There is a fine line between being proactive and reactive in the business world. Although we would like to keep a pace of running things smoothly, planning out our tasks and mishaps in advance, we’re sometimes forced to rush, be unorganized and as a result, face unforeseen problems. Though some business people have mastered the art of being proactive, others require tools that can help to stay on top of the things that matter most. In my opinion, one of the best tools on the market that can enhance our ability to be more proactive is CRM.
Robust CRM tools offer businesses a complete suite of sales, marketing and customer support features and functionalities they need to effectively run their business and be successful. For this blog, I’ve decided to take the time to point out the top 3 CRM features for improving proactivity and ultimately, their business success.
1. Business Alerts
When a new lead visits your website, when a business deal advances to the next stage in a sales cycle, when a customer hasn’t been contacted for a period of time. These are all instances where we need to be proactive and not let the ball drop. The first feature CRM solutions offer companies to help stay on top of these business tasks is business alerts.
Business alerts are real-time notifications either through email or SMS that serve to actively notify employees, management, partners or customers of a specific occurrence. The benefits of using these alerts include staying on top of opportunities, immediately interacting with new leads and quickly responding to important service or support requests. Ultimately, business alerts allow you to execute better follow-up and follow-through for the tasks that impact your business most.
2. KPI Management
KPIs or Key Performance Indicators are factors used in measuring performance or success levels. As the second most effective CRM feature used in improving proactivity, KPI management can be used to effectively gauge how well your company or specific employees are performing in any element of your business. Whether you’re interested in measuring how much revenue your sales people have driven or how quickly your support team responds to customer requests, KPI management with CRM is an easy and effective way to improve your company’s proactivity.
Some CRM solutions allow you to generate real-time reports and create customizable dashboards to provide a visual representation of the specific performance or success factor you would like to measure. In using the KPI management features provided by CRM solutions, you can quickly assess and react to areas of your business that need improvement before it’s too late.
3. Mobile Access
The third CRM feature that greatly helps to make businesses’ more proactive is mobile access. Sales people are constantly on the go, attending business meetings, appointments, and visiting customers on-site. Mobile access provided by CRM solutions allows them to quickly and conveniently access their customer database, notes and files while on the go so to be better prepared for every meeting. Users can also log activities, to-dos and appointments immediately after meetings so to not forget important details.
These are only three of the many features that CRM solutions can offer businesses seeking to improve their proactivity and overall business success. With a CRM solution in place, businesses are provided with the tools to transform their weaknesses into strengths and to focus on the important tasks even in the busiest and most hectic of times.
