Crm Software Small Business

There is a lot of publicity about CRM software and how it benefits all size businesses. Small business owners can realize extra profit and savings by implementing CRM software to help increase sales, boost productivity and please customers.

There are different aspects of customer relations management (CRM) as used in the business world. For some, there is the bonus of allowing sales people on the road to access in-house database information and add sales data from the road. CRM allows businesses to track customer activity, information and sales histories. Even data about prospective customers can be incorporated for use by the sales force.

CRM allows everyone who uses it to be on top of the latest information, schedules, future events and sales information. It can be customized for use to set access limits for certain personnel or customers. CRM is especially useful for small businesses in the area of customer service. Adding CRM software has been said to be like adding another employee without the cost while increasing company productivity and sales. What could be better?

See this at work on any website that has customer knowledge management tools. The common search box is seen on most websites. This is a beginning for customer self-service. Searches can be refined and linked to live agents for questions that require more attention to answer. Frequently asked questions can be managed by CRM software so that the most commonly asked questions rise to the top of the list when a query is entered.

Other knowledge management and customer service tools include automatic emails, newsletter sign-ups, help desk, instant messaging, online chat and database search tools. CRM for small and large businesses now also includes new electronic methods of communication via social media like Twitter and Facebook.

Southwest Airlines used Twitter to their advantage for customer service when a disgruntled customer who had a lost luggage problem complained on Twitter. The customer service agent used Twitter to solve the problem, and all who were downline from that customer learned first-hand about the customer service positive attitude of Southwest Airlines. The customer went on to blog about his experience, so the customer relations effort received even more publicity.

Mobile CRM is another area where small business can amplify their sales results. Agents in the field can access the knowledge database remotely and come up with information their customers need immediately. Sales persons will have access to upcoming specials or sales and that alone can be enough to close a deal.

Any tool that works that well to increase productivity, please customers and agents, and bring increased sales to a company is worth the investment. CRM software is available in many forms in many price ranges.

Using CRM software in the office can increase productivity, elevate employee job satisfaction, save the company money for extra personnel, improve customer satisfaction and improve sales results. The increase in sales can be measured in multiples. CRM is very beneficial for small business just as it is for large companies.