Why CRM Alone Isn't Enough for Your Business or Mine
"I have to create this here, export it to here, then manually copy it to here..."
Sound familiar? One of the most common complaints we've heard from businesses is that they have to use 4 or 5 different applications to handle all of the activities necessary for their business and trying to export, import and exchange information between applications is time consuming or impossible. On top of that, these applications have to be updated periodically and trying to back up the information from multiple sources can be a huge headache.
CRM is valuable to every business. The problem is that most CRM applications don't address the entire scope of your business. They're important for managing your contacts, from lead to ongoing customer, but you need a system that connects all of the parts of your business including managing your orders, schedule, inventory and documents. Most CRM applications don't include order management or document management, leaving you to purchase third party solutions or use a separate application. Many charge additional fees for features like FedEx/UPS integration. Having everything connected lets you work more quickly and access the information you need when you need it.
When evaluating new software, consider how it will benefit your entire business. Ideally it should be easy to use and should streamline your entire business. Here is a list of essential components that you should look for that will be valuable as your business grows. It's much easier to make a plan for implementing new software to make sure that you won't have to switch to a new system in the future or have to cobble together several applications to get your work done.
1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
2. Order and Inventory Management
3. Reporting and Forecasting
4. Document and Information Management
5. HR/Personnel Management
Why?
1. CRM is important for developing new customers and keeping existing customers happy. You need to know the status of each account and be able to manage any issues they experience. You need to be able to keep track of every contact or customer and be able to contact them to follow up, offer new products or get feedback from them.
2. You also need to know the status of your orders so you can ensure they are fulfilled accurately and shipped quickly. All notes, documents and invoices related to an order should automatically be organized and attached to the order for easy review. Having an order management system also gives you insight into what your customers buy and lets you easily manage your inventory and product catalog.
3. You should never have to guess about exactly what's going on with your business and your reporting tools should give you insight into all daily company activity as well as historical, yearly, monthly and daily reports on sales, customers and products.
4. Businesses create a huge amount of information and need to be able to efficiently organize and exchange it. A document management system should allow you to find the information that you need in seconds without having to figure out who has the current version. Additionally, it should allow you to access your documents from any computer or mobile device so you'll never be without an important document.
5. You need to be able to organize and communicate with your team. Your HR Management tool should allow you to manage groups, notes, projects, payroll and commissions, attach documents to employee profiles and easily communicate with groups or divisions within your company.
https://www.affinityinformatics.com
Sound familiar? One of the most common complaints we've heard from businesses is that they have to use 4 or 5 different applications to handle all of the activities necessary for their business and trying to export, import and exchange information between applications is time consuming or impossible. On top of that, these applications have to be updated periodically and trying to back up the information from multiple sources can be a huge headache.
CRM is valuable to every business. The problem is that most CRM applications don't address the entire scope of your business. They're important for managing your contacts, from lead to ongoing customer, but you need a system that connects all of the parts of your business including managing your orders, schedule, inventory and documents. Most CRM applications don't include order management or document management, leaving you to purchase third party solutions or use a separate application. Many charge additional fees for features like FedEx/UPS integration. Having everything connected lets you work more quickly and access the information you need when you need it.
When evaluating new software, consider how it will benefit your entire business. Ideally it should be easy to use and should streamline your entire business. Here is a list of essential components that you should look for that will be valuable as your business grows. It's much easier to make a plan for implementing new software to make sure that you won't have to switch to a new system in the future or have to cobble together several applications to get your work done.
1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
2. Order and Inventory Management
3. Reporting and Forecasting
4. Document and Information Management
5. HR/Personnel Management
Why?
1. CRM is important for developing new customers and keeping existing customers happy. You need to know the status of each account and be able to manage any issues they experience. You need to be able to keep track of every contact or customer and be able to contact them to follow up, offer new products or get feedback from them.
2. You also need to know the status of your orders so you can ensure they are fulfilled accurately and shipped quickly. All notes, documents and invoices related to an order should automatically be organized and attached to the order for easy review. Having an order management system also gives you insight into what your customers buy and lets you easily manage your inventory and product catalog.
3. You should never have to guess about exactly what's going on with your business and your reporting tools should give you insight into all daily company activity as well as historical, yearly, monthly and daily reports on sales, customers and products.
4. Businesses create a huge amount of information and need to be able to efficiently organize and exchange it. A document management system should allow you to find the information that you need in seconds without having to figure out who has the current version. Additionally, it should allow you to access your documents from any computer or mobile device so you'll never be without an important document.
5. You need to be able to organize and communicate with your team. Your HR Management tool should allow you to manage groups, notes, projects, payroll and commissions, attach documents to employee profiles and easily communicate with groups or divisions within your company.
https://www.affinityinformatics.com
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