How to choose a CRM? A dilemma that can take several days to resolve. As we all know, switching from one CRM to another consumes more energy than an 1800s apartment in winter. So it’s a good idea to choose the right one from the start.
All joking aside, the choice of CRM is crucial to saving time over the long term.
If you’ve come across this article and you’re not looking for your 1st CRM but your 2nd, stay! Because we’re going to discuss several CRMs for different company sizes. Let’s take a look at the main features that exist and that should help you choose the right CRM for you.
Define your needs in order to choose a CRM for you
A number of key features are common to all (or almost all) CRM brands, such as :
Appointment scheduling with synchronized calendar 📅
To organize your appointments with prospects (or customers), it’s essential to have access to your agenda management via CRM. In particular, to retrieve a link to your agenda to share with a prospect who wishes to make an appointment with you. This is synchronized with your Google Calendar, Outlook calendar or other, and updates your availability instantly.
Quote creation 📑
In B2B, as you know, the creation of quotations is almost indispensable. So if a CRM can take care of the quick formatting and almost automatic filling, we appreciate it! In B2C, you’ll need it to manage your transactions with your “indirect” customers (partnerships, etc.).
Invoice management 💶
Not easy to get, but a CRM that also manages your invoices, with pre-filling and payment tracking, is greatly appreciated. At best, find a CRM that connects well with your invoice software.
Invoice payment 💸
If your CRM can handle your payments, it’s also a banco! Very often, it will take care of your Stripe payments, for example, so that you don’t have to spend too much time checking payments at the end of each month.
Display of transactions in progress #pipeline 🗂
It would be hard to imagine a CRM without this feature. It’s all about displaying and managing your transactions. The format of this pipeline is often what makes you choose a CRM. In columns, in rows, both, with the data you want, customized or not.
Transaction statistics 📊
We call them reports. Your CRM can sometimes produce reports automatically based on certain data, such as :
- Time spent on each stage of your transactions
- Sales per transaction
- Number of meetings held per transaction
- Transformation rate per transaction stage
- etc.
A useful option is the ability to customize these reports.
But also underestimated needs...
Managing a telephone fleet 📱
Your CRM can be used to create telephone numbers in addition to your inbound and outbound call management. History included.
Lead scoring 🧮
In order to evaluate the importance of one lead in relation to another, scoring is possible through CRM. It is based on the order of importance of a lead’s criteria, such as its sector of activity, its history of activity with the company, etc.
Task tracking 📄
As its name suggests, this function enables you to create, manage and track tasks for a sales team, both for yourself and for a team from time to time.
Suggested e-mail templates 📧
In your CRM, you can access a library of e-mails to speed up your sales reminders.
Automation of commercial e-mails 📨
This functionality is sometimes difficult to achieve without linking your Marketing Automation (in other words, e-mailing) tool. Sometimes the CRM has its own Marketing Automation tool. Ultimately, this involves automating commercial e-mails to leads/prospects and/or customers.
Managing a chatbot on a website 💬
More and more of today’s websites feature a ChatBot.
What is a ChatBot? A messaging tool that is managed by a salesperson, a pre-sales person, or a founder at the start of his or her business. It’s the little message bubble at the bottom right or left of a website. Once clicked, it starts a discussion with the same person.
Are your needs clearer?
We hope we’ve helped!
Read also:
Comparatif CRM
Si comme nous, vous avez besoin de voir sous un tableau chacune de ces fonctionnalités face aux différents concurrents, voici notre version.
Dans ce tableau de comparaison, nous avons décidé de sélectionner qu’un certains nombre de CRM, avec notre sélection de fonctionnalités.
N’est pas compris dans la comparaison : les différences de prix, ainsi que la variance de ces derniers par le nombre de contacts autorisés dans la base de données lors de la prise d’un abonnement.
Pour certaines activités, il est parfois nécessaire de gérer un système de ticketing. Soit pour des tickets IT (informatiques), soit pour du service en générale. Les CRM sont parfois abilités à fournir ce service.
N’oubliez pas de vous poser également la question : aurez-vous besoin d’avoir accès à votre CRM en déplacement sur votre mobile ? et non sur ordinateur. Souvent dans le footer du site d’un CRM vous y verrez le logo ou non de l’application si elle existe.
A vous de choisir maintenant !
Lire aussi :
CRM & Marketing Automation | Les connexions API entre outils Marketing
