Poor integration

CRM should be designed to work in tandem with ERP, Accounting, and Inventory Management software, and any other productivity, marketing and payment tools, so inefficient integration is a tell-tale sign that your CRM isn’t promoting healthy business. But how can you determine whether your CRM is displaying poor integration strategies?

Good CRM minimises duplication efforts and automates repetitive processes that bring data to the system’s forefront for interpretation. For example, an effective CRM integration with Xero will give you 360° visibility of the data stored in your inventory system in real time, giving you complete control over stock flexibility and eliminating the unnecessary rekeying of orders. If your team is constantly switching between systems rather than having ease of access to all data from one location, or if you find data gaps across your CRM, it’s likely time to consider making a switch to a well-integrated CRM solution. 

Having a structured integration stack can strengthen data integrity and will streamline various processes in your daily operations. However, an integration stack that lacks that seamless data flow through each system can actually have the opposite effect. Before committing to a CRM system, take a look through their integration marketplace to ensure that your existing solutions can be integrated.

Your team rarely use it

Whether it’s due to insufficient data, difficulty of use, or limited training, there are numerous reasons why your team might not be utilising your CRM like they should or using it enough. A Sales team needs accurate data to succeed and shouldn’t be relying on intuition or memory of the sale status to progress relationships. If your CRM is consistently exhibiting data gaps or basic sales tools that just aren’t up to scratch, it’s not surprising that your Sales team is resorting to other sources like spreadsheets to record their customer interactions.

Another reason your team might rarely use your CRM is due to a poor onboarding package. Attune with the common saying – a company is only as good as its people – a CRM is only effective when its users know how to reap the benefits. A good CRM system should be configurable so that your sales pipeline aligns with your sales process, and a good onboarding package should clearly show you how to achieve this. In this case, a lack of training is enough to render your CRM useless and deter a whole team from using it.

You’re not seeing profitable growth

Ultimately, a good CRM system is designed with its users’ success in mind and should act as a catalyst to achieving profitable business growth. To achieve these results, you need to have a firm hold on your customer data so that you can draw in new business whilst nurturing your existing customer base by analysing spend patterns and keeping on top of customer contact. Using a CRM system that has built-in tools like RFM analysis to identify churning customers, and cross-selling and upselling functions that help to increase the monetary value of your customer base, will put you ahead of your competitors. While CRM should undoubtedly perform the basic functions like reporting, analytics, and contact management, a CRM that ends here isn’t enough to prompt real growth for businesses that sell products. 

A good CRM system should activate immediate and clear-cut results so, if you’re questioning whether you’re getting the most out of your CRM, you’re probably using the wrong system.

Prospect CRM puts integration at the core, offers great onboarding packages, and helps businesses achieve sustained and profitable growth. Try Prospect CRM for free, integrated with your Inventory Management or ERP solution, and kickstart your growth journey today.