If you’re a small business owner, you probably aren’t sure where to start. There are several types of CRM for small businesses, including cloud-based CRMs, in-house solutions, chatbots, and inexpensive products. Here are some things to consider before making the purchase. Read on to learn more about these different types of CRM.
Listed below are some of the most common types of CRM for small businesses. Whether you need to manage customer data, track sales, or implement a sales pipeline, this article will cover the basics of CRM for small business.
Inexpensive CRM Products
If you need a CRM for your small business but are on a budget, you can look at inexpensive CRM products. These programs typically charge $10 to $15 per user per month and don’t require in-house tech support. They’re also a great choice if you need a quick solution without a high price tag. Another advantage of these programs is that they don’t typically cap the number of records you can keep.
If you’re on a budget, Bitrix24 is an excellent option. This inexpensive CRM is fully-featured, with enough features to power several CRMs. Most of the features are organized in a left-hand column, and you can hide or customize the ones you don’t use. You can set up pipelines, fields, and integrations by clicking on the “CRM” icon.
Cloud-based CRMs
A cloud-based CRM for small business lets you work from anywhere. The data is stored on servers outside your company, so your employees can access the system from anywhere. Cloud-based CRMs are flexible and easy to scale up and down as your business grows. They can be accessed from a computer with Internet access. Weigh the benefits and consider your decision carefully.
The benefits of cloud-based CRM software are many. For one, it requires no physical space for servers or storage of sales data. Another advantage is its affordability. The vendors generally charge you on a subscription basis, which means you can pay on a yearly, monthly, or quarterly basis. This makes it easy for small businesses to plan their finances and change providers easily. This also makes switching from one cloud-based CRM to another easy.
Sales Pipelines
In a sales environment, sales pipelines can be a great way to track the progress of individual sales reps and the overall company. Pipeline stages can be customized to suit the sales strategy and process of your team. For instance, your sales pipeline might include different stages based on the size of your client list or the complexity of your company’s product and service offering.
Pipedrive’s user interface is so intuitive that you may not even realize you’re using CRM for small business software. You’ll be able to see your pipeline stage by stage, and you can add and remove stages to suit your own unique sales process. Pipedrive has a built-in statistics tool to let you know how your pipeline is performing.
Chatbots
Companies are realizing the benefits of using chatbots to enhance customer service. Conversational robots can handle basic questions and deliver information on any platform or device. This enables companies to extend their reach with real-time 24/7 translation features. And since customers expect to receive immediate answers, chatbots are a smart choice for businesses of all sizes.
While chatbots are increasingly popular in customer service, there are still some limitations. Although bots are designed to answer common questions and handle basic issues, they can’t take on every customer issue. They can, however, resolve basic problems and free up agents to focus on high-value, meaningful support.
Customer Experience Management
In the competitive world we live in, customer experience is more important than ever. With over 40 percent of consumers citing poor customer service as the reason for not doing business with a company, it is imperative that small businesses focus on improving the customer experience and creating an exceptional brand. CRMs for small business can help companies achieve this goal. However, they must be used appropriately.
A comprehensive CRM for small business should also incorporate customer experience management. The right software should provide insights on the customer experience. Customer satisfaction surveys and Net Promoter Score are two of the tools available to businesses. Social media data is also valuable in gaining insight on customers’ experiences.
