Key Features To Get The Most Out Of Your CRM System

Many business owners understand the importance a customer relationship management system (CRM), but there are so many different products out there. So what features should you look for when making a decision on a CRM product to use? Let’s take a look at some great CRM features. 

The most obvious aspect of a CRM system is the management of your customers and contacts in one place. When exploring a CRM system, make sure that this function is easy to use for your employees’ average level of technology experience. Is it easy to search for customers? Are there useful search filters to establish useful audience groups? It is very important to consider those that will be using the CRM system at all levels of your organization.

Let’s take it to the next level. When managing your customers, it is helpful when CRM systems have the functionality to save contracts and useful files related to a client within the system. In addition, the CRM system should include what products or services they use, rather than having to skim through multiple files and notes. This is extremely efficient if you have employees that travel and are not always plugged in to the company server and needs access to client info on the road.

A CRM system definitely earns its worth when you have multiple departments dealing with a customer. It minimizes the issues with communication overlaps and keeps everyone in your organization up-to-date on your relationship with that client. With that said, having an efficient help desk function that creates tickets and gets them to the proper contact maximizes organizational connectivity. For more information on this, check out our previous post on the importance of digital customer service.

Another effective feature of a customer relationship management system is the ability to run reports and statistics easily. Pulling sales reports, call notes and other statistical data should be easy to understand for anyone in your organization to access, not just your research or finance department.

A newer, more innovative, aspect of CRM systems is social media integration. For an in depth look at this, check out our blog post that focuses on the importance of this function. Social media is a huge part of many people’s lives and staying connected to your customers in their social channels can be the factor of differentiation between you and your competitor.

What features are important for you in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system?