Nucleus research found that for every R16.50 a company spends using a CRM tool, it makes back R145.
Reason enough to consider a CRM for your South African small business.
What is a CRM?
A CRM is software that companies use as a way to store and access customer information easily, and for teams to manage and track customer relationships.
It aids employees in streamlining and automating sales and marketing workflows and enables businesses to draw insights about customer data.
The information in the CRM is available at any time, from any location, and it performs in real-time (if it’s in the cloud).
Image by CRM Org
The functionalities that are most useful to companies who use a CRM.
Do small businesses need a CRM?
Well, that depends.
If you have customers, you should store their details, even if it’s in a simple spreadsheet.
Why should you bother storing customer details? So that you can improve the customer experience and get an edge over your competitors.
Let’s consider a tax consultant.
Janet hears about X Company from a friend, and she makes an appointment with the company to have them help her with her annual tax submission. When the work is complete, X Company emails Janet to let her know. The end.
Or is it?
Well, for now, it could be. But in 11 and a half months' time, X Company should send Janet a message to say her next tax submission is due in 15 days. When Janet gets the message, she makes an appointment with X Company again.
But if X Company fails to keep a record of Janet, it is highly likely they will not retain Janet as a client. What a missed opportunity!
PS: the DataGrows Accounting CRM automates South African accounting tasks and deadlines so that bookkeepers, accountants, and auditors can “set and forget.” The system is there to remind you once the next deadline is near.
When is the right time to transition to a CRM system?
Ideally, every business would use a CRM from day one because the more data you have, the more difficult the transition will be from an Excel spreadsheet into a CRM software solution.
However, most business owners only start searching for solutions when their data gets out of hand or they begin missing opportunities. Here are indications of when to move to a CRM:
You struggle to keep up with the flow of leads and follow-ups.
You would like to access deeper customer insights to make better decisions.
It is difficult to find the data you’re looking for amidst messages, email, and sticky notes.
You are in a competitive industry and would like to have an edge over competitors.
You want to streamline or automate customer workflows or sales and marketing processes.
Your sales and marketing teams are not aligning with each other; they don’t access the same customer data.
Customers are getting frustrated with your response rate to their queries or complaints.
When manual tasks are taking up too much time.
What features to look for in a CRM
The features you need in a CRM depend on your industry and your particular business. But what any small business owner should look out for are these CRM features:
Easy to use.
Cloud-based (these CRMs are usually more suitable for small businesses than enterprise solutions).
Affordability.
Easy to integrate with the other software you already use.
If you are a South African small business, you may need South African-specific features. For example, a CRM built for South African accountants will provide more value if it offers SARS functionality such as appointment date reminders and the client’s SARS status. (The DataGrows Accounting CRM is created specifically for accountants and auditors in South Africa - take it for a free test trial to see if it’s right for your business.)
The final word
After discussing:
What a CRM is
Whether small businesses need a CRM tool
When is the right time to get more organised with customer data, and
What to look for when choosing a CRM,
You should now be able to answer for yourself whether it’s time to consider a CRM for your South African small business.
While 50% of sales managers say that CRMs are challenging to implement, The DataGrows Accounting CRM prides itself on giving personal service to clients and is built to simplify the accounting and auditing workflow.