We all know that a CRM can help to close sales faster, generate more leads, and manage customers’ information. But how do you choose the right system that will elevate your results? There are many ready-made CRM tools available. However, a custom CRM offers unique benefits that may give your company an advantage.
Let’s find out which is a better fit for your business.
Why Is a CRM Important
Many companies store communal files, resources, and messages on an intranet–a closed, interconnected network of servers used by a limited number of people. An intranet is often a company’s first step towards regulating employee file sharing. It’s an economical way of implementing basic collaborative working.
However, your sales, marketing, and customer service teams may need a more specialized, structured co-working solution. A CRM offers a more streamlined interface for organizations that need more than their intranet.
A CRM unifies the way your company stores and uses data. It eliminates data loss, which often occurs when different departments keep separate spreadsheets, notes, and databases.
- Your sales team can track leads and opportunities and close sales.
- Your marketing team can execute, track, and measure the success of long-term strategies.
- Your customer support team can track tickets, provide better support, and tag product issues.
Each team’s experience contributes to the whole. It builds a better profile of current and future clients and opportunities. It also provides a bird’ s-eye view of your business position.
What Can a CRM Do for My Business
Collaborative CRM tools create a data-sharing habitat. Well-known examples are Slack and Salesforce. They typically include features for collective activities, discussions, and file sharing. You can control access at all levels and protect sensitive information.
Collaborative CRM tools are primarily for internal teams but can accommodate external participants such as contractors or business partners. You can protect customer data by controlling who gets access to each section or function. You can also ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
Two other CRM categories focus on solving operational issues. Analytical CRM tools provide insights, statistics, and analytical data for planning. Meanwhile, Operational CRM tools focus on automating and streamlining business processes.
The Risks of CRM Tools
Your CRM may be secure, but staff must connect to the protected system. Data breaches can become a significant security risk if they use insecure connections. If employees access the system without a Virtual Private Network (VPN), the data becomes vulnerable to potential snooping and data tampering.
What is a VPN’s role in CRM deployment? Staff often connect to the CRM via smartphones or personal laptops. Remote workers in co-working spaces or at home run a grave risk of Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) and other cyberattacks. It’s crucial to secure their internet connections to mitigate the risk of data tampering or theft in transit. All staff who connect to your CRM should use VPN software to secure and encrypt their internet connections.
How to Choose CRM Tools for Your Business
There are three main CRM classes. Their suitability might depend on whether your teams have used CRM tools before.
Ready-To-Use Commercial CRM Platforms
Off-the-shelf commercial CRM platforms need only a minimal setup process before teams can start. The commercial platforms offer comprehensive onboarding classes. Commercial platforms offer many benefits for first-time CRM users. However, there are a few drawbacks:
- You may be sharing your data with unknown third parties, especially if you enable AI capabilities.
- You might be paying for features you’ll never use.
- You can’t add external or specialized functionality or features.
- It can be expensive for larger teams.
- Storage space may be limited.
Customizable CRM Platforms
Some businesses have unique needs. For example, you may use data streams that are incompatible with standard commercial platforms. In this case, you could look at a customizable commercial CRM platform. They are more expensive than standard commercial CRMs but can accommodate non-standard data sources or specialized workflows.
It’s not quite plug-and-play since developers must handle the integration. There may be limitations on adding specific features. Additionally, your data security may be at risk. You may risk a data breach if your sensitive data moves from the custom-built modules to the standard modules via APIs.
Custom-Built CRM Platforms
If you need the ultimate data security or unique functions, you can develop a custom solution. Just keep in mind that this option will require more resources than the others. Development and implementation can take some time, and you’ll always need a specialist to maintain the platform.
However, it offers unparalleled customizing opportunities. You can integrate the new system with your existing ERP systems. You can also scale and adapt the system without considering external standard modules. Building a CRM system from scratch could be the best long-term solution for adding unique functions.
Examples of Popular CRM Tools
Businesses worldwide use ready-made CRM tools. They are efficient and offer extensive sales, marketing, and operational CRM tools. Most tools can accommodate external data sources, e.g., Google, HubSpot, Zapier, Microsoft Drive, Dropbox, Canva, etc. Some examples are Zoho CRM, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Agile CRM for small companies and startups, and Freshsales Total CRM.
Some ready-made CRM platforms stand out in the growing Indian software market, such as Kylas Sales CRM. It is popular due to the translations of Indian languages and the localization of currencies. Ezee CRM is another example of a CRM that meets the needs of small—to medium-sized businesses in India.
Evaluating the Success of a CRM System
Moving to a CRM is never wholly painless. Your teams may face a huge learning curve. Sales staff usually are quite lax on the admin side, so getting them aboard may be difficult (until they see the results!). A move also demands a lot of input and insight from managers. It can take a while to align the setup perfectly with business needs and focal points for growth.
It may be necessary to run a limited trial to test the benefits of a CRM before you leap.
Focus on your business needs to formulate criteria for measuring the CRM’s success. Criteria could include better analytics, successful campaigns, or improved customer relationships. Then, track how they evolve. In time, you may decide to migrate to a different platform or build your own CRM.
