These days, there is much talk of cloud based CRM software. Everyone is doing business in the cloud, and it seems like the right move for you to do so as well. However, while cloud based systems are certainly affordable and easy to maintain, they may not be the best choice for your growing small business.

On-premise CRM software, however, is still a valuable option for many. There are a number of benefits that will allow your business to be more productive, safe and successful; consider the top 5.

Higher Safety Levels

We’ve been hearing a constant flow of chatter about cloud safety in the business world. With more hackers getting higher levels of illegal access, your information and that of your customers, is certainly at risk. While there are a variety of safety measures you could put into place to combat such problems, simply choosing on-premise software can avoid it all together.

• Tip: Still, be sure to choose software that can be password protected. With customer information at risk, it’s all the more important that no one else can log in.

Greater Integration

CRM software is an important aspect of business. With leads, current and previous customer information, and important details, you may need to integrate with other systems. To do so, you’ll want ultimate access to over-all customization. Often times, cloud software can be difficult to integrate because of its one-size-fits-all build – but most on-premise options are just the opposite.

• Tip: Consider hiring a specialized contractor or employee to manage the software changes and customizations, as it may require a specific skill set.

Better Reliability

Cloud based software gained popularity because of its ability to be everywhere that you are. Being online means you can check from your phone, your computer, your tablet, etc. However, what happens when your internet connection is down or your cell phone is dead on a business trip? Suddenly, it’s not so convenient.

• Tip: Be sure to have the program installed on all laptops so the program can be accessed on business trips as well.

Easier To Budget

Most cloud based software programs are paid for on a monthly basis, as they are “hosted” through a third party webmaster. For a growing business, this can make budgeting tricky – if you switch programs, add more features, etc, your budget is thrown off. On-premise software, however, can be purchased in one payment, which is easier to build into your budget.

• Tip: Although you’ll be looking at a singular payment, be sure to check for options. Breaking it up into a year’s worth of payments may make it more financially feasible.

More Control

Over-all, the greatest benefit of on-premise CRM is the level of control that you have. From customizations to integration and safety, it’s important that you can make the changes you need to better your customer service or business practices.

• Tip: You may have a number of employees that will need access – be sure that your program allows that many users, so everyone can make the necessary changes and updates.

While cloud-based software has certainly taken center stage, it doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for your business. If issues such as security and control are concerns for you, then on-premise software will be your best option.

Bio: Jessica Sanders is an avid small business writer touching on topics that range from social media to document management software. She is a professional blogger and web content writer for ResourceNation.com.

Most business owners and department heads will agree that CRM software for account management is a crucial company asset.  Exceptional management of company accounts can be an important bridge to overall success, so a sophisticated ability to analyze important account data is often top priority.  Many companies, large and small, have chosen to invest in the latest CRM technology in hopes of capitalizing on key features for account management.

CRM software makes it possible for sales and marketing teams, administration and even management to handle the sometimes complex nature of company accounts with ease.  It’s scalable nature means that, whether organizing a handful of accounts or vast numbers of accounts, all information can be aptly configured to meet the rigorous demands of any business scenario.  This saves valuable time otherwise lost to complicated, manual operations.

Custom CRM software for account management equips a growing business with important tools for detailed account management.  Most CRM software enables the user to synchronize information associated with various accounts across departments and to track and search key account information such as purchase history, invoices and sales orders.  Information can be fully analyzed with built-in search filters as well as parent-child relationship identifiers.

Some CRM software goes above and beyond when it comes to account management providing users with greater flexibility in supervising accounts.  Parent-child identifiers allow users to navigate the complexities of relationships within accounts with large numbers of employees and personnel to track.  Users may even gain the ability to export account data to a spreadsheet and attach and share necessary documents for each account.

With features like these, CRM software for account management has a critical role to play in ensuring that business accounts are handled accurately and efficiently from start to finish, increasing chances for the overall success of any enterprise.

Want to understand fully how your entire company can benefit from CRM software?  This is easy to do once you get to know the dynamics of the best CRM software on the market today.  Quality systems offer fully integrated software with the ability to create contact rich databases full of detailed information for each client.  Even greater, this information is conveniently available in visually pleasing displays for all of your company to see with just a single click.

Everyone in a company should be able to harness the power of CRM software. A client/server solution and the option to set up a static IP everyone inside or outside of the office has the ability to share and collaborate. This leads to cohesive, company-wide success.  From top executives to marketing teams, your entire company can stand to gain from the organization and streamlined processes that CRM software has to offer.

Specifically, better management and sharing of emails, calendars, relevant documents, sales history and more throughout your company means that customers and clients will also enjoy greater satisfaction as business processes are streamlined.  Through increased communication using customizable CRM features, teams and departments can collaborate unhindered by complicated manual tasks that normally inhibit company growth and stifle potential.

Also, with great features such as project management, reporting and analytics, CRM software can help with long-term planning and development to sustain marketing campaigns, new product launches and even lead generation. This means that every department can join in on company-wide initiatives with each supporting the effort in its own unique way. The right CRM software can be a small investment with a huge return and endless possibilities for your entire company.

CRM software for small business possesses almost unlimited potential to take your business to the next level.  CRM software is designed to place powerful tools at your fingertips to decrease the amount of time spent on manual tasks and increase effective management of communications and customer information.  By saving time, CRM saves you money, and money and time saved in the small business world means more earnings potential and overall success.

How can CRM software increase your earnings potential? For starters, the software can streamline your lead generation process by capturing leads in record time with a single click, including all relevant information organized into categories you yourself design.  Also, CRM software can allow important documents and emails to be attached to each account so that all client information is on full display every time an account is pulled up.  This means faster service and ultimately, increased customer satisfaction.

CRM software makes doing business easier through automation of specific daily tasks such as email, calendar entries, document control and even audio recordings.  This is achieved through a precise linking of almost any type of daily task to your contacts.  Any contact entry can be linked to every email exchange, document created and even sales conversations related to the client for an enhanced, in-depth business-to-customer experience each and every time.

This is why when searching for the best CRM software for your small business, it’s important to investigate the systems that have the most potential to achieve the success your small business deserves.  The best CRM software for small business will cover all bases of client relationships with the convenience of a single click.

However, keep in mind, not all CRM software is alike, so be prepared to do your homework in order to find the one that’s sure to take your small business to the next level.

Without good questions to bring them into agreement, the customer’s agenda and the sales team agenda can often be at cross purposes. Asking the right questions could quite possibly be the single most significant challenge in sales, and that is why quality CRM is so beneficial to companies large and small.  A good CRM system can directly influence the process of sales conversion by enabling your team to ask the right questions with the proper data conveniently at their fingertips.

The art of asking good questions with CRM is a crucial business tool that deserves a closer look. First, precise and considerate sales questions can provoke positive action in a company’s favor.  A skilled sales team armed with relevant and detailed customer information knows what information is needed to achieve a particular result as well as how to get it.  Only CRM software can provide such information in a way that benefits both your sales team and your customers.

CRM has the potential to routinely organize large amounts of specific customer information and place it at your sales force’s fingertips with a single click.  Not only can CRM provide information that covers the basics, such as customer identification, but it also can provide information on sales history, and product preferences, notes from previous conversations, documents associated with an account or even logs of important email exchanges relevant to each sale.

Equipped with such precise and detailed data, your sales team can focus and fine-tune each question asked during internal communications as well as customer conversations to ensure sales increase consistently.  This is the art of asking good questions with CRM. Its essence lies in a versatile CRM system with convenience and flexibility as its foundation. Get the most out of your CRM when you select a system that keeps the art of asking good questions in mind.

Using CRM software effectively begins with a good understanding of what exactly CRM software is. A very basic definition might describe CRM software as the proper management and use of stored, raw data for company growth. However, a quality system will go far beyond that in terms of add-on features and extras.  In fact, the possibilities are endless, but getting the most out of your system means knowing what you want and how to get it by using the software in the most effect way possible.

Every good CRM system should at least be able to cover the basics: secure storage of contact information.  The effective use of CRM starts here.  Understanding how the system will effectively manage client relationships can determine how well your company uses all other features of the chosen CRM software.  This is because most systems enable businesses to link a myriad number of data types to contact entries such as documents, emails, sales history and voice recordings, but it all starts with contact management.

Armed with the basic knowledge of what your system can do for you and your company, it’s easy to customize and add on features that will make the software even more effective.  Perhaps your company’s biggest need is detailed reports on which clients prefer a certain service and how these clients relate to each other within your industry.  Use your CRM system’s reports and analytics feature to get the details for moving forward and making strategic plans for future growth.

For even more effective use, it’s important to utilize tutorials offered on most CRM software sites.  In most cases, these will feature the major attributes of a system.  Doing so will bring familiarity with the principle operations of the software as well as introduce the best methods for the use of add-on features and customization.  If a CRM software site does not include tutorials, consider creating a few on your own for training purposes.  After all, using CRM software effectively also means getting the proper training for your staff and departments.

A marketing campaign using CRM software can easily take your company to the next level.  CRM software can measure and fine tune all your marketing campaigns as well as identify areas in need of improvement as the campaign progresses with ease and simplicity. What’s more, a fully integrated, one click CRM system can provide immediate feedback to ensure that the time and money invested in marketing your business is always put to good use.

The success of CRM software in the marketing department lies in its ability to provide key details with the click of a mouse. The details provided with each click of any particular contact gives marketers access to a variety of information, such as product preferences or sales history, including logs of dispute resolution from emails. This information can easily be analyzed through detailed reports– a feature often added on to quality CRM software.

One of the best components of CRM software is its customizable flexibility. A diverse array of data types can be creatively linked to each contact. Your marketing team can also maneuver the contacts into easily accessible lists and categories designed and implemented according to designated protocols within the department. This means a complete arsenal of marketing information can be gathered in a single display with high visibility throughout the company.

Even better, the amount of time it takes to collaborate and plan marketing campaigns can be significantly reduced with quality CRM software.  Shared emails, documents and linked contacts means important information is immediately accessible to all who need it when they need it most. A dynamite marketing campaign that tracks and analyses progress and harnesses the power of marketing team collaboration begins with CRM software.

Sharing and collaboration is a key feature for CRM software users. The ability to leverage group potential can be invaluable, giving a company that proverbial competitive edge. With features such as document and email sharing, users have no need to create duplicate info or spend valuable time passing documents back and forth for review and updates. This and more can have profound positive effects on overall business.

Top companies understand and strive to utilize the unique benefits of teamwork and collaboration and often consider these “must-haves” in major business strategy. The right CRM software can help companies tackle the challenges of sharing and collaboration on many different levels within the company. Also, it can ensure targeted results for team efforts and shared participation for the benefit of each department and the entire business structure.

What does CRM software allow to be shared? Contacts, projects, company info, emails and calendar events are just a few examples. An excellent sharing and collaboration feature that some CRM software systems have is document sharing with document management.  Users can instantly share a document with other participants in the system and see a list of all the changes made to each document This document management feature is known as check-in and check-out with version control and it will allow a company to have an organized view of the life cycle of all documents.

When selecting CRM software for your company, be sure to look for the package that is readily adaptable to your business goals and outlook. Some CRM packages require an exchange server for sharing and collaboration which can be expensive so make sure to do your homework before you make this big decision.

Considering a CRM integrated with your phone system? If so, you are not alone. This CRM software feature is in high demand as businesses look for better ways to increase prospects and generate leads, but how can a phone system integrated with a contact management software make business run smoother?

One way is by placing customer contact information, including sales history and other details right at the user’s fingertips during calls. A phone system integrated with a CRM has the ability to provide instant call display of the most important customer data with each incoming/outgoing phone call. This allows the user to always be fully prepared as the information is displayed right in front of them when the telephone call is coming in.

Another important feature of a CRM integrated phone systems is automatic recording of phone calls. When a phone call is made or received the integrated system will allow users the option to record calls and then automatically link those voice recording to the appropriate contact for future reference.

For companies hoping to move fast to close important deals on a consistent basis, it gets no better than having the opportunity to add a CRM integrated with your phone system to your company assets. The benefits are endless and the investment is worthwhile.

 

With the InfoFlo PBX Phone System Integration add-on, users can now relax as InfoFlo automatically manages all incoming and outgoing calls. With this addition to InfoFlo, users now have a complete solution. Features include: Embedded softphone, Click-to-call, and Call History. Click here to purchase.

 

Customizing your CRM software is a task that every company should undertake. It’s absolutely necessary to tweak and hone your software to fit your company’s unique and specialized needs, and with a few pointers and the right software, the process can be completely painless. Not customizing can leave your sales team or administration with software which falls needlessly below company expectations, so get familiar with and customize your CRM software as much as possible.

Not all CRM software allows customization, so be careful. When selecting the software that best fits your company’s needs, it’s crucial to choose a package with customizable features for a variety of unique processes. Software that allows users to customize contact fields, for instance drop-down menus, check boxes, date fields etc, provides an excellent level of customization. The best CRM software allows customization at no extra cost, so beware of customization that comes with added fees and expenses.

Additionally, it’s important to ensure that any custom choices you integrate into your software are not lost with system upgrades.This is especially important when the customized features selected cover critical or industry specific information. The goal of customizing your CRM software is to mold it into the perfect fit for your business and allow each user to have access and authority over each unique process. Thus the customization process should be designed to be just as easy as it is flawless.