If you’re an executive involved in sales, marketing, or customer service, you should already know the benefits of CRM software. Less well known, however, is the power of CRM automation can help improve your customer experience. In this article we look specifically at how CRM automation has evolved and how it can benefit your organisation.
CRM Automation – The challenge
According to a recent study, 31 % of companies blamed CRM shortfalls on poor business process design, and 21 % struggled with customizing CRM to their unique organizational requirements. Such challenges arise because CRM success often requires a change in business processes toward a customer-centric approach. If the CRM makes it difficult to customize and automate customer-facing processes, sales, marketing, and service cycles can suffer.
Cumbersome, manual CRM processes can lead users to neglect key steps, resulting in fewer sales and decreased customer loyalties. Innovation, too, will be stifled without tools for process analysis and feedback loops for continual improvement. That’s why it pays to utilize CRM automation software.
CRM Automation – Coming of age
Although CRM automation isn’t new, its potential for transforming CRM processes is just now being realized. With a process based CRM solution, organizations can design and execute automated processes that are best suited for their business. Whether it’s customer data management, campaign management, or time management, organizations can create new and innovative processes to improve sales and optimize the customer experience. Plus, any of the newly created processes can be analysed for their effectiveness.
CRM automation can also help to replicate success throughout your organization. You might have heard the expression “top salespeople are born, not made.” However, if you evaluate why some consistently hit their targets while others struggle, you will see a pattern of processes that make this happen. CRM automation is about identifying such processes, replicating them, and applying them universally across teams and departments.
As you start to manage CRM automation and the business processes more closely, you will find that improvement becomes easier. The steps to acquire and retain customers can be automated and continually refined. Automating routine operations enables you to focus only on those activities that are vital to building long-term relationships with customers. You will also find that crisper processes will lead to better communications, as well as time and money saved when performing routine tasks. In addition, staff training will be simplified when roles and processes are better defined.
To achieve such advantages, you need to choose the right software package, one with easy-to-use CRM integrated with CRM automation tools for process design, automation, and analysis. Consider ease of process design and customization, as well as support for standards such as business process modelling notation. Look for software that includes best practices and processes for your industry; it’s far easier than building them from scratch. Evaluate ease of integration with your legacy systems. ProAptivity are an accredited partner with Codeless Platforms.
Consider the flexibility of deployment options—on-premises as well as software as a service (SaaS). With a monthly subscription that includes upgrade and support costs, SaaS can get you started quickly while avoiding capital expenses.
With the right solution, you can take control of your business processes and become more customer-centric and ready to respond to changing needs. With CRM automation you gain the ability to continually test, modify, and improve your processes.
CRM Automations – ProAptivity can help
ProAptivity are an independent CRM solutions provider with over 30 years experience in helping clients successfully onboard user-customisable CRM solutions. We focus on the implementation, training, and support of highly customised CRM software solutions. Our CRM software supported by our training provide customers with the tools needed to deliver successful business process management.
Fundamentally, we help organisations embed CRM best practice throughout their organisation. This helps organisations become more competitive, customer focused and ultimately more profitable.
If you need help in understanding why my business needs CRM, maybe some of our video’s or eBooks could help! Alternatively visit Maximizer CRM for more information. You can contact us today on 0330 223 6362 or via email at info@proaptivity.com. Contact us today for a free CRM consultation that will assess if your business is CRM ready.
