technicians and equipment are is easier with a cloud based CRM.  Accurate updates on job sites, customer communication and scheduling is available to managers when they log on.  The use of a web based CRM software streamlines communication and decreases the amount of time it takes to know where your business stands at the end of the work day.

An ideal small CRM system creates more streamlined processes and better direction for employees.

Many small CRM systems lack what employees and managers need to make sure that customers are taken care of.  Several online CRM systems only track communications related to sales and orders.  Those small CRM systems don’t have additional features that help ensure employees know exactly what to do to take care of the customer, all the way through payment.

In contrast to small CRM systems, more comprehensive online CRM software may be essential to give a business the upper hand in a competitive market. A long term solution for a business may not be a small CRM system but instead one that also has a better way to get in touch with employees and automatic tracking of progress and resources.

When choosing a simple CRM for a small business, the way that the business currently operates should be the number one factor in deciding whether or not an online CRM system is right for your team.  Consider how the use of the new CRM tool will fit into the work day of your team members.  It’s important to not only consider how your employees will use your new CRM but to also ask them to try it out.  Choose a CRM with a free trial and then ask employees for their feedback to ensure to you are choosing the right investment.

CRM software providers behind CRM Runner designed an easy to use client database software.

CRM software programs designed with the user in mind are often a more reliable choice for business owners seeking efficient practices.  CRM software providers that stand behind their product typically offer a free trial to prospective clients.  When they know their CRM software program is beneficial for business owners, they will want to ensure it has the features needed to help the owner streamline processes.

Seeking out a CRM software provider, like CRM Runner, to enroll in a free trial to see how a client relationship management software can streamline processes could help business owners see more profit.

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