What is CRM?

CRM stands for client relationship management. It includes all the strategies, tools, and processes of a business that are utilized to manage client relationships. A CRM system allows you to electronically file and keep track of all your important client communications so that your clients become the core of your business.

We recently came across an article outlining the top 5 CRM trends for 2016. After reviewing the 2016 CRM trends, we decided to put Sage CRM to the test. Here is what we discovered:

First Trend: Content

The article highlights that consumers’ demands for in-depth information is ever-increasing, while their patience is steadily decreasing.

To keep up with the changing market needs, “marketers are creating shareable content and microsites to highlight products and promotions, but also deliver targeted messages around topics relevant to the buying stages (information at the prospect stage and offers at later stages).”

How does Sage CRM help businesses to deliver content across different platforms? Sage CRM integrates with Mailchimp and Sage E-Marketing – filing and tracking all your communications.

You get access to e-marketing templates, smart-sending features, automated drip marketing campaigns and tracking capabilities from within Sage CRM.

Sage CRM also allows you to extend conversations and collaborate with prospects and customers across multiple social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.)

Questions: How are you leveraging technology for your content marketing campaigns? Are you using social media and e-marketing solutions? Are they integrated with your CRM system?

How Does Sage CRM Perform Against Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016 (Download pdf)

Second Trend: Geo-Location 

This 2016 CRM trend highlights how retailers “use mobile phone signals to track customer movements around and within a store. Retailers can even identify repeat shoppers and keep a record of their in-store behavior.”

While Sage CRM doesn’t have this capability yet, it does have a mapping add-on feature that allows you to plot your location and view other companies, opportunities and cases that are located in your vicinity.

The Sage CRM mapping add-on feature is powered by OpenStreetMap (free Wiki World Map). So you can plan your sales visits more efficiently.

Questions: To what extent are you using geo-location targeting at your business? Are these capabilities integrated into your CRM system?

How Does Sage CRM Perform Against Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016 (Download pdf)

Trend Three: Service and Customer Experience

Research company McKinsey reported that seventy percent of a customer’s buying experience is based on how the customer feels they are treated. With access to so much information online, customers now have more choices and are becoming increasingly frugal. This leads to them demanding more. How does CRM fit into this trend? A positive customer experience across all your company touch points may be the key.

Are you leveraging technology to develop an infrastructure that allows for knowledge sharing? The article states that “smart organizations will streamline, hide, or eliminate the transactional parts of the customer experience.”

Let’s see how Sage CRM can improve your customer service department:

1. Sage CRM provides your customer service team with the facility to record customer inquiries/incidents that need to be followed up.

2. If a case is not followed up within the time allocated, it can automatically trigger an escalation procedure to inform your customer service manager, ensuring that customer cases are attended to promptly and issues are not overlooked.

3. Users can also create a company dashboard for specific key accounts, enabling better customer service. The interactive dashboard allows your customer service team to monitor customer cases from within the CRM.

Discover more customer service benefits with Sage CRM.

Let’s see how Sage CRM can enrich your customers’ experience

1. Sage CRM offers a web self-service module that allows you to give your customers, partners, and suppliers access to a subset of your Sage CRM data and functionality over the web. This capability can be fully integrated within your website, ensuring that your customers benefit from an entirely seamless experience.

2. With Sage CRM you can quickly generate sales proposals and quotes using predefined templates.

How Does Sage CRM Perform Against Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016 (Download pdf)

Trend Four: Personalization and Customization

Companies are determined to know more about their customers, and they use that information to “talk, engage and interact with their customers more often and more meaningfully in new and innovative ways (including mobile, dynamic content, apps, blogs, social). Static web sites are no longer enough, they need to be social, inspirational, and personal.”

How is Sage CRM making personalization and customization more effective for your business? With Sage CRM you can:

• Send targeted campaigns to customers and prospects.

•  Use drip marketing capabilities with Sage CRM marketing automation to communicate with your clients and prospects.

• Review email metrics and revise your campaign as needed.

• View and manage your Twitter feeds (post or reply to a tweet) from within CRM.

• Gain better customer insights from Facebook without leaving Sage CRM.

• If Sage CRM is integrated with your Sage ERP, your marketing team can access more information on your customer base and promote products that match your customers’ buying history.

Discover the personalization and customization abilities of Sage CRM further.

How Does Sage CRM Perform Against Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016 (Download pdf)

Trend Five: Omni-channel

Omni-channel refers to a business model that spans across several channels (physical locations, FAQ web pages, social media, live web chats, mobile apps and telephone communication) to advance the customer experience.

“Companies that understand that the brand’s offline dynamism needs to be recreated online…will be the companies that survive and prosper.”

How is Sage CRM helping businesses develop a well-rounded omni-channel presence online?

•  With its strong social CRM capabilities, Sage CRM allows you to build customer retention and gain customer insight.

• By making your daily social media activity an integrated part of a CRM system, you can enable your sales, marketing, and customer service teams to become more customer-centric and communications focused. And you can begin to unlock market insight that drives a competitive advantage.

• With Sage CRM you can also identify how online conversations are affecting your brand.

Sage CRM proves to be a strong player

ISM Inc., Customer-Centric Strategic Advisors recently selected Sage CRM 7.3/Sage CRM Cloud as a Top 15 CRM Small and Medium Business Software Award winner for 2015/16.  Sage CRM also won the InfoTech Vendor Landscape award for best overall value. After reviewing the CRM trends for 2016, and seeing the industry recognition for Sage CRM, we believe that Sage CRM is a strong player in the CRM market.

Get Started

How are you using CRM at your business? Contact Front Line Systems to discuss how you can improve your existing CRM business processes. Schedule your Sage CRM demo here. Contact Front Line Systems at 866-435-0243. We look forward to talking to you.

Download blog article: How Does Sage CRM Perform Against Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016

Article Sources: SageCRM.com and CRMTrends.com 

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About Front Line Systems

Front Line Systems is an ERP Consulting Firm with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are dedicated to helping businesses solve their accounting, manufacturing and warehouse concerns. We believe that your business has an amazing capacity for innovation and growth, and that technology can help you realize that capacity.

Front Line Systems is a technology partner that solves problems and creates solutions for the life of your business. We provide CRM software implementation, support and consulting services in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Connecticut (New England) and serve clients across the US. Contact Front Line Systems at 866-435-0243 or visit us online at www.flsinc.net. We look forward to serving you.