In this blog, systems specialist and Passionate PA, Louise Cummins (pictured) shares her top 5 tips for choosing the right CRM system for your business.
There’s no shortage of business owners who want to be more efficient and provide their clients with an awesome client experience. Are you one of them?
But, do you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work in your business and it’s growing faster than you can keep up with?
Implementing the right CRM system into your business is a gamechanger.
As Passionate PAs, we work with our clients to decide on the system that suits their needs and not just to sign up with the latest system to hit the market. As, let’s face it, what one person is using is irrelevant to the next! It’s all about identifying what YOUR business needs, implementing that system effectively and ensuring it’s embedded in your daily routine forever more.
We know it’s a challenge. You might well be thinking…
- How do I know what I need?
- Will it connect to my other systems/apps?
- Will I have to change everything I already have in place?
- Will the free version fit my needs?
- How long will it take to implement?
- Who can help me with that?
- and most importantly… Will it actually do what I want it to?
Firstly, you need to know where you want to take your business. Then, follow Louise’s 5 simple steps to choosing the software that’s right for you and your business to create a seamless customer journey for your own clients and ultimately more efficiency and profit!
- Brain dump a list of the essential elements your CRM system has to include and then a ‘would be nice to have’ list too (such as integrations with mailing and accounting software, video hosting, branding etc).Don’t start with Google – it will throw up thousands of suggestions which just creates noise and confusion! Start with your own head and your knowledge of your business.
- Ask for recommendations and pros and cons of each system. Liaise with clients, suppliers, networking buddies etc and ask the same questions so you can make a comparable list.Then do some Google research and see what other systems match your spec.
- Create a short list of the systems that fit best with your requirements including the price of each level of access.You’ll now need to strike off the list those that aren’t of interest or giving enough value for the investment. Ensure you look at all price points to ensure you do a true comparison.
- Trial the system you think most suited and make use of all the features. We’d suggest this trial is done over a month! Things change in business and doing just a week’s trial won’t really give you a good indicator as to whether the system will suit your business in the long term.Ensure you keep all your ‘must-haves’ at the forefront of your mind when carrying out the trial. All systems have a support team that can help you through the trial too.
- Analyse the results of the trial and make your decision to go with it or start another trial.Did it meet your requirements? Is the price right? If not, set up another trial until you find the correct system for you. Keep going until you find THE ONE! We know this sounds really time consuming, but, the rewards are great. The right CRM will be a total gamechanger for you.
If implementing a CRM system into your business is something you are considering but need someone to support you and keep you on track with trialling and through to implementation – then please do get in touch. Louise has huge experience in this area and takes on project work to help ambitious business leaders achieve their CRM goals.
You can connect with Louise on LinkedIn or, why not book a Discovery Call to see how you could work together – email her directly on louise@thepassionatepa.co.uk.
You can find out more about our team of business support professionals by clicking here!
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