Guide: How to Choose the Right CRM System

What is a CRM System?

Before we delve into how a CRM system can help your business, we first want to go over what CRM is.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, which as the name suggests, is about improving customer management and creating positive experiences. CRM is about actively and systematically working to enhance customer relationships and build long-term connections.

Since the goal of CRM is to acquire new customers, as well as increase customer satisfaction and loyalty among existing customers, you need to understand their needs. With a good understanding of existing and potential customers, you can develop products and services that meet their expectations and demands.

A CRM system is also referred to as a CRM tool or CRM software and is an IT solution that helps you do just that, providing you and your team with a solid foundation for creating and maintaining strong, long-term relationships with customers.

With a simple CRM system, you can structure your sales processes without needing an expensive and complex system. It becomes easier to get an overview, follow up with customers, and create loyalty.

Make it easy to win more business.

Gather leads, save time, and focus on what matters – with Customer Connect.

Features that can improve your sales and customer relationships

Gather all customer information in one place

To manage customer relationships in a structured way, it is important to have order and clarity. One way to achieve this is to gather all customer information in one place, so that all departments can quickly and easily find the right information.

This can be particularly important in larger companies where different departments often need to collaborate and share information. By centralizing all customer information in a CRM system, you keep it accessible for everyone who needs it.

Automated processes for efficient sales

With an automated CRM flow, you can streamline many of your customer-related processes. For example, you can automate emails instead of wasting time creating email lists and scheduling reminders in the calendar.

This gives salespeople more time to build personal relationships with customers. Automating these processes can also help ensure that important communication is not forgotten and that customers always receive the service they expect as well as the follow-up they anticipate.

Clear statistics and reporting

You can view lists, statistics, and reports in real-time, providing you with quick insights and a clear overview of key KPIs and metrics. You can also have all sales statistics, lead management, and customer satisfaction ratings presented in a personalized dashboard.

This allows you to quickly get an overview of your company's performance and act swiftly when needed.

Quick management of leads from various channels

In a CRM system, you can track and get an overview of which digital channels generate the most business opportunities for you. This can include incoming leads from the website, but also from other channels such as social media, email, calls, and more.

This can help you see which channels are most effective for reaching your target customers and can be used to focus more on the channels that yield the highest return.

Strengthen collaboration between marketing and sales

Getting marketing and sales to work together towards the same goals can be a challenge for many businesses.
A CRM system tailored for small businesses makes it easy to share information between teams. This leads to better communication, faster follow-ups, and more closed deals.

This gives everyone access to the same information and materials. By making processes available to all, everyone can work more integrated.

Make it easy to win more business.

Gather leads, save time, and focus on what matters – with Customer Connect.

What is Customer Connect?

When choosing a CRM system, there are many benefits to leverage when it comes to everything from sales, marketing, and customer service.

Customer Connect helps you quickly manage your incoming leads from various channels and clarify the business situation for both you and your customer throughout the sales process.

Get started quickly

Together we set up the right business processes quickly and smoothly.

Effective lead management

Optimizes your business contacts from the web.

Clear statistics

Dashboard that shows your business results in real-time.

Keep a close eye on your rating

Get control over which business channel generates the most incoming leads.

By salespeople for salespeople

Skip all unnecessary administration, save time and money.

Driving business partner

Our goal is to always increase your conversion rate regarding closed deals.
Learn more about AI-based CRM systems and how it can give you an edge.

Why you should invest in a new CRM system

There are many reasons why you should consider investing in a new CRM system. Here are some examples:

Increased productivity

A CRM system can help you automate important processes and keep track of all customer interactions in a simple and centralized way. It can save time and enable your team to focus on more important tasks, which in turn can increase productivity.

Better customer service

A CRM system can help you gather all customer information in one place, making it easier to provide staff with a comprehensive view of the customer. It can also help you maintain contact with customers in a structured way, so you can provide them with the service they expect.

Increased sales

A CRM system can help you follow up on leads and ensure that no business opportunities fall through the cracks. It can also give you a better understanding of customer behaviors and preferences, which can help you create more relevant offers and increase sales.

Reduced administrative work

A CRM system can help you keep track of all customer interactions and automate key processes, which can reduce the administrative burden on your team.

Increased Customer Loyalty

A CRM system can help you build long-term relationships with your customers by providing them with the service and attention they expect. This can increase customer loyalty and reduce the risk of customers switching to a competitor.

If you want to see how a new CRM can positively impact your business – read our guide on implementing CRM systems.

8 Tips When Choosing a CRM System 

It’s easiest when it’s right from the start. Below we have compiled our eight best tips that hopefully make the choice of a CRM system a little easier for you.

1. What different features are available?

Everyone is different, and our needs vary as well. Your company is unique in terms of customer base, processes, and growth potential. Therefore, it’s not a good idea to commit to a standardized solution with fixed and unnecessary features. You need a CRM system that can be customized to your specific needs.

It should make things easier for you, not harder. That’s why it’s important to get a CRM system that can offer the features you and your company need to manage incoming leads and existing customers more effectively. By easily exchanging information, both between different departments and within the team, you also reduce the risk of important information being lost.

2. How does the platform manage and store your data?

When choosing a new CRM system, it’s important to consider what data you manage and how the platform stores it. Your company information will be stored in the cloud when using a new system, so it’s important to investigate how the provider handles your data, including where they have their servers.

Your choice of CRM system may also be influenced by the type of data you store, so it’s important to choose a system that meets the requirements of the new data protection regulation, GDPR. The CRM tool you choose should also make it easy to search for personal data and provide the ability to restrict or delete certain data when necessary.

3. Is it possible to connect external systems with the CRM system?

Email is the most common way for sales teams to communicate today, but it can become frustrating and time-consuming for your salespeople to switch between the inbox and the CRM system to send emails and log responses from potential or new customers.

Your company likely also uses other systems to manage different parts of the business. To get the most out of your new CRM system, it’s important that it can integrate with the external systems you are already using.

4. Is the CRM system mobile-friendly?

It’s just as important to manage your leads via a tablet or mobile as it is via a computer. With mobile access, you always have access to your leads, making it essential to manage them faster and not lose them to a competitor.

5. Is the CRM system a standardized or flexible solution?

If you’re not well-informed, a standardized solution may sound like a good option. But you want to avoid getting stuck in a solution that cannot be changed as your business evolves. Therefore, it’s important that you can add and remove features that suit you and your needs as they change.

6. What opportunities are there for analysis and reporting?

There is a plethora of intelligent tools that help automate manual and time-consuming tasks in various ways, providing reliable analyses and reports.

By choosing a CRM system that includes this, you won’t have to compare data in the system with other external programs and do the math yourself. Make sure to choose a system with a user-friendly interface for analysis and reporting, and that allows you to customize reports according to your specific needs. An AI-CRM with smart analysis helps you make data-driven decisions.

7. Does the provider have the right technical expertise and experience?

It’s important to choose a CRM system provider that has experience delivering quality systems, as well as technical expertise in the field. An experienced provider can help you find the solution that best fits your needs and your business, and provide advice and support during the implementation and use of the system.

8. Can you get support after implementation?

It’s important to choose a CRM system provider that offers support even after implementation. This can mean technical support for any issues, but also the opportunity to receive advice and support to optimize the use of the system. Ensure that the provider has good customer support so that you can get help with any questions or needs for assistance.

Much to Gain with Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Fastest Lead Management Wins

You have the opportunity to reach potential customers faster than your competitors, increasing your chances of winning the deal by 86%.

Supports Your Sales Process

A good CRM system gives you greater insight into your customers' buying journey and allows you to communicate the right thing at the right business stage.

Track Your Digital Sales Channels

The system reveals which digital sales channel generates the most and most profitable deals, clarifying which channels to focus on for more effective sales.

Why You Need a CRM Strategy

A CRM system is important for effectively managing leads and acquiring more customers as well as retaining existing customers.
By using customer data to connect and support customers, the company can grow. It’s also important to meet customer needs based on their preferences.
To maintain a high level, a CRM strategy is required that provides access to customer data and enables a more data-driven approach in sales, customer service, and marketing.

Work with the Customer in Focus

When products and services are perceived as equivalent by customers, they choose the company that feels best. Therefore, it’s important to have a customer-centric strategy that clearly focuses on creating a meaningful customer experience.

By continuously optimizing and improving the customer experience, you can increase loyalty among your customers. A CRM system makes it easy for you and your colleagues to manage customer-related activities and to live up to what you promise customers.

Analyze Needs and Act Faster

Did you know that repeat customers are likely to spend about twice as much as new customers?

By using a CRM system, you can gather all customer information in one place, provide all departments with an overview of what has been said and done, and use that information to identify new customer needs and manage existing and potential customers effectively.

When data is collected and analyzed, you can tailor the company's content and offerings based on their activity and interests, which will open up even more business opportunities to act upon.

Want to know how to take the next step? Check out our article on how to implement a CRM system step by step.