What are the Best CRM Systems for Your Business?

As a business owner, you need to do everything within your power to understand your customers. You need to know what they want from an online experience, and what marketing techniques are likely to work for them. The more you know, the more tailored and effective your marketing campaigns will be. This is where CRM systems come in. With a CRM system, you can better manage and optimise your customer interactions.

What is a CRM System?

CRM, which stands for Customer Relationship Management, is a system that helps businesses to manage and analyse customer interactions. There are a range of systems to choose from – some of which we have detailed below – and they all share a common goal, to help a business improve relationships with existing and potential customers. By doing so, customer satisfaction is increased and a business has a better chance at being profitable.

One of the great things about CRMs is that they are versatile, meaning that they are beneficial to businesses in various industries and fields. The majority of businesses that use CRMs are those that rely on good customer relationships, such as retail businesses and e-commerce stores. CRMs are also helpful to businesses that provide services, such as banks and insurance companies.

With a CRM system, it’s a lot easier for a business to understand what customers want. With this insight, interactions can be personalised and changes can be made, all in the hope of improving customer retention and loyalty.

Why is a Good CRM Important?

A good CRM is important because it helps your business to maintain strong relationships with your customers. By looking at customer data – such as interactions and preferences – a CRM can help you to improve your customer service, catering everything to their unique needs and requirements. Not only does this boost customer satisfaction, but it increases the chances of a customer returning to your business in the future. There are a lot of competitor businesses out there, so using a CRM to personalise your offerings can help you to stand out for the right reasons.

A good CRM will be able to provide you with valuable insights into customer behaviour and where your leads come from. Using this information, you can identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling, and prioritise valuable leads. Plus, with a better idea of what your customers want, you increase the chances of a lead turning into a sale, which boosts revenue.

What are the Best CRMs?

There are a wide range of CRMs to choose from, but here are four of the most popular.

HubSpot

One of the most well known CRMs is HubSpot, and it’s the ‘go to’ choice for a lot of big businesses. The advantage of HubSpot is that it’s an all-in-one platform, including sales, marketing, CMS, CRM and operations. It’s a choice worth considering if your business needs a lot of things taken care of, and you want it to all be handled in one place. However, HubSpot is expensive, and you could be locked into an annual contract. This is why it tends to be popular amongst large, established businesses with a significant budget.

Salesforce

Salesforce is another popular CRM system, meaning that it’s very easy to find help and support. Regardless of the problem that you are facing, it shouldn’t take you long to find a solution online. It’s also a very flexible CRM, and it can be tailored in a way that works for your business. Like HubSpot, Salesforce is not solely a CRM system, and it can also be used as a content management system. On the other hand, Salesforce can be complex to begin with, and you will have to spend some time familiarising yourself with how it works. It’s also one of the more expensive options.

Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is another CRM that a lot of businesses use and it’s easy to see why. As Microsoft Dynamics pulls data from several sources into one place, it provides a good overview of customer management, analytics and interactions. It’s also one of the easier CRMs to integrate, and you shouldn’t struggle to align some of the features with your other systems. Again, like HubSpot and Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics is costly and it’s not the most budget-friendly CRM out there. Getting to know Microsoft Dynamics can be a steep learning curve, especially if you are relatively new to the system.

Zoho

Zoho might not be as well known as the likes of HubSpot and Salesforce, but it’s a CRM system that a lot of businesses end up choosing. This is because it’s a lot more affordable than many of the other options, and it works well for businesses with a somewhat limited budget. You can enjoy the benefits and features of a CRM system, without breaking the bank. Zoho is also relatively easy to use, and it shouldn’t take you long to pick up how everything works. There is also a handy mobile app, allowing you to make the most of Zoho from wherever you are. One of the downsides of Zoho is that it’s limited in some ways, and it doesn’t offer quite as much as the larger, more expensive CRMS. It also lacks integration for free plans, which might mean that you need to upgrade your account to really make the most of it.

At Profici, we provide a wide range of digital marketing services, and this includes making sure you are able to manage your customer interactions well. Building long-lasting and profitable relationships with your customers is key, as is customer satisfaction. This is why all of our digital marketing services are tailored to your business, your customers and your individual needs. To find out more about who we are and what we do, get in touch.