Simplesoft Solutions Blog

Strengthen Customer Relationships …. Do NOT Make them Wrong!

August 2nd, 2011 by Janetta

I recently had a personal experience that ignited my desire to stress a point I teach in my Professional Customer Service course. . . . Don’t Make the Customer Wrong! Most of you know our primary business is Sage SalesLogix CRM, and maybe some of you know I teach soft skills courses related to CRM,  but maybe less of you know that, as a consumer, I expect to be treated professionally like I teach. Well, I am constantly surprised.

There is a factor at work here that I should mention. The more personal or emotionally engaging the situation, the higher the expectations and therefore the easier to disappoint or delight the consumer. For example, when you hear a bad customer service experience, which by the way we tell about 12 people, they are sometimes related to vacations, medical experiences, business travel, etc. These situations are highly emotional for us and provide more stories to tell than other situations. However, I believe that many of you provide business critical products and services, so your customer exchanges can turn into  emotionally charged situations quickly. Anyway, back to my story. . .

I was taking a family member for day surgery and we were greeted by two highly processed, focused individuals with no personal connection aptitude at the check-in desk. We were handed family instructions to help us understand what the family should expect and what process the family should follow to see their loved ones. Well, I am all for processes–that is what SalesLogix helps our customers automate–but not at the expense of making the customer feel like they are not important.

So my family member is called out and we are sitting there expecting him to return to us and tell us what is next, and a woman across the waiting room says, “He won’t come back; you better go see to which room they took him.” We go back to the highly efficient desk associate and she asks me when he was called, and I said about 10 minutes ago. She said, “Did you read your family sheet?” I said yes and then she said, “What is his name?” I gave them his name and said we thought he would come back before they took him away, and then she said, “I thought you said you read your family instructions. Did you really read them? If you had read them you would know. . .” Wow! She had to make the point or prove to me I had not read my instructions. Which I did, by the way, read the sheet, but when you are scared it could be the last time you see someone special, everything you read an hour ago doesn’t register. I was so upset I thought my head was going to blow off, but instead I said, “I don’t care about your instructions; where is my family member?”

Maybe it is important for your clients to learn certain policies or procedures that will help you help them. My suggestion is to point these out very gently and use phrases like, “I know this can be confusing,” or, “sometimes the steps can seem overwhelming, but we are here to help.” Kindly direct them back to the information and help them locate the information they are looking for, or even better,  just kindly answer their questions. The only reasons to refer folks to someone else or to point out instructions, etc.,  is for their best interest.

Ok, stepping off my soapbox!

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If you would like to learn more tips, or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about, please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Do we need a CRM solution?

December 14th, 2010 by Lisa

I recently had a prospect ask me to help him make a case for CRM in his business. After learning more about his unique situation and giving it some thought, I came up with a list of questions that he should ask himself. I think this list could apply to many companies.

Do we need a CRM solution?

A full suite CRM solution like Sage SalesLogix can impact every area of your business. You don’t necessarily want to take on everything at once, but you should consider the impact that a full suite and fully integrated solution might have on the bottom line. Alternatively, what is the cost of the lost opportunity if you do nothing?

Ask yourself these questions:

1.   Can we do a better job with the information flowing to our customers?

  • A good CRM system will help you capture useful details about a customer including sales history, service records, responses to marketing campaigns, demographics, and not to mention, a complete picture of call history and email activity.
  • A good CRM system will allow your customers and prospects to interact with you through a web portal for sales or customer service functions.
  • A good CRM system will provide quick and easy grouping capability to create call lists for internal or external call handling.

2.    Could we benefit from the ability to analyze data more effectively using an integrated system?

  • A good CRM system will allow for integration with most accounting or ERP packages to push and pull data between systems and avoid double entry.
  • A good CRM system will offer integrated dashboards providing a view of important information and metrics in one click.
  • A good CRM system will offer integration with various E-Marketing programs for outbound marketing campaigns and tracking marketing metrics.
  • A good CRM system will be easily customized to fit your particular business needs rather than your business practices changing to fit the software.

3.   Can our customer service or internal processes be improved?

  • A good CRM system can transform your computer into a call center allowing your staff to have customer details on their screen as soon as the phone rings.
  • A good CRM system will play well with Outlook and other E-mail packages helping you automate replies and never again lose an important chain of E-mails.
  • A good CRM system will help you qualify and follow up on new leads without anyone falling through the cracks.
  • A good CRM system will track customer service issues and provide escalation rules to handle even the most complex processes.

4.   Are we managing our supply chain effectively?

  • A good CRM system will allow your supply chain to access your CRM data to collaborate and make informed decisions across the board.
  • A good CRM system will help your supply chain communicate through the use of web services improving the relationship between you and your supply chain.

How can you measure the benefits of CRM?

  • Is it the reduction of operating costs?
  • Could it be the 360 degree view of all your data?
  • Is it the higher percentage of cross-selling opportunities?
  • Maybe it is closing deals faster because of more efficient follow through with leads and customers.
  • Could it be a result of the more efficient marketing and sales processes provided by an increased understanding of your customer needs?
  • Or maybe it is because of the improved responsiveness to customer service that has led to higher customer loyalty.

If I had to guess….I think I would say ‘All of the above!’

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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To Cold Call or not to Cold Call: That is the Question

November 1st, 2010 by Lisa

Don’t you wish your phone would ring off the hook with prospective customers asking to buy your product or service? I sure do! Unfortunately business doesn’t come to you and instead you have to go out and find it.

I’ve heard it said that 90 percent of people hate cold-calling and the other 10 percent are lying. Even the term cold calling can make your stomach churn.  That is why some refer to it as prospecting or lead qualification. The truth is, picking up the phone is still one of the best ways to speak to a company executive.

Why do we try so hard to avoid it? The reasons are different for all of us. Maybe we don’t like talking to new people or we don’t want to bother someone at home or work. Or maybe we’re a little lazy and just prefer to make the easy calls. For most of us, it is a fear of rejection! I don’t want to call someone and have him or her get annoyed and act rudely toward me.

According to a research firm that tracks what works in the marketing industry, only 11 to 17 percent of prospects were annoyed by getting an unsolicited cold call. That translates into less than 2 rude responses for every 100 calls. And not all of the uninterested prospects will exhibit rude behavior. Let’s do the math, if only half of the uninterested prospects are rude and you make 50 calls a day, then you would only encounter about 2.5 crusty customers a week. I don’t know about you, but I encounter more than that in one trip to the grocery store. Don’t focus on the fearful 2.5 calls, but on the other 247.5 calls that could push your prospect one step closer to becoming a customer!

Go ahead… pick up that phone!

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Why SalesLogix?

October 18th, 2010 by Paul

7 Reasons to Choose Sage SalesLogix as Your CRM Tool

After deploying hundreds of Sage SalesLogix implementations at customer sites, I thought I would offer some insight into a few of the key elements  for companies selecting Sage SalesLogix.  To make it a challenge, I thought I would start each reason off with the letter “F” for fun! (Brought to you by the letter “F”)

1.) Flexible Sage SalesLogix fits your business. Sage SalesLogix Cloud offers the best of both worlds – the flexibility and rapid time-to-value of a traditional CRM SaaS solution, combined with the benefits of an on-premise solution like security and control.  With payment and subscription options, data ownership, greater data storage, and advanced customization, Sage SalesLogix Cloud is a great option for businesses that already leverage the Cloud or are looking to incorporate Cloud computing in their customer relationship management strategy. There is also remote, network, web clients, and mobility clients.

2.) Familiar Sage SalesLogix works in an intuitive way and that encourages user adoption. This helps you to minimize training and get up and running quickly.  This helps your sales team focus on what they do best…selling.  Time saving features such as the ability to update multiple Opportunities at once, quick list building capabilities, one-click access to important tasks and features, and customized views of information enable sales reps to be successful at what they do. User acceptance is critical with any CRM implementation. SalesLogix provides a true utility to get everyone on the same team, shortening the learning curve.

3.) Financially Rewarding Sage SalesLogix gets you more for your money. Does your CRM allow you to do more with less? Sage SalesLogix doesn’t require a “technology stack” investment or servers and software upfront investment.  Sage SalesLogix can be hosted in the Cloud or a third party hosting company, and can be brought on-premise when the time is right for a low upfront investment per user.  The ROI is topline results that have a positive impact on your customers, partners, and employees.  You can start with a free trial today!

4.) Functionality Sage SalesLogix delivers functionality that is unmatched at its price point and ROI that is hard to beat.   Here is a summary of the features that you get out of the box:

• Account, Contact, & Opportunity Management

• Calendar & Activity Management

• Microsoft Outlook and Office Integration

• Process & Workflow Automation

• Sales Forecasting & Territory Alignment

• Lead Qualification & Management

• Campaign Management & ROI

• Integrated E-mail Marketing

• Ticket Management

• Service Contract Management

• SpeedSearch KnowledgeBase

• Defect Tracking & Returns

• Customer Self-Service Web Portal

• Web, Windows, and Mobile Access Methods

• Disconnected Web Client

• On-premise or Cloud Deployment Options

• Back-Office Integration Capabilities

• Advanced Customization Capabilities

• Data Mashups Capabilities

5.)  Freedom Sage SalesLogix offers operational insight by delivering customizable reports, dashboards, spark line charts, and more that are intuitive and easy to use. Only Sage SalesLogix provides users the freedom to create their own dashboards using nearly any parameter to query data. The dashboards can also be customized to each individual users specific needs, and then shared with other users at any time. Nobody wants their sales team spending time building queries, generating reports and designing dashboards. But when it’s this easy, the value of the product becomes unique to each individual.  Sage SalesLogix provides users the ability to configure the system to help them work best.

6.)  Fusion Sage SalesLogix works with other applications and hundreds of add-on tools. This rich development platform can help you build a customer relationship management (CRM) ecosystem for incorporating closely related functions like bill management, quote management, order management, or contract management.

Sage SalesLogix is flexible

  

  

 

 

7.)  Fit Sage SalesLogix works the same either by premise or hosted. You can choose how your people work with the tools – through a Windows client, a web browser, a mobile device or a combination. You can even decide whether to buy it or to rent it. It’s easy to switch if your business needs move your deployment to the Cloud and then later back to your own facility. In so many words, it fits your specific business needs and infrastructure. ( You can’t place a square peg in a round hole and expect users to be happy with the results.)

So there you have it, my 7 reasons why Sage SalesLogix is a great CRM tool for most companies.  Hope you find some useful nuggets in this list.

Here is a quote from a Founding Father on his method for making decisions:

When confronted with two courses of action I jot down on a piece of paper all the arguments in favor of each one, then on the opposite side I write the arguments against each one. Then by weighing the arguments pro and con and cancelling them out, one against the other, I take the course indicated by what remains.

- Benjamin Franklin

 If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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Are You a Prospector?

September 20th, 2010 by Lisa

In my last post , I talked about how to retain your customers. This time I’d like to discuss how to “START”  the sale.

It has been my experience that most sales people hate “prospecting”. What is prospecting? 

Wikipedia describes it this way: Prospecting is physical labor, involving traversing (traditionally on foot or on horseback), panning, sifting and outcrop investigation, looking for signs of mineralization. I like that. Not necessarily the horseback part, but that’s what it feels like sometimes. Physical labor, panning, sifting, looking for signs of interest in a product or service. This is part of the qualification process.

It has been said that successful people do things that unsuccessful people choose not to do. I think that is very true, especially in the area of sales. How often do you hear these words? “I love cold calling!” Probably about as often as, “I love a good rash!” You have to be thick skinned to cold call. The odds of rejection are very high. It is however, a necessary evil in the sales process.

I did some digging for statistics on sales “touches”. Most experts agree that only 2% of sales are made in the first contact. I am guessing that number to be even lower as the value of the product or service goes up.  Only 5% of sales are made by the 3rd contact. It is estimated that most sales occur on the 8th to 14th touch, depending on the cost of the offer. WOW, 8-14 touches? In some states that might get you arrested!

The reality is, most sales people stop after 2-3 contacts leaving over 80% of sales on the table for the more persistentsales person to scoop up. Which one are you? Develop a plan. There is a big difference between marketing and selling. You need to be in the marketing business during those first few touches.  Engage your prospect! Get creative. Don’t just call 6 times a month and leave a voice message. Create a unique “Campaign” and brand yourself. If you can get an e-mail address and a physical address in that first phone call or two, you can then turn much of your marketing on auto-pilot if you have a good CRM with marketing capability. (You obviously have to comply with CAN-SPAM laws and use opt-in or opt-out techniques.) We use Sage SalesLogix Emarketing, so whether we’re marketing to several hundred or several thousand prospects, it’s really a breeze.

Sage SalesLogix E-Marketing is an integrated service that enables you to quickly and effectively reach out to all of your contacts, nurture and qualify your leads, and grow your customer base. You can create professional e-mail templates and then view report metrics such as opens and click rates. You can then quantify the results to see what is and is not effective. You can even create your call plan based on those results, immediately warming up your calls. If you’d like to read more about Sage’s E-Marketing or sign up for a free trial.

Go, climb on your horse and start panning and sifting! There might be a big sale just over the next hill.

Dayton / Cincinnati, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

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The Flexibility of Sage SalesLogix

April 23rd, 2010 by Paul

Here are a few of my favorite flexible Sage SalesLogix ideas

The flexibility of Sage SalesLogix means you have liberty and freedom.  What types of choices and liberty do you mean?  I am glad you asked.

  • Customizations

 Sage SalesLogix offers powerful options for customizing the applications.  You can use the scripting engine to customize.  You can use built-in configureable options like contact processes, sales processes, and pick lists as easy as clicking a button without being a programmer.  If you have the skills or resources available you can even use custom coding and .NET Extensions.  Overall the limitations are few and mostly centered around imagination and practical budget.  One of the common approaches is the incremental development approach or sometimes called phased approach to deploying customizations over time and measuring the return and the impact to both the end users and the customer results.  These customizations offer customers choice and helps deflect the round hole and square peg approach of some CRM tools.  Smart customers today demand flexible tools.  Most companies want their software to work the way their business operates, not changing the business to fit the software.  Sage SalesLogix allows you to be creative and build customizations affordably your way.

  • Territory Realignments

 One of the “smart idea” tools built in to SalesLogix is the ability to slice and dice the data.  The built in administrative tool allows for easy changes in Account Management and territory changes.   I am sure that sales representatives never switch companies or territories almost never change.  But when they do get altered, it is great to be able to accommodate those adjustments in business software.

  • Bundles

Sage SalesLogix has the ability to pull customizations, also known as plugins, out of the database and be saved into a portable format called a SalesLogix bundle (*.sxb) file.  Why is this smart?  Well on two fronts.  It helps the customer to make changes in SalesLogix and test the outcome without impacting production.  You might call this a “sand box” or development/test environment.  Once these changes are fit for production (QA) then they can be bundled up and moved to production without having to recreate them from scratch.  This saves time, energy, and money.  On the second front, bundles allow for smart people to create clever modifications to SalesLogix and share them either for free or for a fee with multiple SalesLogix systems.  This is another example of choice that the right Sage foundation has provided.  Don’t you just love open systems with flexibility.  You can keep bundles private as your competitive edge or share them with the world, but this is your choice.

  • Deployment

 The next three items go hand-in-hand, but are separated out because of some unique value that Sage SalesLogix provides.   You can deploy the way your users want to work with SalesLogix.  You can deploy on-premise or off premise (SaaS) for starters.  Sage SalesLogix has always had the option of being hosted in a data center.  That is not anything new, but few have done so in the past.  With the on premise, the options run the gamut.  You can choose to be LAN (Local Area Network) only.  Note:  This is the primary “live or real-time” directly connected to the database option.    You can also use Terminal Services or Citrix or hosted LAN deployments.  Nothing new here, but it is great to have options, eh?  In addition, you can opt for browser-based users using a portal.  (This is a rapidly growing choice by companies) This can be deployed inside your firewall locally or outside (Internet).  Your option and your freedom.   (I feel like I am getting warmed up on deployment!) 

Now another alternative is concerning those users who are outside your company roaming accross the planet.  There are “disconnected” systems for those remote users.  You can use remote clients with a slice of the main host, using MS SQL Express, or you can use remote office for a group of LAN users who work off of one big remote client as direct connected users.  There is also the option of “disconnected” browser based clients.    The options don’t end with these choices.  All the options above are OR options.  You don’t have to pick one deployment option and if you wish you can work with them all.

Sage SalesLogix Deployment Options

Next, what if I don’t want the infrastructure in my IT data center at all?  Another popular option is hosted, which comes in three flavors.  SalesLogix Cloud, a data center hosting SalesLogix only, and a data center hosting your whole infrastructure remotely (we call this the Green Office Option).    The SalesLogix Cloud is mainly for the web client only deployment option using Amazon Web Services.  Very slick!  The data center hosting SalesLogix can be for any client type but mostly remote or hosted via Terminal Services.  And the last option is for the whole integrated infrastructure for your CRM tool set (think Exchange and Sharepoint, and SalesLogix etc more of a IaaS option).  You get to decide.  You have the freedom. You are the customer.   Unlike some Customer Relationship Management tools that box in your decisions to only browser based decisions and are only SaaS deployments.  Today, you may desire to have more options than that if you need them.

Oops, I didn’t even talk about SalesLogix Mobile Client or SalesLogix Disconnected Web Client options which have existed for years.  Maybe another time.

Client Types

Network, remote, web, and mobile users

Freedom To Work Anywhere

The deployment option selected usually impacts the client types that are available.  If you are choosing to move SalesLogix out of your data center, then maybe you are a low customization needs shop and want to use  browser based access.  (Although, the browser based option can be heavily customized)  You have only one basic option then, the Web client.  Then your decision is where to deploy inside your campus or published to the internet or hosted in the Amazon infrastructure as SalesLogix Cloud.    If you wanted an application on your desktop, then you can virtualize the application, using (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)VDI technology, or have it installed local, or even use thin multi-user technologies like Terminal Services across the web.  Most desktop deployments use either remote or network installed software.  The trending movement has been toward the Internet based toolset for many years.  The point is that you can work from anywhere now!   I like the idea of working from the deck with my feet kicked up with a broadband internet connection or even in a field enjoying the great outdoors.  Feel the untethered freedom of the wind whipping through your hair?

These are just a few of the areas that I believe makes SalesLogix a vastly superior tool for the flexibility that it brings to the CRM marketplace and the many features that are designed with the user at heart.  As a Sage SalesLogix business partner, we would love to share the options that will work for your company and your situation on your terms.

“We want to get it done as quickly and inexpensively with as much creativity and flexibility as we can have.”
Andrew Johnson (American President)

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Decisions, Decisions: Things to Consider When Buying a CRM

April 13th, 2010 by Lisa

My 78 year old mother-in-law just bought a laptop and a connection to the World Wide Web. When I asked her why she decided to do such a thing, she said “because all my friends are doing it”. Well after the usual lecture about her friends jumping off a bridge and her joining them, my husband and I promptly took on the task of teaching her how to use it.

What a challenge and what a joy! It’s like she is seeing for the first time. Question one: Have you turned it on yet? “No, I can’t figure out how to open the lid!” Wow, this will take some patience. Her first email contained the entire conversation in all caps in the subject line. After a not so quick tutorial, the second one was all lower case, but at least contained in the body of the email this time. However she misspelled a word and didn’t know how to change it so she ended the email with “(spelled a word wrong)”. This is fantastic! At this point her new computer is a very expensive recipe book, but we’re hopeful!

Now the challenge becomes convincing her that she doesn’t “need” all the cool gadgets and applications she sees on TV. “But the ad says it will make it easier and faster.” But you don’t need all those things; you just need to learn how to properly use what you have!

The same is often true of the CRM shopper. They want the one that everyone else is using or the one who spends the most money on advertising. It must be the best – right?

The truth is, most mainstream CRM solutions have similar standard features so the key is to determine what sets it apart from the rest.

Here are some guidelines for choosing a CRM:

  • How long have they been in business? New solutions come and go. If the company you are considering is brand new, you have to consider what will happen to YOUR data if they go under. And do you really want to be the guinea pig while they work out all the bugs? Make sure that the CRM provider you are considering has a long history of successes. A list of long time and happy customers is usually proof that the vendor has a good support plan and is doing their part to stay up with current technology.
  • Do they have a business partner in your area? A cookie cutter solution will seldom give you the results you are hoping for. All businesses are not created equal so all CRM solutions need some level of personalization to your business. You shouldn’t have to change your business process to fit the CRM, but it should be easy to tweak your CRM package to fit your business. A business partner with developers and trainers can customize a solution to your business and train you to use it and/or customize it yourself.
  • Can you deploy the CRM in multiple ways? You may start your business with two people, but a couple of years down the road you could have one hundred people. The ultimate goal is to grow the business right? The CRM that used to cost you $130/month for 2 users is now costing you $6500/month for 100 users. Always look for a solution that encourages you to grow your business!
  • Is it “free”? I am sure that free software has a place for the very small business or single user environment, but if you commit to a “free” service you had better have patience. Free CRM is only free if your time is NOT that valuable and will try the patience of the saintliest of people. Not to mention the fact that while it’s free to you, someone is paying for it and all those advertising pop ups will tell you who that someone is.
  • How many clicks does it take to get to the center of a CRM? A good CRM should be EASY. Even the novice user should be able to complete ordinary tasks with minimal time or training. It doesn’t matter how many cool features it has if you can’t figure out how to use them.

Hopefully this list is helpful in your quest for the perfect CRM. As for me, I will again dawn my trainer hat and patiently teach my mother-in-law how to open Word and we may even take on the shift and backspace keys.

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