CRM system: make your business operations future-proof

 

Good software is the foundation of CRM, or Customer Relationship Management. In a CRM system, you organise and manage all contacts, relationships and customers within your organisation.

Why is that so important? And what are the benefits of managing your relationships with a good CRM system? AFAS explains.

What is a CRM system?

A CRM system, or CRM software, helps you manage and organise all relationships within your organisation. And we really mean all relationships: suppliers, prospects and colleagues can also be stored in the system.

CRM software brings the data of all these people together clearly in one central location. Looking for the contact details of potential customer A? Or do you want to check the status of the contract with supplier B? A CRM system gives you a clear overview of every relationship in just one click. That saves valuable time.

Some CRM software goes one step further. It also helps you streamline and automate the related processes. Think of digital files, invoicing, logging contact moments or retrieving public data. Change something in one place, and the software automatically updates the information elsewhere as well, without extra manual input. CRM software also gives you insight into areas such as marketing and sales.

The benefits of a CRM system

Good CRM software offers many benefits. In this article, we discuss the four most important ones:

  • You get a clear overview of all your relationships.
  • You create structure with digital files.
  • You gain insight into sales and forecasting per relationship.
  • You save time.

It may sound obvious, but the biggest advantage of a CRM system is that you finally have a clear overview of your relationships. No more separate notes about customers who need to be called back. No more new Excel files stored on a disconnected laptop instead of in the cloud. With a CRM package, you never lose important information again. And all information is always up to date.

How? Through the files you build. These files store everything, from meetings and quotations to invoices. And does your CRM solution include a useful mobile app? Then you can view and update activities related to a relationship anytime, anywhere, even when you are on the road.

Because the information is complete, a CRM system brings clarity to every process involving relationships. It also provides valuable insights for sales forecasting. With information about potential customers and their expectations, you can steer more effectively towards your targets. Good relationship management also gives you insight into areas that are usually difficult to measure, such as potential future sales and marketing activities.

Above all, a CRM system saves a great deal of time, and therefore costs. No more lost sticky notes or wasted time searching through your downloads folder. With CRM, all customer information is just a few clicks away.

Common CRM system features include:

 

  • Campaign management
  • CRM app
  • Course management
  • Dashboards
  • Digital file management
  • Digital signing
  • Email campaigns
  • Surveys
  • Event management
  • Forecasting
  • Customer portal
  • Reporting and dashboards
  • Relationship management
  • Prospect and customer management
  • Sales automation
  • Selections and segmentation
  • Targets

 

The AFAS CRM system offers many standard features, as well as advanced tools such as forecasting and sales automation.

Different types of CRM systems

In general, there are two types of CRM systems: standalone CRM software, also known as best-of-breed software, and CRM as part of an ERP system.

Best of breed: excellent on its own, but not company-wide

Best-of-breed tools focus on one business process, such as CRM, HR or finance. On their own, best-of-breed solutions can work very well. The downside is that they can be difficult to connect with other tools.

And if every department works with a different solution, you can probably guess what happens. Each tool performs well on its own island, but you should not expect company-wide integration. The result is duplicate or even triple data entry, fragmented information and higher costs for the organisation.

CRM as part of ERP software: seamless integration, but more implementation time

When you choose one integrated software package, all components connect seamlessly. Employees also only need to get used to one system, instead of several separate tools.

The downside is that implementation requires time and attention. You need to be ready for that. But once the full package is in place, your foundation is set. And is there still something very specific that only a best-of-breed solution can offer? Then you can still connect it to your ERP system.

For a small company, up to around 15 employees, separate software packages may still work. For larger organisations, this approach quickly becomes difficult to maintain. In that case, one integrated software package is much more future-proof and, in the long run, often significantly more cost-effective.

Make the right decision for your organisation. On the one hand,an ERP system offers many advantages compared with best-of-breed software. On the other hand, it does require implementation time. You may not be ready for that just yet. Still, it is worth exploring.

CRM software as the foundation for all your business processes

A good CRM system often saves organisations a huge amount of work. Especially when it is integrated with overarching ERP software. In that case, relationship management becomes the foundation for all your business processes.

That is a strong starting point, because ultimately, everything in your organisation revolves around relationships. From prospects and customers to suppliers and colleagues. The result?

  • Well-maintained relationships contribute to business success.
  • Data is recorded centrally and only once.
  • Other departments can be connected easily.

By treating relationship management as the foundation of your business processes, you put your contacts at the centre of your organisation. And they will notice. Personal attention, quick responses and no endless waiting times: these are exactly the things that can make the difference when customers choose to do business with you.

When you connect administrative processes across your organisation, information only needs to be entered once. Data is stored centrally, giving employees access to the latest information. This ensures that everyone can make well-informed decisions.

The connection with other departments also means that administration flows smoothly from one department to another. From finance to HR, and from logistics to customer service. With integrated CRM software, information moves effortlessly through your organisation.

Choose an integrated CRM system with AFAS Software

With AFAS, CRM becomes the foundation for almost every process in your organisation. From now on, all contact moments with relationships are recorded digitally. And because the following administrative steps are automated as much as possible, you reduce errors and save valuable time.