We’ve written a few CRM Best Practice blogs over the years, and we liked to write the number of tips for the year that we were posting the article. Such as these – 12 CRM Best Practices for 2012 and 13 CRM Best Practices for 2013.
I always enjoy writing these articles, because it makes me think about what I’ve learnt over the years that I’ve worked here. I *could* keep the trend going and give you 22 CRM Best Practices, but I want to keep things simple, I’m only going to talk to you about the 5 best practices that you need to keep in mind.
So, let’s get started.
Keep It Simple
Just like this blog, keep everything as simple as possible. That can be easier said than done, but you want to make your system as approachable as possible for you, your users, and new hires.
The simpler you keep it, the easier it is to train people up, to fix any issue that might occur and to use it on a day-to-day basis.
If you’re researching CRM now, you will have seen that there are plenty of options out there for you, some CRM systems come with the most basic contact management features while others have a wealth of features.
It’s worth noting that the perfect CRM system for you, will be the one that fits your needs. If you’re looking at a system where you’re only going to use 20% of the features, but end up paying for 100% of the features, maybe that isn’t the system for you?
Set Some Ground Rules
A CRM is only as good as the data within it and that data is only getting there if you and your users are using the system as intended. When implementing a new CRM system, make sure your users understand the importance of the CRM system. Funnily enough, we’ve also written about that – Here are 5 reasons you need a CRM Champion.
The CRM will not be able to fulfil its functions properly if your employees aren’t using it to its maximum potential. Establish a set of guidelines for CRM usage so that everyone who works with it is on the same page.
You’ll be able to ensure a smoother transition and a more united team by enforcing proper CRM system usage as soon as it’s set up.
Automate
You might be getting bored of reading about automation now, but the fact is – it is getting easier and easier to automate simple tasks as time goes on and it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.
Automation can be as simple as sending out follow up emails if you haven’t heard from a client in a set amount of time, or as complicated as your entire lead cycle – automating bots on your website, email nurture campaigns, website tracking, moving leads into the sales funnel and so much more.
By automating processes, you can free up your time to work on what really matters – growing the business.
Be Prepared to Adapt
Like many businesses the Collier Pickard that you see today was different one, two or three years ago. You may have heard that the only constant in the world is change. This is especially relevant in the world of business.
So, as one of our CRM Best Practices in 2022 remember to have a flexible strategy and be ready to adapt at any time, both with customers and users. This means you’ll also need a scalable and customisable CRM solution that can easily adapt with your business.
Talk to Your Customers
As the name implies, Customer Relationship Management is about building and maintaining relationships with your customers. This is what it is all about.
I said it earlier in the article – it can be easy to get lost in the wealth of features that most CRM systems provide. When you lose yourself in all the features you can forget that the point of these systems is to help you talk to your customers.
So, with everything that you do with your CRM, keep in mind that it should all be about the customer. The ultimate purpose of implementing a CRM solution is to give customers an enriched and engaging customer experience across all channels.
As a result, it’s critical to employ a good CRM solution that incorporates CRM best practices to deliver exceptional customer experiences and build long-term relationships with customers, which helps improve your bottom line.
