Depending on the product, some systems can also track interactions on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms. Workflow automation.
This standardizes business processes, usually through a combination of task lists, calendars, alerts and templates. Once a task is checked off as complete, for example, the system might automatically set a task for the next step in the process. Reporting. Management can use these CRM tools to track performance and productivity based on activities logged in the CRM system—for instance, how many new contacts were added to the database that day, or how much revenue was generated. These tools can also be used for forecasting, such as for the next- quarter sales pipeline.
A Comparison of Top CRM Solutions. There are many popular CRM solutions on the market, and it can be hard to understand what distinguishes one product from another and which is right for you.
To help you better understand how the top CRM systems stack up against one another, we created a series of side- by- side product comparison pages that break down the details of what each solution offers in terms of pricing, applications, ease of use, support and more: Top Salesforce Comparisons. Top Infusionsoft Comparisons. Top Hubspot Comparisons. Top Marketo Comparisons. Top Pipedrive CRM Comparisons.
CRM in Action: A Use Case. Let’s say you currently store customer contact information in Excel spreadsheets, appointments in a calendar and files in Dropbox, Google Drive or another document management tool. When someone calls, you have to toggle between each of these tools to figure out whether they’re a prospect or existing customer. Worse, you don’t immediately know if they’ve spoken to anyone else in your company. Past interactions might be trapped in someone’s inbox, paper notes or only in employees' memories. Depending on where this caller is in the customer life cycle, not having this information in one place can lengthen their time to conversion, limit return sale possibilities or slow issue resolution. If you had automation software in this scenario, you could simply pull up that account and see every meeting, phone or email conversation you or your team has ever had with that person, as well as past agreements and marketing materials sent.
You might also see, for example, a contract attached to that opportunity that’s awaiting signature and a task for one of your sales reps to follow up. So you transfer the call. A contact profile in Swiftpage ACT! After the sales rep hangs up with the contact, he might close the task to follow up, then pick the next step in the process from a dropdown menu: “Did they return the contract?” The due date for this task is set for the next day, when the rep will receive an alert to follow up if the agreement isn’t returned. You can see how this alternative scenario increases efficiency and productivity. And it prevents important activities from falling through the cracks. Managers benefit, too, by having ready access to reports that show key performance metrics and progress toward goals.
Reporting dashboard in Infor CRMThis scenario described core functionality, but these technologies are also widely used in a broad range of CRM applications. Below is a brief explanation of each of these application types. Common Functionality of CRM Software. When comparing CRM software solutions, it’s important to understand the functionality included in each.
The most common functions in this type of software are listed in the table below: Marketing Integration. Lead management (including tools for lead generation, scoring and nurturing), email and event marketing, landing pages, Web and marketing analytics tools and campaign management. Sales force automation. Contact and opportunity management, workflow automation, territory management, sales forecasting, pipeline analysis and reporting. Customer service & support. Trouble ticketing, knowledge management and knowledge base systems, self- service solutions, case management, customer experience platforms, live chat and surveys. Field service management.
Dispatching, scheduling, invoicing, inventory management and order management. Call center automation. Call routing, recording and monitoring; load balancing, call list management, autodialing, scripting, computer telephony integration (CTI) and interactive voice response (IVR).
Help desk automation. Trouble ticketing, knowledge management, self- service, IT asset management, network management, service level agreement (SLA) management and remote control. Channel management. Lead and contact management, partner portals, partner relationship management and market development funds management. Market Trends to Understand.
As you compare CRM software, it’s important you keep the following industry trends in mind. Or it can be more complex, with niche social media analytics products that tap into social APIs and generate leads, mine for customer sentiment or traffic and prioritize social customer service requests. An example of a social media stream with contact details from Radian. Mobile CRM. Mobile applications for customer relationship management are becoming increasingly sophisticated and popular. These tools don’t just port functions to a mobile interface—top CRM software vendors will offer apps that leverage the unique capabilities of mobile devices, such as GPS and voice (click here for a more detailed description of common i. Pad CRM features). An outside sales rep could, for example, pull up a map of their current location and see pinpoints for accounts in that area.