{"id":10531,"date":"2014-03-03T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grapevinemsp.com\/2014\/03\/03\/4-things-to-remember-when-searching-for-a-crm\/"},"modified":"2014-03-03T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-03T16:00:00","slug":"4-things-to-remember-when-searching-for-a-crm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grapevinemsp.com\/4-things-to-remember-when-searching-for-a-crm\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Things to Remember When Searching for a CRM"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sitesdev.net\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/silhouettes-142329_640.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-2630\" alt=\"silhouettes-142329_640\" src=\"https:\/\/sitesdev.net\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/silhouettes-142329_640-300x211.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a>The small choices you make for your business, no matter how insignificant they may seem, are often the decisions that make or break a small company. The technology you use can give you that small advantage that keeps you ahead of the other small companies and gives you a chance to compete with the slightly larger ones. A CRM, or a tool for \u201cCustomer Relationship Management,\u201d is a powerful thing when it\u2019s paired with good planning and a thoughtful customer service process. Not only can it bring your company some necessary organization, it can also bring your customers the answers they need in a more reasonable amount of time, resulting in a happier you and a happier them. Here are a few things to look for in your new CRM.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Simplicity at Its Best<\/b><\/p>\n<p>CRMs, like any business tool, range from exceedingly easy all the way to exceedingly complicated. If you\u2019re a small business, it\u2019s very unlikely you need much above the basics. You don\u2019t need to track every little piece of information, and you\u2019ll basically only ever need prospect information, information about the last conversation, a reminder system, who needs to see that reminder, and possibly even a \u201cdollar value\u201d of the opportunity at hand. There are a few extra features that are just gravy on top, but above and beyond that, you probably don\u2019t need what a more complicated CRM has to offer.<\/p>\n<p><b>Integration<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Not every CRM wants to integrate with the other processes you have on hand. It\u2019s important, of course, to consider this, especially if you use the other systems regularly and like the way they run. Can you import and export data easily to and from your CRM? Can you use your CRM to keep track of employee-to-employee emails? These are important things to consider when choosing your CRM.<\/p>\n<p><b>Built-In Training Tools<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If your CRM doesn\u2019t have a couple of training manuals, look for another one. The thing about CRMs is that not everyone is used to how they work and how to use them, especially if they\u2019ve been part of your business for a while without having to use one at all. Train your employees to use your CRM, and then give them the manuals so they can give themselves reminders. Most CRMs can be used from smartphones and tablets, and it\u2019s important to know how to use the system from those devices as well.<\/p>\n<p><b>Finally, Reports<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Look for a CRM that keeps your employees accountable by allowing you to run reports on a particular person or team. Check out any built-in data system. Ask a question like, \u201cAre we going to hit our sales goals?\u201d or \u201cWhat did this employee do last week?\u201d and see if you can use the reports to answer it. If so, that might be the CRM for you.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing a CRM can be difficult, but once you\u2019ve found one you like, you can use it for as long as you need it.<\/p>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/sitesdev.net\/articles\/2014\/03\/03\/4-things-to-remember-when-searching-crm\/' rel='nofollow'>Used with permission from Article Aggregator<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The small choices you make for your business, no matter how insignificant they may seem, are often the decisions that make or break a small company. The technology you use can give you that small advantage that keeps you ahead of the other small companies and gives you a chance to compete with the slightly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.2 (Yoast SEO v22.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>4 Things to Remember When Searching for a CRM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/grapevinemsp.com\/4-things-to-remember-when-searching-for-a-crm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Things to Remember When Searching for a CRM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The small choices you make for your business, no matter how insignificant they may seem, are often the decisions that make or break a small company. The technology you use can give you that small advantage that keeps you ahead of the other small companies and gives you a chance to compete with the slightly [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/grapevinemsp.com\/4-things-to-remember-when-searching-for-a-crm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Valley\u2019s Leading IT Company I Grapevine MSP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-03T16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sitesdev.net\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/silhouettes-142329_640-300x211.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cloudways\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cloudways\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script 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