Continuing The Discussion on Outdated CRM Software

smart luggage

In one of our previous posts we discussed the implications of working with outdated software.  The highlights include costly outages, inadequate support, increased concerns over security breaches, and sharp learning curve for new employees. No one can decide for you whether to upgrade the older software to a much newer one or to continue using the old outdated software and simply offer intensive training to all staff. You have to make the decision yourself.

What we can do is help you make informed decisions by providing you with the facts and best practices.

Recently, I was browsing through CNN and came across an article on smart luggage. The article got me thinking and made me scratch my head once or twice. I traveled 7 times overseas to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Of the 7 times I traveled, twice an airline lost my luggage. I eventually got the luggage back…but the first twenty four hours were the most hectic. The airline would not reimburse me within the time period because they claimed that 95% of the lost luggage cases are resolved within 24 hours.

I don’t know about anyone else’s experience, but I was very upset. I was traveling throughout France and the next day I would be going to a remote city of Avignon. The day after was a Sunday and holiday in France and the likelihood of me getting my luggage that day was zero to none. I ended up getting my luggage the same evening, but the worry and the sweat of spending my holiday without my personal goods was unfathomable. The entire trip was only 10 days.

The Jumbo Jet Maker Airbus recently unveiled a new concept design for smart luggage at the Paris Air Show. The luggage would have an embedded tracking device capable of transmitting their locations to travelers and even contacting airlines directly when they get lost or misplaced. This product is still in the development stage, but it gives travelers like me a sense of relief.

Getting back to outdated CRM Software….when using it, you never realize the additional perks that come with newer, and more advanced software. You may be struggling to juggle various tasks and ensure that every employee who works for you stay productive. But why struggle, when you have so many options out there to help you make the most out of your work day and to better streamline operations?

Same thing with those old, ripped suitcases. Why keep those old suitcases when you have ones that are more light weight, more durable, and soon will even be embedded with a GPS tracker?

Call Carmel Vision at 1-855-Infoflo to learn more about how our contact management system can help you become more productive, greener, and proactive in resolving customer complaints and concerns.  Let us show you what you’e missing out on and help you fill in the gaps.

 

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5 Signs It’s Time To Upgrade Your CRM Software

Many businesses face the issue of outdated CRM software. They invest in one software solution and want to keep it no matter how costly it is. When you bought it, your software almost certainly worked without any problems, enhancing your team performance and productivity. Like anything else to do with technology, however, software can become outdated and archaic over time. Not only can outdated software slow you down, but it can harm your reputation. Here are five important things to look for that may indicate it’s time for you to find a new software solution.

 

outdated

 

Costly Outages:

Software crashes are a fact of life. When that software is outdated, however, crashes tend to happen much more frequently. When the system is down, it can have a significant impact on your ability to offer customer service as well as your employees’ productivity levels. Think about it – the ultimate purpose of having software in the first place is to streamline operations to make everything run in the most effective and productive way possible. When you’re dealing with frequent outages, the exact opposite happens.

 

Inadequate Support:

It happens to the best of us. The representative to your old software provider is practically attached to your hip….that is, until you paid him his commission. Then, just as quickly as they swooped in to buy your time and win you over, they seem like a distant memory. If you’re dealing with this lack of support, it’s probably time to upgrade to a newer Customer Relationship Management solution. More importantly, it’s time to choose a solution that offers unyielding, professional after-sales support.

 

Sharp Learning Curve:

One of the advantages to a newer software solution is that it is designed to be easy to implement and use. This would mean that it would be simpler to train on and faster to deploy. Older, obsolete software tend to be clunky and complicated, making it challenging to train new staff who join the team. The result is a tremendous waste of time and resources that could be better spent on other, more important things like business development and customer service.

 

Inaccessible Information:

If you wanted to know the email addresses you sent an email blast to last month, how long would it take you to find out that information? If you asked your employees how many calls they made today, how long will it take them to tabulate that information? For companies that rely on old contact management systems and spreadsheets that need to be constantly updated and reconciled manually, it could be a long wait. The pace of business is faster than ever before, which means employees across your company need immediate access to key data. Why not take advantage of this?

 

Redundant Tasks:

Outdated software often involves manual labour and redundant tasks that can simply be eliminated with the right automated tool. With the more up-to-date and sophisticated CRM software, you can automate almost any task, which means you can utilize your existing resources more efficiently. When you let technology do the heavy lifting, you free up your team to do more important business tasks, providing the opportunity to grow without the need to pay more employees. Not to mention, you eliminate the risk of human error which ultimately saves you and your company money over time. Voila!

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