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CRM as a virtual sales assistant
CRM software – appreciated by some sales teams and hated by others. It can be your support in everyday work and your virtual assistant. However, it is possible on one condition – you have to know its essential functions and use them. It turns out that even 75% of CRM users do not appreciate its advantages.
What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. There are two explanations for this term. The first one is the philosophical approach. As the name suggests, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a philosophy, a way of thinking about communication with your business partners. This idea deals with different stages of contact with customers taking part in the sales process: from the first meeting, through customer needs analysis, to the end of the entire sales process.
CRM is a philosophy that does not focus only on strict procedures and strategic objectives. This idea of Customer Relationship Management has something deeper in it. A sales rep cannot treat customers only as leads to generate or strategic KPIs to achieve.
Do you remember what a key performance indicator is? Key performance indicators, KPIs, help to measure performance over time for a specific objective.
However, a sales rep should perceive more than KPIs. A salesperson has to think about customer satisfaction as the main factor in sales, and every activity of a sales team should lead to good customer interactions.
In order to build valuable relationships with your customers you should use modern tools, and a CRM platform is one of them.
How do CRM systems work?
The second explanation of this term is related to CRM software. CRM systems are used to support your communication with clients. They store all of your customer information (about your existing customers and prospective customers), help you organize your everyday work, and monitor interactions with clients.
However, a good CRM does a lot more – it tracks sales and marketing KPIs and supports many people in an organization – helps manage marketing campaigns or accounting.’
CRM systems solve many challenges, therefore, small businesses and big companies decide to use CRM tools. As it has been reported by different sources, even 91% of companies hiring more than 10 employees have a CRM platform.
Entrepreneurs decide to use the CRM system because of different advantages such as improvement of work of customer service representatives, better communication, and an increase in effectiveness.
However, according to recent data from HubSpot (2011) – only 45% of companies use CRM systems as databases. The rest of the sales teams still use Excel files, Google documents, or just write down the information during meetings.
Modern CRM software can be helpful in many ways. It depends on you, whether you allow your CRM platform to be your virtual assistant.
How can a CRM software be helpful?
A work of a sales rep is stressful and demanding. Regardless of whether you work in a small company or you are an employee in a big sales team, you have to face many challenges.
Numerous phone calls to make, e-mails to respond, offers to write, lists of potential customers to check, and a lot of important meetings to attend – your day is full of activities. In addition, you have to remember to track KPIs and be effective.
Unfortunately, a sales manager wants to adopt a data-driven approach and have your KPI report. Obviously, you should gather data and create a document for your sales management department, but you do not have enough time to do it.
Are you sure that you do not need the CRM system? Maybe you are one of those sales reps who think that CRM software is a tool that controls their work and does not forgive any mistakes.
Are you certain that a CRM platform is only a tool that controls your work and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs)? Is it really your enemy? Do you want to reject the help of a virtual assistant that can manage your chaos at work?
According to HubSpot, 76% of CRM systems users do not use multiple of their functions. Do you want to be one of those sales reps?
Check the benefits of CRM systems and do not be prejudiced towards them – using them can be really profitable.
CRM as a virtual sales assistant
As we have mentioned earlier in this article, the CRM system gathers important information about your customers and helps you manage relationships with clients. It deals with contact management, but it can also support you in many different ways.
Good CRM can be helpful, but its advantages depend on whether it is modern or not. For example, there are CRM tools available for mobile devices, so you can work from everywhere. Do you know all profits of using the CRM platform? Read about its functions and how it can assist you at work.
A CRM system in your company – how can it be helpful?
CRM software enables the communication between different departments in your company
It is not only a database of important existing customers, but it is also a source of different relevant information. For example, you see the number of inbound leads from recent marketing campaigns, and you know how it will affect your work.
It organizes customer service and helps maintain customer satisfaction
it is the function that should be very interesting to you. Thanks to it, you can control all customer interactions: phone calls, e-mails, meetings, or tasks. That is not all. The CRM system will allow you to plan your tasks in advance.If your company has CRM software, you can send notifications to yourself, or integrate your calendar with this system. Better planning will improve performance and affect your customer satisfaction.
The CRM system automates many monotonous tasks
Such as data entry, cross-department communication, generating reports, and sending notifications about important tasks.On account of the fact, that the CRM platform is your assistant and does many tasks for you, it makes a huge difference in your daily routine. It improves your effectiveness and employee satisfaction. You are able to do more at the same time. As a consequence, it is easier for you to increase sales and achieve strategic goals. Moreover, you gain more time that you can use to maintain relations with existing customers (better customer retention).
It contains a history of cooperation with different customers
It is very helpful if you want to refresh contact with a given client or you get another sales rep’s customer. You can check the details of the collaboration, what products or services were bought, and why the relations ended.
Thanks to the CRM platform, you can analyze your sales and set the right key performance indicators (KPIs)
CRM is a source of knowledge about sales processes in your company and its financial metrics. If you type all data into your system, you can track progress and analyze your results. You use gathered information in order to know how long it takes to make a deal, what the costs of generating leads are, or what your sales chances are. Thanks to CRM software, you measure progress in your organization and keep an eye on business processes.In-depth analysis allows you to define KPIs that will be smart and possible for you to achieve. SMART KPIs are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. If you have exact data in your system, it is easier to draw conclusions. A good KPI is specific and reveals a lot of information.
Best KPIs allow you to know more about every stage of the sales process of a given product important in your business.Using CRM software and analyzing your KPIs do not forget about leading and lagging indicators that support performance management. Leading indicators measure performance before a company follows a given trend. On the contrary, lagging indicators enable you to measure historical performance.
Both the leading indicator and the lagging indicator are helpful if you want to have a whole picture of your work and a holistic view of your sales. It will be easier to achieve organizational goals if you know the risk factors and can predict them.
The CRM system generates necessary reports
There are a lot more advantages of CRM than tracking key performance indicators. Do you need a customer lifetime value report? Do you want to have effective meetings reports? You can simply generate them from the system. You do not have to do it on your own, you save your time and devote it to different activities.
Choose the best virtual assistant for you
Many businesses decide to implement the CRM tool, but not every company is satisfied with its results. About 47% of sales reps do not believe that their CRM can support their everyday work, help them increase revenue, and achieve organizational objectives. (Source: HubSpot, 2021).
Maybe it is a consequence of the fact that many older CRM systems gather only quantitative data. Information should be typed in by sales reps after meetings with customers, however, the reality can be different.
In many situations, the information is only written down on sheets of paper and stays there forever. Documents are left in a car or hidden somewhere in a bag. Sometimes data is only in the memory of a salesperson and is never typed into the system. We have already written about it on our blog – “What is sales analytics and why is CRM platform sometimes not enough?”.
If you want your virtual assistant to be really effective, check new solutions such as sales automation tools. Think about your customers and your strategic objectives. Do you track your key performance indicators? Do you have enough time to maintain good relations with clients?
A modern app from Salesbook will gather all important data for you (quantitative and qualitative) and support you in the entire sales process.
Your Salesbook CRM
Now you know that CRM can be your ally in a fight for strategic goals. CRM integrated with Salesbook will help you increase your chances in sales and support your work at every stage of customer interactions.
Salesbook is a Saas platform (software as a service) which means that it works like a clouded-based CRM that is easy to use. It is installed on the provider’s servers, therefore, you do not have to invest extra money to use it.
However, Salesbook has more advantages that are worth exploring.
What can Salesbook do for you?
Would you like to work with an assistant who can plan a visit with your customer, arrange a meeting, and set all details?
Can you imagine working with an assistant who will remind you about important tasks, send e-mails, and then prepare an interesting presentation about your company?
Moreover, this assistant would provide you with necessary reports based on already gathered data. Is it even possible to want more? Yes, and you deserve more help.
Your virtual assistant will support your CRM software and show you what you can do better.
It is hard to believe. But it is true. Check how it is possible.
Work from every place in the world
If you use Salesbook, you do not have to travel to take part in a meeting with your customer and give important documents. Salesbook is a cloud-based system, therefore, you just need to log in to have complete information.
Moreover, Salesbook is available for iPhone. You have access to the most important functions such as contacts, organizations, calendars, meetings, tasks, funnels, and threads.
However, if you want to plan a direct meeting, Salesbook will assist you too. The app integrated with your calendar will show you the best way and navigate you to the place of destination.
Organize your typical workday
It is not easy for a sales rep to plan the whole workday due to many tasks and challenges. If CRM that you use has an old version, it can be difficult for you to achieve your goals.
CRM systems have various interfaces – more or less friendly. The administrative panel of Salesbook is intuitive and well-organized. Thanks to this, it is easy to use – even if you do not have much experience.
If you use Salesbook, you can plan your daily routine and send notifications about important tasks on your e-mail. It is easier to start your day if you know what to focus on.
Another helpful function is the ability to synchronize your calendar with Salesbook. Moreover, you can share it with other sales reps.
Use an easy database
A well-organized database is essential to every sales team. Therefore, the Salesbook administrative panel is functional and intuitive. As a result, every time you see at what level of the sales funnel is your lead.
Another important asset is the ability to add new information to leads. You can add notes, files, and different versions of offers. You can check the history of a given lead every time you want to. If the situation with your client changes, you can modify the statuses of your leads.
Present your company in a modern way
You have to stand out from the crowd if you work in sales. Although CRM has many advantages, it will not help you in presenting your company in an attractive way. Salesbook is one step ahead of different systems.
Thanks to the app from Salesbook, you do not have to seek notes inside your desk or a company car. Furthermore, you do not have to take brochures or other folders to a meeting.
You just need to take a tablet with you and upload important materials such as the company’s logo, videos, and pictures. Salesbook will take care of the visual aspects of your presentation, your task is to be convincing.
Analyze the client’s needs
How can your assistant help you after the presentation? Thanks to Salesbook, you do not have to stay focused all the time. You do not have to think about listening, making notes, and analyzing needs at the same time. You can use a tablet and calculator that help you know your customer.
So, you can concentrate on a successful conversation with your customer and get to know their needs and problems. Remember that everything you will find out gets automatically into the system. You do not waste your time organizing your notes and creating folders on your laptop.
Create a personalized offer
Everything related to your customer is already in the system. You do not have to analyze all data by yourself – Salesbook will do it instead of you. Moreover, it will provide you with an automated and personalized offer that you can send or show to your client. You will receive a notification if an offer will be open.
You send follow-up e-mails
It is said that you have to send 8-12 follow-up e-mails to convince a customer. Can you imagine arranging meetings, writing down all details, and doing summing-ups in e-mails? Be aware that Salesbook has already information about your customers, so you just need to send an e-mail.
Sign contracts without any problems
If you use Salesbook, you can quickly sign important documents with your customers. You just need to have an Ipad and a stylus. The signed contract is automatically sent to your CRM system. Another way for signing up a contract is to use an SMS code. Regardless of what option you choose, you do not have to arrange a direct meeting to close a deal.
Download automated reports
Salesbook, your virtual assistant, can do a lot more for you. If you want to analyze your sales, look at important reports. Using Salesbook you do not have to fill in the tables in Excel.
The reports available in Salesbook help you know how to gain customers, which script is the most effective, or how long it takes for you to close deals.
You can compare your reports with the rest of your team and draw conclusions about your work. The next step is to follow best practices.
Do a complete sales analysis
As we have mentioned earlier, your CRM does not contain every information that you need. Salesbook is a modern tool that can provide you with qualitative data. It gathers information during a meeting, therefore, every detail is in the system. Nothing misses.
As a result of such accuracy, you can be certain that the analysis of your sales is thorough.
What elements of the sales process can you analyze?
- Number and effectiveness of meetings.
- The average time of a meeting.
- The time between contacts.
- The details of every sales process.
- The type of products chosen by customers.
- What affected an increase or decrease in sales.
The factors presented above are just examples. Thanks to Salesbook, you can control the entire sales process, and react if it is necessary.
Use ready-made scripts
If you can automate sales and analyze your effectiveness, you can also choose scripts that are the best. Then, you just follow the pattern which is the most successful. You do not have to come up with new ideas and test them. Salesbook, as your assistant, gives you spare time that you can use to develop relations with clients. Happy customers are likely to come back.
Summary
According to HubSpot, 97% of salespeople think that CRM is a good solution if it is useful and easy. Salesbook is the intuitive app that can be used among different sales teams, regardless of their previous experience.
Do not forget that Salesbook can be your virtual assistant that helps improve the work of sales reps by 50%.
Are you able to find an assistant that would be equally efficient?
Check how Salesbook CRM can help you
You have already CRM in your company, but want to try Salesbook?
If you do not want to use two CRM systems then check Salesbook’s CRM functionality.
Try the free demo and choose the best option for you.
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