If you are looking for a hosted CRM solution, but are not sure about what features you should go for, then read on.
While the choice of CRM would depend on the varied requirements of an organization, there are a few standard features which would be a part of any offering. But what are the key sub-features that one should look out for in the standard features? What questions should one ask before selecting the right product? Below are the four key features that should help in the decision making process:-
1) Inbound traffic to Lead -- Imagine a customer visits your website, fills up the CTA form and leaves. Is this being captured by the CRM automatically and being classified as a Lead? With the increased focus on inbound marketing, this feature should be a critical component of any lead management system.
2) Campaign Management: Does the CRM offer seamless integration between the lead management system and the campaign management system? Does it track the success of the campaigns?
If not, or worse, if the campaign management system is not included as a standard feature, then the CRM is best left alone.
3) Customized Reporting: What would you rather look at to make informed business decisions - the standard reports that a software generates or a customized report which shows you what you need to see?
Does the CRM offers you the flexibility to generate reports that you want? If not, then its not worth your time.
4) Customer Contact/ Case Management: What are the after-sales features provided by the CRM?
When a customer writes an email, or calls the help-desk, is it automatically captured by the CRM? Does it trigger an automated response and assigns the case to a handler for follow up and closure? Does it have escalation rules that would ensure that proper attention is given to every customer query/complain/feedback?
The above features will free resources and time while at the same time make the business run better, easier and faster. While not an exhaustive list by any means, it should serve as a starting point to help decide which product to go for.
While the choice of CRM would depend on the varied requirements of an organization, there are a few standard features which would be a part of any offering. But what are the key sub-features that one should look out for in the standard features? What questions should one ask before selecting the right product? Below are the four key features that should help in the decision making process:-
1) Inbound traffic to Lead -- Imagine a customer visits your website, fills up the CTA form and leaves. Is this being captured by the CRM automatically and being classified as a Lead? With the increased focus on inbound marketing, this feature should be a critical component of any lead management system.
2) Campaign Management: Does the CRM offer seamless integration between the lead management system and the campaign management system? Does it track the success of the campaigns?
If not, or worse, if the campaign management system is not included as a standard feature, then the CRM is best left alone.
3) Customized Reporting: What would you rather look at to make informed business decisions - the standard reports that a software generates or a customized report which shows you what you need to see?
Does the CRM offers you the flexibility to generate reports that you want? If not, then its not worth your time.
4) Customer Contact/ Case Management: What are the after-sales features provided by the CRM?
When a customer writes an email, or calls the help-desk, is it automatically captured by the CRM? Does it trigger an automated response and assigns the case to a handler for follow up and closure? Does it have escalation rules that would ensure that proper attention is given to every customer query/complain/feedback?
The above features will free resources and time while at the same time make the business run better, easier and faster. While not an exhaustive list by any means, it should serve as a starting point to help decide which product to go for.
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