Choosing The Right CRM For Your Business, Simplified.

When looking for a CRM for your organisation, it’s important to consider exactly what you are wanting to achieve. If you try to do too much from the outset, it will be much harder to achieve a successful implementation. In our latest blog, we will focus on simpler CRMs, that may be all you need to get significant boosts to your business productivity without having to spend a fortune in money and time to get there.

1. The CRM’s mission

Sounds a bit airy fairy, but this is important. If you just want a CRM to handle leads, sales and some marketing, then don’t go for the big, expensive ones like Salesforce or MS Dynamics. These ones are very complicated to implement, which often then leads to an unsuccessful outcome.

2. Don’t use the free version

Free versions are there for a reason. Yes, they are intended to hook you to upgrade to a more advanced, paid version. But, the missing functionality is often considered a failure, and the software is rejected. If you’re doing a trial, try the most advanced version available, and pare back your needs, if possible, at decision time.

3. Data importation

If importing data requires an external app or is complicated and tricky, then the CRM is not a simple one. The idea is to get your CRM up and running as quickly as possible, with all of those spreadsheets being able to be imported right from the outset.

4. Integration with other systems

Manual data entry is bad enough, but if you find you are entering data into one system, like your CRM, then another like Xero or Woocommerce, then you are liable to be creating errors (in 100 words, 3 typing errors are made and only 2 are found). Make life bearable again and integrate those things that have the same basic data in each of them.

5. Email integration

Email integration is also a must-have. You need to be able to see all communications by staff with the customer. Bearing in mind that some emails may be sensitive, there needs to be a mechanism to allow some emails to be not shared.

There are three parts to email integration:

1. Link your CRM to your normal email provider, like Office 365 or Gmail. When you do this, you get to see all of the communications between your staff and the contact, right in the contact record.
2. Set up your SPF and DKIM records. This is a thing your IT people will probably do, as it’s related to your domain management. If this isn’t done, sending emails via your CRM is likely to be unreliable, with spam filters capturing many emails.
3. Set up relaying. Using a good email relay service means much of the blocking that may occur with your CRM is overcome, as automated emails are sent via this third party, rather than your CRM. Your CRM may already have a good web reputation, so this step may not be necessary.

How A1CRM can help you to get started

When all is said and done, there is a huge range of CRMs out there. A1CRM is the only certified Pipedrive CRM reseller in Brisbane with other local offices in Melbourne and Auckland.

You may want to try implementing Pipedrive, yourself… it’s easy enough. But if you need guidance, training, or advanced functionality, get in touch with us at A1CRM on 1300 437 540 or send us a message, and let’s have an obligation-free chat.

In conclusion, if you are considering implementing a CRM or have questions about whether it’s the right time to get a CRM for your business, contact us today. Our team of Zoho CRM specialists at A1CRM can guide you through the process and help you make the right choices to achieve your business goals.

Need Help? Call us on 1300 437 540 and have a chat or email us at [email protected].

This blog was written by A1CRM, an Australian CRM consultancy, specialising in business process mapping and implementation, primarily using a variety of Zoho applications. Our offices are in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand.