3 reasons why CRM software is important for your sales teams (and your business)

Before understanding what CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is and how it can impact businesses, let’s look at life in sales without CRM software.

On a regular day, sales teams use a variety of tools like phone, spreadsheets, email, sticky notes, and the calendar. They’re all essential parts of the salesperson’s arsenal, no doubt. But when salespeople are using them, they need to switch from one tool to another—sometimes in the course of an important call.

This approach can get things done, but a sales rep’s productivity takes a beating when they’re constantly juggling multiple tools every day. Their focus shifts from thinking through calls and writing well-worded emails to making sure they’re not letting data slip through the gaps between all these tools.

This is where CRM software can be the difference.

At its core, CRM software is a database to store information about leads and deals. But it can offer in-built phone, integrated email, calendar, notes, and the ability to generate reports and automate tasks. It has everything a salesperson needs to take them through the day, and it gives them 3 things they don’t get when they’re switching between tools:

1. Context: A lead’s profile in CRM software typically contains their contact information, job title, the value of their deal, and even links to their social media profiles. Combine this with a record of every conversation they’ve ever had with your business, the notes you’ve made about them and the files you’ve shared with them, and you get a powerful tool high on contextual value. It’s easier for sales reps to connect the dots and read between the lines when all the information they need is on one screen.

2. Productivity: CRMs exist so sales reps don’t need to engage in data entry. Repetitive tasks (like creating a lead, sending welcome emails and changing a deal’s stage) can be automated. What’s better? Salespeople can define the conditions under which these tasks can be automated. For instance, rules can be configured so that every time someone signs up on your website, they pop up as a new lead in the CRM. No more opening a “You got a lead!” email, copying the details and transferring them into a database.

3. Real-time insights: By tracking leads’ responses to your emails and their activities on your website/in product, CRM software opens up a goldmine of real-time information. When a lead clicks through a link in your email and you receive an instant notification, you know you have an interested prospect who can be nudged further down the sales funnel. This inspires faster responses from sales teams and higher chances of conversion.

According to Nucleus Research, businesses can earn $8.71 for every dollar they spend on CRM. With the capabilities that CRM offers, you can imagine why that kind of an ROI is not impossible.