Small businesses make up some of the most unstable business sectors, as they face competition from new start-ups, larger organisations and established businesses. It can be tough to make it big unless you have a unique selling point or clear brand identity.

That’s why you should strive to improve the quality of your customer service throughout the sales process so people are more likely to desire your product or service. If used properly, a customer relationship management (or CRM) system can help you keep track of customer details, streamline the sales process, and more.

With a CRM system, you can maintain a positive reputation with existing and potential customers by optimising your sales process and marketing much more easily. What’s more, you can improve the after-sale experience with flexible discount systems, regular notifications and customer support if necessary.

CRM systems are databases that can keep track of all relevant customer details (everything from contact details to past orders), revenue, purchase preferences and more. Storing all this data in an easy-to-manage system allows you to optimise customer interactions and support, make intelligent business decisions, anticipate stock demands, etc.

These systems are ideal for managing customer interactions, contact information, marketing automation, and more. By keeping all your data in one centralised system, accessible by your whole team (or a select few), you can streamline your business processes and simplify your life.

Furthermore, by keeping all this data in one system, you can analyse more aspects of your business and better understand all the processes linked to customer relationships. For example, CRM systems can record phone calls, store email conversations and more.

The most widely used CRM systems – like Microsoft Dynamics 365 – offer lots of customisability to suit a wide variety of business needs, meaning you can complement existing practices and make your business more efficient. Many CRM providers or after-market sellers offer a range of ready-built CRM systems to suit a variety of business models, from cash & carry businesses to surgeries, meaning that getting a CRM system could be easier than you ever imagined.

While traditional CRM systems focus on collating data from customer interactions (their purchases, data gathered from surveys/interaction, etc.) newer systems can monitor data from social media activity. By tracking quantifiable data – the number of retweets/shares, like/favourites and so on – these systems can help you create intelligent marketing strategies to spread awareness and drive sales on social media.

As more and more people use social media on a regular basis, Social Media Marketing (or SMM) is a powerful way to reach customers without the costs associated with traditional marketing methods. However, your ability to reach the millions of daily social media users will depend largely on your SMM strategy, helped by the data gathered through surveys and your CRM system.

As you may well know, information is only as useful as it is understandable. Most modern CRM systems include a ‘dashboard’ that allows users to quickly access the system’s features and overview of collected statistics, all while localising a wide variety of data in one database.

Users can customise this dashboard with specific views and filters to get the information they need right without searching for it. With a little help, you can have a database that is easy to use. Intuitive to navigate and full of the information you need to manage customer relationships and lead your business to even greater successes.

Managing a CRM system – especially for smaller businesses – isn’t especially hard. However, you might be unable to appoint someone to manage the system daily. In these scenarios, it’s best to seek outside assistance in managing your system, so that you’re not left high and dry when a technical issue inevitably rears its head.

When seeking CRM support, many IT companies offer technical support, ongoing system changes, and more. You should try to look for professionally accredited companies for help. And who could know your system better than the company that built it and/or sold it to you?

Cleartwo offer a wide variety of CRM systems, specialising in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and a bespoke PHP solution as well as aftercare and support options. As Microsoft Certified Partners, we can help you get the system you need with minimal fuss and expert aftercare to keep your business running smoothly.

If you want to implement a CRM system for the first time or alter an existing one, our CRM Implementation services will help you streamline your business. We offer various services to existing users and those just starting, so contact us to learn more, request a quote, or see how we can help you today.