Almost everyone in business has heard the term CRM, and chances are you have wondered if you need one. Well, here are 6 key reason why you should definitely implement a CRM into your business today!

1. Communication
   With a highly saturated market, no longer are business able to purely rely on them operating in a niche to drive sales. In fact, 3 out of 4 clients say they are willing to spend more money based purely on service. Stay front of mind with your clients with timely emails and phone calls. Are they a new or returning sale client, or engaging you for support? Keep front of mind for all your clients at all times.
2. Automation
   One of my favourites. How to get more done in less time. Automate your on-boarding, set re-engagement emails if no contact over set time and loads more. The options here are endless. Many businesses dont realise how much time is spent on manual tasks, and the associated labour costs with these. Imaging if you could save over 4 hours per week with a CRM system, and that person can then spend 4 hours bringing more business in the door!
3. Reporting & Analytics
   With a decent CRM implemented into your business, you will start getting some insightful analytics. You might find why clients might be leaving your business, or where most of your clients come from, therefore allowing you to capitilise on that information to drive business growth.
4. Optimize Marketing
   Group clients into different groups, and tailor your marketing to your clients at different stages of their journey. Send bonus offers to new sign ups. Get to know your regular clients, and tailor packages to suit them.
5. Internal collaboration
   Ever spoken to the same business twice, and had to explain your situation from start to finish. With internal notes, keep all staff up to date with your clients is easy. When someone calls, your team simply open their file and gets instantly updated on their status and any ongoing issues.
6. Improved organisational structure
   Separate your teams into different groups and know how they are performing, or where additional resources are required to perform.

So with those 6 points in mind, where do you start? There is certainly no shortage of CRM systems available. A simple google search will overload you with options and recommendations, so here are 2 of our favourite.

For those just starting out, check out the guys at HubSpot. A simple, but powerful little CRM to start your journey on increased client collaboration. And guess what, HubSpot’s starting plan is even free! Check out their pricing here https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/crm

It might not take long before you grow out of the free starting features of HubSpot, or you might already be beyond that initial startup size. In that case, OntraPort is the solution for you. This is an awesome, richly featured CRM platform that brings many features under the one banner. OntraPort even has a marketing platform built-in. No longer are you jumping between applications to stay in touch with your clients. Automate some processes using conditional logic and sit back and watch it all happen. OntraPort doesnt have a free plan like HubSpot so check out their pricing here to make sure it suits you.
Bit unsure? They offer full demo’s of their platform via remote webinar. Jump on one and have a look – OntraPort Demo.
Otherwise get in touch with us, and we can discuss the suitability and what is the best solution for your business. Contact us here and we can catch up for a coffee and discussion.
Remember, dont get too caught up with the upfront price of a CRM system, but weigh up the amount of time that will be saved with the automation tools.