A CRM, or customer relationship management tool, is becoming a staple in the business world because of the growing importance of storing data and keeping great relationships with consumers.
CRM’s come in many varieties, but even then, there should be a few features that you would want in every single CRM that you use. Some features are more important than others, but that is all up to your interpretation!
Customization
Whether you are picky about your features or not, I know that customization is what everyone should want at some point. A cookie-cutter CRM that is not tailored to your industry and business is not worth the money.
What is absolutely worth the money is the ability to customize all of the layout and features of what your CRM is capable of. Customization is a key feature that everyone should be looking for.
Third-Party Integration
CRM’s can’t do everything, so naturally, you are going to want third-party apps and software to get you up to speed. The only problem is that some CRM’s are not able to third-party integrate, so it is going to leave you screwed in the long run.
Any quality CRM is going to have the ability to integrate with other apps and work seamlessly to provide a great experience.
Lead Management
Obviously, a customer relationship manager is going to want a lot of options with lead management. How you handle your data and update leads is going to lead to your demise or success if you deal with leads correctly.
A good CRM is going to have the ability to have a lot of options with leads and get very detailed. For instance, you could have an option where you hide them from the system for a year, and then reach out to them after that time when they will need your products or services. The possibilities are endless with great lead management.
Real-Time
Another big-time thing to address is that some CRM’s are delayed and not always updated to the current day or even week. A quality CRM is going to be able to tell you to the second of what your data is looking like.
In 2020, you should be able to see real-time data and know that it is accurate at that time. It is underrated, but knowing real-time data is important for your convenience.
Now that you know all of the features that you should be looking for, you should also know that there are many different kinds of CRM’s. Things like an ISP CRM that is excellent for billing is an option, along with other kinds like a strategic or analytical CRM.
Be sure to identify which kind you think that will grow your business, and then make sure that it has your desired features. A good place to start is with the 3 features that are mentioned above! I would say that customization should be your top priority after you have a type of CRM finalized in your mind.
Good luck to you if you are on the hunt for a new CRM system!
