How to Streamline the Sales Function with a CRM

When sales opportunities knock, answer with value and great customer experience.

Sales, marketing, and service operations are the front lines of your business. These functions play a foundational role in delivering the customer experience your target audience expects. To this end, these teams should be prepared to deliver hyper-relevant customer care — any time, anywhere. 

Most decision-makers know that. In fact, 73% of Chief Executive Officers understand that the sales function should be more meaningful to their customers and prospects. However, there’s a big disconnect between these reports and what customers see from their end. Studies show that only 22% of customers perceive that companies are adjusting their experiences accordingly. The rest report that customer experience is not attuned to their needs, preferences, and previous interactions with a given company.

Considering these statistics, it’s not surprising that customer experience has become a business priority among businesses worldwide. And by putting the customer experience at the heart of the organization, organizations are expected to double revenue within the following 36 months. 

So it seems that customer experience is key for future revenue growth. But what is the key driver for that customer experience? A human + technology approach, fueled by a robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. So let’s explore the CRM for sales and what are the top CRM functions you should consider.

What Is a CRM System?

A CRM system is a tool that helps companies manage all interactions with customers and prospects. To this end, it helps companies connect to customers, simplify processes, and close more deals — easily. A CRM tool can be used throughout the customer lifecycle, from marketing, sales, e-commerce, and even customer service.

The goal of the CRM is to enhance customer relationships and help businesses grow. Some of the functionalities that contribute to this goal are contact management, sales management, agent productivity, and more.

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Why Is a CRM System Important?

The importance of a CRM system lies in its ability to provide a clear overview of customers and prospects. Having all the information in a simple and customizable dashboard can prove to be life-saving when you want to see the profile of a customer at a glance. In the CMS, you can see their purchase history, the status of their orders, outstanding issues, and even social media activity — likes and dislikes or how they engage with your competitors.

Given these capabilities, the CRM is the most popular enterprise application software, with a worldwide spend of USD 114.4 billion by 2027. This implies a CAGR of 14.2% during the forecast period. 

As a result, most companies that are forward-thinking invest in a CRM tool in order to advance their customer experience efforts and meet their targets using up-to-date, actionable information. With the CRM’s ability to gather and translate streams of data from all customer-facing functions, businesses are able to turn that data into valuable insights.

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The Advantages of a CRM System

Not all CRMs are created equal, and the best option depends on every company’s needs. For some, using an informal process using spreadsheets and sticky notes might work, while others need a more robust system that provides a complete overview of every customer relationship. Having all that data could enable companies to unlock value in other areas and:

📈 Generate more leads, improve revenue, and increase the customer lifetime value

📈 Provide personalized customer experiences in the marketing stage

📈 Improve customer satisfaction and engagement

📈 Implement a proactive approach to the customer service function

📈 Unlock actionable insights that lead to future growth

But to deliver all these values, you cannot rely on just any tool. You need a CRM that is smart and connected and has at least the following three features:

Top CRM Functions

According to a survey conducted by Software Advice among 9,000 CRM buyers in 2019, the top CRM functions include the following:

1️⃣ Lead Management — demanded by 88% of buyers

2️⃣ Contact Management — demanded by 72% of buyers

3️⃣ Email — demanded by 48% of buyers

4️⃣ Reporting & Analytics — demanded by 41% of buyers

5️⃣ Marketing — demanded by 32% of buyers

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How to Add Value to the Sales Function with a CRM

1. Unleash the Power of Automation

There is little that the CRM cannot automate. And even if that’s the case, they can still send automated reminders for such tasks. Automation comes in handy whenever your salespeople have to send emails or share product catalogs, brochures, or pricing guides with your prospects. This functionality can also be employed for daily workflows, follow-up emails, or chatbots. The end result is that your team can focus on selling, not on repetitive and time-consuming tasks.

2. Simplify Reporting and Make the Most out of Data

With a robust CRM, reporting becomes as easy as a click of a button. And it also provides better reporting capabilities, based on real-time, actionable data. To this end, you would be able to derive insights based on how long your team takes to close, what type of content generates more leads, and what sales tactics are the most effective. As a result, you will be able to assess the success of your team and adjust processes accordingly.

3. Optimize Lead Hand off Between Marketing and Sales

For a lot of companies, some leads could get lost in the shuffle as they are being transferred from marketing to sales. The two teams could not be communicating properly, or the salespeople are too busy to follow up with the leads they receive from the marketing team. In any case, it is common for leads to miss the sales funnel as they are being transferred from marketing to sales. However, a CRM can solve this issue.

A CRM notifies the salespeople as soon as a lead is ready to move up to sales. Once it gets the alert, the sales department can easily determine if the lead is ready for purchase or not. The CRM provides a clear overview of the buyer to let the sales team know exactly where they are in the buying process. If the lead is not ready, they could send it back to marketing.

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Hello, the Customer Experience of the Future

Staying on top of customer demands is not easy — but it is essential. That’s why businesses need to re-think their marketing, sales, and customer service efforts in order to keep up with shifting demands. Using the right CRM can sure make it easier for them to optimize their processes and unlock new opportunities.

This human + technology approach allows salespeople to derive insights from every stage of the sales funnel in order to adjust until the prospect is ready to make a purchase. But in addition to this, you need a reliable partner to make the human + technology approach to sales come to life. The good news is that The Partner Sales does just that. We use Microsoft Business Applications in order to help our clients drive the most impact in their organizations.

And if you’re a business looking for CRM leads, we can help you as well. Learn more about this on our Lead Services page.