Outdated and cumbersome, legacy CRM systems typically provide you with simple storage of customer data, and a few relevant fields and tasks for sales to follow up on. Most of the time, those fields are confusing, overwhelming and unstructured. Simply put, legacy CRM systems are not up to today’s business standards, and they don’t fit the needs of most people in the modern workforce.
Fortunately, CRM has come a long way since its beginnings. Modern CRM delivers consumer-grade interfaces, best-in-class user experiences, and specific features tailored to different departments.
Jim Glickman, CMO Hilco Valuation Services, says about their CRM system (Hilco implemented Sugar in 2012):
“I don’t even think of it as CRM,” […] “We look at this more as kind of a comprehensive business platform.”
JIM GLICKMAN, CMO HILCO VALUATION SERVICES
Modern CRM will do more than just help you organize your customer data. Your technology will become an integral, proactive piece of your customer engagement strategy, as Brent Leary – Co-Founder and Partner of CRM Essentials – knows.
Like many businesses, he agrees, “[it’s] still good to have a central location for customer data, but now [CRM is] more about having a system that automates data collection, automates analysis, and automates finding insights.”
A modern CRM platform will deliver automation, workflow management, customer support, and essentially provide an end-to-end business platform for all aspects of managing the customer journey. CRM systems need to be extensible, and support a variety of different tools and technologies as part of your broader customer engagement ecosystem.
Because the variety of systems and extensions can be overwhelming when shopping for a CRM solution, consider your needs relative to these four critical CRM areas:
“It’s important to simplify the focus, to put just the information in front of the user that they need to make the most effective decision or to make the next best action,” says Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research.
In order for users to streamline their processes, and optimize customer interactions, a CRM solution needs to offer different ways for interacting with the system. Creating different user types and roles, for example, should be a simple, built-in functionality – allowing users to see only the information that’s relevant to them for the activity they’re engaged in. Additionally, insights should be delivered visually wherever possible to help users understand and visually connect information and act decisively. An intuitive interface also extends across multiple devices – desktops and mobile devices, so that field agents and mobile workers get the same experience regardless of device or location.
Think of users first, as they are the ones in the trenches, and ultimately connecting with your customers or prospects.
“The user interface has become mission-critical, even though you might not think of it as an ordinary part of CRM selection,” says Paul Greenberg, Managing Principal of The 56 Group and author of CRM at the Speed of Light.
To take it one step further, as technology advances rapidly with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities built in and added on, an excellent CRM user experience should also enhance data further:
“You want a system that is so intuitive that end users don’t require training to use it,” says Wettemann. “We’re certainly seeing a move in that direction.”
Customer Information Graph
A modern CRM platform must excel at workflow management, automating processes wherever possible. Businesses can use advanced automation to enforce best practices, improve productivity, and reduce costs. Intelligent workflow can deliver excellent value across the organisation in areas such as:
With no barriers to development, business can leverage the power of the CRM in all situations. Not only can you optimise your standard interfaces affordably, you can create “disposable apps” that can be fired up for one-off events such as trade shows or new product launches.
As you are evaluating your current CRM system, or are shopping around for a better, modern CRM platform, keep these four areas in mind. Because how well your CRM system delivers on these will ultimately affect the value you’ll be getting out of it and the ROI you will be able to reap from your CRM system, as we covered in a previous post.
ARTICLE, EBOOK AND IMAGES SOURCED FROM SUGARCRM.COM – AUTHOR – JENNA CLICK