What is CMR system? Opportunities in modern business

Modernity dictates new conditions for doing business. There is a need to fully automate some systems, and this is becoming more and more common. It becomes very difficult to imagine accounting without it. Sales representatives of various destinations have been making orders through special applications for a long time, which process all applications in the fastest possible mode from a smartphone or any other pocket device. Orders from the site arrive already in a ready-to-be-processed document. For some reason, only a small number of entrepreneurs care about communication with the client base. That is why it is difficult to keep any report and see the stages of transactions.

CRM systems, what are they and what are they needed for?

Sales specialists work in different ways. Someone does not keep records of calls and stages of negotiations at all. Someone uses the good old and time-tested Excel table. There are still those who do not let go of the diary.

As a result, very often, incoming applications or simply calls do not appear anywhere at all. All reporting is based exclusively on shipped goods and already concluded deals. And what to do with the topic of requests that are just coming in, how to find out that the manager is working with leads and buying them?

Moreover, there are often cases when an employee fell ill or simply resigned. Then it is impossible to connect the ends with the ends and find the base with which he worked. And such situations do not have a positive effect on the effectiveness of the sales department.

There is definitely a way out of this situation. It is necessary to automate and standardize work with clients and counterparties - implement a CRM system.

How useful is such a solution?

• obtaining a general list of contacts for the company;
• implementation of control over the quality of performance of tasks of the sales department;
• obtaining accurate statistical data of work with leads - all types of requests, both incoming and outgoing;
• the ability to plan effective steps to improve the quality of work.

And now more about the definition

If you ask the all-knowing Wikipedia a question - what is CRM? - then she will issue the following:

Customer Relationship Management is software for companies that is implemented in order to improve and optimize work with the client base, in particular, such a program helps to increase the level of sales, establish stronger relationships with customers, since all stages of negotiations, as well as important and contact information automatically saved in the system. CRM also helps to improve business processes and analyze work results.

In fact, any control system can be considered a given instrument , whether it is a sheet of paper or a table in a computer. However, do not forget that we live in the 21st century, when you can simplify your life and at the same time do everything much more efficiently.

Who can this be useful to?

Before settling on a certain program, you need to clearly understand whether such an innovation will really suit your business?

For example, virtual stores or the same beauty salons, where cooperation with the client is based on incoming calls and applications, will not be able to fully exist without this functionality.

But if at this stage of the business process you are not interested in expanding the client base, since all relationships are tied to long-term contracts and active live meetings, then the CRM system will bring absolutely nothing.

For developing enterprises and companies that are trying to attract as many customers as possible, actively investing in advertising, this method will be an excellent solution.

What is it for?

1. Small and medium-sized businesses suffer from colossal competition. Therefore, every client is simply worth its weight in gold. Companies invest a lot of money in their development and attracting new clients. It is important not to miss a single call, request, and also not to lose a future client. Therefore, the automated system will be very useful. It will help to organize all applications and see the stages of the transaction.
2. Control over the work of employees and the introduction of a common standard of dialogue with clients. As a rule, each member of the sales department is used to working according to his own plan and accounting principles - someone writes everything down in a notebook the old-fashioned way, someone sets up spreadsheets, etc. There are also those who rely on their own memory and data from 1C. Contacts are conducted randomly, calls can be made from any convenient device - be it a computer or a personal phone. In this case, it is quite difficult to control the quality of the work of the sales department. The CRM system completely eliminates this difficulty. All information is stored in a single cloud, from where it can be easily retrieved by the manager and any employee.
3. An accumulated customer base is very important for the successful operation of any business. Thanks to automation, all received data are collected in a single file according to a common standard. Thus, the manager can make reports on work productivity based on it. Moreover, many reports are already in the system in a ready form, since they are collected automatically.
4. Ready-made solutions that will help improve work. The system already includes a sufficient number of ready-made tools that will help standardize and facilitate the entire process. For example, if you integrate it with telephony, all calls will be recorded, and contacts are created during the conversation with a few clicks. Analysis of the quality of work is also performed automatically. In a small and medium-sized business, the manager has to manage the work with the client base himself. As a rule, if the business is young, there is no clear vision and you have to rely on your own intuition. CRM was created based on the best examples and practices of interaction with clients. Different tools themselves direct employees to the steps that will help optimize processes.

How to optimally choose a suitable system?

The main thing is that the selected option supports all the parameters you need. For example, if the main flow of orders and cooperation with clients takes place in telephone mode, it is necessary to have integration with telephony. CMS connection is important for online stores that receive applications through the site.

The rest largely depends on personal preferences and what your specialist advises.

There are two main types, which are based on different technical parameters:

1. Saas or system as a service. In this case, all software and information is located on the service provider's server. You will get online access through a browser, a special program or a mobile version. All processes are integrated on the side of the service seller.
2. Standalone — a license for the implementation and use of a software product. You get the software, which you install on your own server, if you wish, it can be modified for your own needs, depending on the functionality provided by the seller.

If you choose the first option, certain restrictions may await you. First, nothing can be changed in the product code, since the server is on the side of the person who sold you this service. Secondly, a high-quality Internet connection is very important. Today, of course, you won't surprise anyone with this, but still, you should provide backup access to the network in case of an unforeseen failure. And, thirdly, there is a possibility that you will have to pay separately for the creation of backup copies.

Nevertheless, there are significant advantages:

1. No need to create your own server.
2. You will not have to deal with the update either, all technical issues and maintenance will be handled exclusively by the seller of the service.

The second option is a kind of solution in a box. You install it on your server and you can change the code if you wish. This possibility is important when it is urgent to implement atypical solutions.

Let's talk about important functions

Integration with telephony

Why is it so important? On the one hand, it seems - what is the point here, to enter data about the call manually. But any manager knows very well how difficult it can be to get employees to perform even the smallest, but unnecessary work. In addition, no one has canceled the human factor, and you can simply forget to enter important information into the system.

There are two options for how everything happens:

1. The call goes through the browser and goes completely through the service. In this case, the speed of connection, sound quality, etc. largely depend on the browser and CRM.
2. Telephony is integrated through third-party services. In this case, a virtual call system is installed and connected to your numbers. Here, all calls are received and sent through sip-tubes. It happens as follows - the signal is sent to the virtual PBX of the SIP provider, and it already forwards it to you over the network. At the same time, the time of the conversation and the phone number are recorded in the database. The employee only needs to add notes to the leader's card - the topic of the conversation, comments, etc.

Ready solutions

A big plus for CRM is the already ready API integration. What does this mean? The "dialogue" functions with the client should be automatically configured:

1. Telephony.
2. Distribution by e-mail or by means of mobile messages.
3. Correspondence.
4. meetings

Ability to plan and set tasks

For the successful growth and development of a business, the fact that employees simply communicate with each other, try to complete some tasks over the phone, etc., cannot be sufficient. Everything needs control. Automation helps to plan the setting of tasks, see their execution, decision stages, and set reminders to employees about important events.

Employees should be able to create tasks not only for others, but also for themselves. Also, in many solutions there is a function of automatic setting of tasks. For example, upon receiving a call, the system immediately enters the goal of creating a new lead. Or you can set up a reminder about the quarterly report.

Import information

When choosing a suitable program, it is important to pay attention to how quickly you can enter the initial data. If it is impossible to enter contacts in a couple of clicks, most likely confusion will begin. Manual entry threatens that something can be missed or, on the contrary, duplicated. Well, at least - it takes a lot of time.

An ideal option is the ability to download from an Excel table. It is quite fast and convenient.

Contacts

Pay special attention to the implementation of directories. If you cooperate only with individuals, then it will be enough that there is an opportunity to simply make a client card. However, when there is interaction with organizations, you keep in touch with several people at once - for example, their lawyer, accountant, courier, and so on. Here you need to make a separate file with information on each of them, and then combine everything into one - the actual company with which you cooperate, that is, the counterparty.

And this is very important, because otherwise it will be difficult to fully automate work on all fronts.

How much can it cost?

For any more or less experienced entrepreneur, it is important to understand how the cost of implementing a new solution is formed.

The cost of the CRM system is formed from certain factors:

1. The price for the license, that is, the purchase. It depends on what you want - to purchase a copy or access to a cloud solution.
2. Transfer of information. In any case, it will be necessary to transfer existing contacts to the system. And then the ready-made module for this, as well as the complexity of the transfer, will ultimately affect the final price that will have to be paid.
3. The need for improvement. No matter which option you purchase, you will still need improvements specifically for your company - access settings, setting tasks, reports, and so on.
4. Support and further service.

In addition, many overlook the fact that some losses are possible when switching to automation. For example, when transferring data, you can miss a lead or other important information, which still has its price.

It is also worth understanding that even if you purchase the most advanced version, the human factor remains, which also entails certain costs. Employees can take a long time to get used to innovations, they do not always know how to use such tools, they need to be trained.

It is important to be prepared for the fact that any innovation requires certain time costs at the first stage, then it will be possible to better plan and minimize this factor.

How much does a license cost?

It all depends on the chosen option of automation. You can purchase several types of licensing:

1. Perpetual license.
2. Subscription for a fixed period - month, hours.
3. A copy of the program to install on your server.

And now about each item in a little more detail.

A perpetual license will need to be purchased once and the program can be used permanently. The disadvantage may be that the amount to be initially paid may be quite impressive.

When subscribing for a certain period, you will not need to pay a lot of money, but you will still need to top up the account of the service provider at a certain frequency. Can it end up being more expensive than the immediate option? Definitely, yes.

By purchasing a boxed solution, you pay once for many unlimited licenses. But if it is necessary to make any changes, you will have to pay extra.

Take into account the final cost of refinement and launch

What will need to be done?

1. Install software. At this stage, a large amount of work awaits you. So, for example, it may be necessary to install mobile versions for employees, to configure the server.
2. Setting up user groups and access rights for each participant.
3. Integration with various services and programs - 1C, telephony, data exchange with the site.
4. Transfer of information from other, previously used systems.

Even if you purchase a completely ready-made solution, you cannot do without improvements. And when forming the budget for the installation, you need to take this moment into account. Each company is individual and has its own needs. It is impossible to create a program that will initially be suitable for every individual organization. Therefore, take into account the point that at the initial stage it will be necessary to take into account the costs of the services of a specialist.

Technical support

Another possible cost item. There are no perfect people, and there are no systems either. A failure may occur for various reasons. Then you may need a specialist to re-set and solve problems. Naturally, his work must be paid.

And here it is time to return to Saas systems. If you choose such a solution, you may not need any support at all. Usually, this option is perfectly configured initially. And if you rule out the desire to independently dig into the settings and change something, you can forget about the need for support for a long time, or even forever.

Why does the Saas solution not require constant technical support?

1. Initially, the system is perfectly tuned, and the supplier's specialists constantly monitor the operation of the software.
2. The functions are limited, that is, there is nothing extra, since such an option is needed for a specific, narrow solution to certain problems.
3. An intuitive interface that even a beginner can easily handle. Therefore, the support of a specialist who will conduct training is not needed in most cases.

Conclusion

In this article, we tried to explain in detail what a CRM system is, why it is needed, what solutions there are, and how the cost is formed, including the associated costs.

The final decision is up to you. But it is possible to say unequivocally that if you want to actively develop your business and not miss a single client, even an untargeted one at a certain stage, you should pay attention to automation. No one says that it will be easy at first - any innovation may encounter employee dissatisfaction and difficulty in use on its way. Of course, you have to get used to everything. But in the end, both you, as a manager, and your employees will understand the usefulness of the functionality. And your business itself will feel an improvement.

Choose the optimal system for you and develop the sales area!