Maintaining a customer base on paper smoothly gave way to Excel tables. However, this was not always convenient. A unified program with a convenient interface was required. That is why a CRM program appeared and gained wide distribution. What is this product and why is it needed? Such programs simplify the work of both ordinary managers and department heads. The system is automated, and therefore the seller can quickly and easily find a customer card with all the information, documents and a list of calls.
What is a CRM program?
The main task of the CRM program is to establish the most efficient work between the client and the enterprise, moreover, in an automated and simplified form for the user of the system. The final result of using CRM-programs to maintain a customer base is to increase sales in the enterprise.
CRM programs can be installed on each individual point of sale, and process information independently. At the same time, the program can be configured so that data processing occurs in a distributed or centralized manner. In the latter case, all customer information and its changes are sent to the main server, that is, to the head office of the enterprise.
What does a CRM program consist of?
It is obvious to the user of the program that the program consists of an interface and a database. The interface or the front of the system allows you to enter data using standardized forms and questionnaires. You can add, modify or delete rows to the database collected inside the program. Work in the CRM program is often based on manual data entry in the template form.
An indispensable part of a CRM program is the operational and analytical core. The operational part of the program allows you to perform a specific set of actions, with different levels of access for each employee, and the results of operations can always be viewed in the form of reports. The analytical core or analytical subsystem, which is necessarily included in the CRM program of any developer, significantly expands the functions of the system. According to the templates, you can get the necessary reports and help, export them from the program or print them right away.
If earlier for a planning meeting or a meeting it took a long time to draw up a report, now it can be done in literally 2-3 minutes. It is enough to set up the reporting parameters once and save them as template.
Benefits of using a CRM system
The greatest benefit to the CRM-program is for sales managers, because the presence of such a system does not require a daily hand-written report on calls. The same can be said about the head of the sales department, who can at any convenient time check both the number and the effectiveness of calls made by employees of his department.
Probably everyone who worked as a sales manager, at least once, but forgot to call the customer at the appointed time. A sticker is lost or a forgotten entry in a notebook - with CRM, this would simply not happen. The manager can set up alerts and set the call time.
Based on the previous qualities described, one of the main advantages comes out, the company no longer depends on one manager, if he forgot something, got sick or even quit. Any client can be transferred to another employee of the department, and all information about previous negotiations will be stored in an electronic database.
What is the use of the program for managers?
For marketers, a CRM program can be a source of primary customer information.A conversation with a client is recorded in the form of an audio recording, or the main points are indicated in the block about a specific call. Obtaining primary information is quite a costly business, and therefore, with the well-coordinated work of sales managers from the database, it is possible to make samples useful to the enterprise.
In simple words, one of the clients may mention in a conversation with the manager that the competitor’s company has excellent product packaging, and another client will say that company B delivers the goods without delay. Such data can be collected in one general report and, after analysis, adjust the company's strategy and its market position.
Also, of course, it will be convenient to plan the growth or fall of sales. Previously, long-term calculations had to be made to draw up a plan for a month, and none of the managers liked the volume of the plan, but everything changes with the CRM program. To create a plan, it is enough to track the data for each employee, compare with previous periods, identify patterns. The employees of the department will be much better about the set plan and the implementation of the program itself, if two conditions are met:
- the plan is based on real data on the work of employees;
- employees know why and how the CRM program works.
A CRM program for sales of a company can be of great benefit if its use is set up correctly and employees are trained in all the features.
How does a CRM program help you learn?
In addition to the obvious benefits of a CRM program for managers and experienced sales staff, the system will also help train new managers. Each newcomer can view information cards and the funnel through which the client walked before making a purchase. An employee with no experience can see at what stage of the negotiations the necessary questions were asked and where mistakes were made.
As for errors, they can also be worked on at meetings among regular employees. A general discussion will help identify problems that one manager could not resolve. Thanks to such analytical processes, having worked on the errors, we can avoid them in the future.
In the process of training on a trial period in a company that uses a CRM program, it will be impossible for an employee to hide the results of his work. The system allows for transparency, and therefore the head of the department or senior employee can at any time view the amount of work done per day or in a few hours.
What types of CRM programs exist?
In general, all CRM programs can be classified by location:
- Local.
- Deleted.
- Mixed type.
Local-type CRM systems are completely located on the company's computers or server. Remote software products are located on remote services. Also, this type of program can be called cloudy, since all data is stored on the hosting of the developer.
Local programs allow you to have full control over the software product, and even with no access to the Internet, you can continue to work in the system. However, the local location of the software product leads to some problems. For example, the data security must be ensured by the user himself, just as for updating and adding add-ons and modules, it will be necessary to call field software engineers.
The advantage of remote CRM programs is the constant monitoring and updating of the product by developers. In the case of locally located CRMs, the manufacturer bears less responsibility than remote software.
The next, no less important advantage is that local programs are often limited by the number of preinstalled versions, that is, when you purchase one license, working in the program will be possible only for one or several computers. Remote CRM systems allow you to configure and support simultaneous operation from 10 to several thousand users.
Choosing the right version depends on the scope of work and the features of the client. The CRM program for a beauty salon can have minimal functionality, but products for large enterprises should combine a large number of services and add-ons. Obviously, these are cloud-based CRM programs with an expanded number of functions.
What CRM programs are on the market right now?
The Russian market now has many CRM systems. Examples of programs that were created more than 10 years ago can no longer compete with modern developments. This is especially true for those manufacturers who have completely stopped updating their products. If the first programs were only local, and their implementation cost a lot of money to companies, now the programs are based on cloud technology. There are many Russian-made programs, as well as Russified products from foreign developers.
A CRM-program for maintaining a customer base can be completely free, partially free, when payment of several additional services is required. Also, the system can be completely paid, and in conjunction with the purchase of a company's software product, the client will also be offered training for employees on how to work in the system.
In general, the assortment of programs such as CRM is now incredibly huge, and therefore each company will be able to choose a product that is convenient for its employees. The most popular programs in Russia are Bitrix24, Terrasoft and AMOCPM. Experts argue which of the programs is the market leader, but still it is worth considering all three products as the main three in the CRM-software market. An example of the targeted use of such programs, by the way, can be not only the sales department of a large corporation, but also small shops.
Features of the Bitrix24 program
The most popular CRM program is Bitrix24. The central part of the main program window is occupied by a list of deals. The classic menu on the left with a huge number of possible operations is supplemented by a search bar at the top of the program and above the deals window.
For ease of information retrieval, you should enter only according to standardized standards. A phone number entered with brackets cannot be found without one. The same goes for the phone number written with the numbers 7 and 8 at the beginning. Thus, if all the information will be entered by managers in one design, then there will be no problems with the operation of the system. By the way, you can often hear feedback on the Bitrix24 CRM program, which makes it difficult for employees to get used to the system interface, but this problem is easy to solve if you conduct several training sessions.
One of the advantages of this CRM program for maintaining a client base is the ability to configure and completely change the interface for each individual user. In customer cards, you can add, hide and delete rows and columns, and the menu on the left side can also be freed from unnecessary services. The program can be configured centrally, that is, each employee will work in the same interface.
Undoubtedly, the advantage of the Bitrix24 CRM program is the availability of an API and the ability to integrate program modules with other applications and services. Integration of several programs is now a very popular function, since more than 5 software products are often used in the work of one department and the whole company.
Description of Terrasoft
The Terrasoft program has received many positive reviews among users. Basically, customers note that this is a CRM program with a user-friendly interface that is easy to read and looks modern. In addition, training in the program often does not take much time, since many functions and services are intuitively understood.
Unfortunately, among the shortcomings, it is worth noting that the program does not have the ability to change or customize the appearance and arrangement of elements for the user.Although, on the other hand, this is not necessary, if initially the developers created an understandable and convenient usability of CRM programs. Terrasoft customer loyalty is based on a clearly thought-out set of services and functions, which are presented in the form of a standard interface.
In terms of reporting, Terrasoft is clearly ahead of Bitrix24, which does not offer a wide selection of template reports. Terrasoft has created a separate service - a report designer, which, with minimal programming knowledge, will help you easily prepare reports.
Terrasoft's integration capabilities are limited, so adding external modules and add-ons is not yet possible. Although this does not mean that the client can not directly contact the developers with a specific proposal. In general, we can say that customers who are looking for the best CRM program without additional settings and with the simplest user interface most often choose Terrasoft.
Features of the CRM-program AMOCPM
AMOCPM has won the love of users thanks to the user-friendly interface that all customers talk about. The main menu items are placed in the left block and are grouped by frequency of use. Here you can find the main important services - contact details, transaction cards and reporting documents. Transactions can be displayed in the form of a list or with the help of a visually convenient and visual funnel.
All rows and columns in forms can be dragged, and also hidden manually or automatically. Among all CRM-programs in the Russian market, AMOCPM is undoubtedly a leader in terms of simplicity and convenience of the interface. Setting lists and columns is available in manual mode or using a filter. The program also has the ability to split access rights. This will be useful, for example, for a new employee who does not need to see data on transactions with key customers. More serious improvements to services in the program require the involvement of programmers.
AMOCPM is one of the programs that has a huge resource base for integration. In addition to the API, the program has many modules for synchronizing work with web resources, newsletters, email programs, as well as 1C and IP-telephony. Among users, the opinion has already been established that this is a CRM program for the most convenient work.
Finally
In place of paper reports, notebooks, stickers, and primitive databases in Excel, software such as CRM systems has long come. These programs allow you to standardize the work of all managers in the sales department and monitor in real time the productivity and effectiveness of employees.
Such systems are indispensable both in large trading companies and in small chain stores. To maintain a customer base, CRM programs are useful for beauty salons, individual entrepreneurs, and even freelancers. Depending on the required capabilities, you can choose the CRM that is suitable for your download volume. Programs are delivered both on a paid and free basis, so almost any person can facilitate work with clients.