July 28, 2015
7 Astonishing Ways Small Businesses Can Benefit From Cloud-Based CRM
BY John Paul Narowski IN CRM Software, Small Business 0 Comment
Customer relationship management (CRM) is considered to be one of the most useful software trends in the business world: everyone talks about it and almost everyone knows about its benefits. It really does not matter whether there are 150 people in your company or just 10, CRM is a great tool that helps businesses build good relationships with customers, offer excellent customer service, develop selling processes and grow their businesses.
While big companies spend less time on making decisions about purchasing software or investing in new technology, small businesses, in general, are more concerned about what they are investing in. Small businesses take into account all of the advantages and disadvantages of the software: whether it is affordable, helpful,easy to use, compatible with their needs, accessible and so on.
To help small businesses make their final decision, today we introduce 7 astonishing ways that cloud based CRM for small business can be beneficial.
1. Ease of Use
Cloud based CRM makes the CRM strategy of your small business simpler and helps you save time and energy. There is no need for you to order the software and install it by yourself. The vendor provides a software at a fixed price and manages it for you. In addition, vendor also makes necessary upgrades, to free your employees from these activities. If some technical problems occur relating the software, all you need to do is to contact the vendor. Sometimes, they also offer some training materials which makes it easier for employees to use the system.
2. Centralized Data
With cloud based CRM, small businesses can have the data about their customers centralized in one place. The benefit here is that if your data is centralized, you will be able to view it anywhere, anytime and from any device that has an Internet connection. In addition, centralization also improves the ease of sharing data with the people that you would like. You just need to assign permission to some people you want to view the information or make any changes.
3. 24/7 Accessibility
Cloud based CRM is accessible anytime you need it . This means that you do not need the computer of your office to access it, all you need to have is the Internet connection. So, you can view the data anytime and anywhere just by having the software access and internet accessible device, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
4. Affordability
Another benefit cloud based CRM for small business can bring is affordability of the software. In general, small businesses do not put a lot of money on one-off purchases, as they prefer smaller and regular payments. Cloud based CRM is beneficial for small businesses, as it operates on the pay-as-you-go model, which requires minimal upfront payment, which, of course, lowers the risk. Moreover, there are no additional payments, such as license fees. All you need to pay are fixed monthly fees.
5. Reliability of Operations
You probably get stressed when you imagine that the system you rely on may crash one day, don’t you? Especially if you have a small business, it can bring huge financial problems. However, it is the case with cloud based CRM. Just because all the parts of Cloud are backed up, such situations almost never occur. So, if something goes wrong and fails, the problem will be automatically solved and the system will not be disrupted.
6. Flexibility
Sometimes when adopting CRM systems, small businesses choose only those features and options that are suitable for their current needs and activities. However, as the company grows, it is likely that needs can be different, for instance, you may need more capacity, new features and solutions. Cloud based CRM has no problems here, as it can be immediately updated to satisfy all your needs.
7. Mobile Integration
Imagine that your salesman has 4-5 meetings with customers a day. In this case, how is he/she going to remember all the details and information relating each customer? To remember everything and show individual approach, he/she needs to write down all the notes. However with cloud based CRM, this is not a problem anymore, as mobile CRM apps are available. Employees will be able to do business faster and more intelligently.
Cloud based CRM for small business becomes a must nowadays, due to so many benefits. The 7 benefits mentioned above are the most important ones, but there are other ones as well. If you have some other benefits in your mind, please share them with us in the comments below.
