Never was the phrase 'rubbish in, rubbish out', more true than in the context of CRM data. Unreliable information destroys user confidence and significantly reduces the value of CRM to the business. Ultimately, if nothing is done to correct it, the CRM will fall out of use completely and be deemed a 'failure'.

We've seen many instances of this over the years, with some businesses even looking to replace the whole CRM when, in fact, sorting the data out and getting CRM back on track is a much simpler job than many think.

Prevention is better than cure as they say, so if you are the owner of a shiny new Sage CRM system, (or one that has recently been cleaned), there are many things that you can do to prevent the data getting into a mess. These include:

  • Establishing deduplication rules to check that new data being entered does not repeat what is already there.
  • Defining mandatory fields so that users have to enter a minimum amount of required information.
  • Controlling the content type and format of data entered with field level scripts
  • Using Address validation tools to auto populate records.

If you have an established system that is in need of data cleaning this can be a straightforward job. Sage CRM has a number of built-in tools that can both clean the data and, if run on a regular basis, help to maintain the quality of the information. These can, however, only go so far and if a CRM has a long history of poor data management then some more radical surgery may be required.

Loria has an excellent track record of carrying out data cleaning exercises on large and small databases. Whilst there will always be some input required from the owner of the data to oversee the process and rule on deletions and merges, we have many established routines that will minimise the manual effort required.

So, before you throw in the towel completely, please give us a call on 0845 434 8977.


“CRM alone will not resolve all organisational ills. However, the organisations that implement CRM have shown improved results in key metrics impacting both customer and organisational profitability.”

These were the finding from a study commissioned by the Aberdeen Group who looked at customer care levels when a CRM system was installed (versus no system). They found that Customer Care agents benefit from having a CRM tool at their disposal.
As seen in the chart below, agent utilisation more than doubles when they have a CRM system in use compared to when they do not (56% vs. 23%). Similarly, agent productivity is drastically higher when they are able to utilise a CRM platform as opposed to when one is not available (48% vs. 32%). Additionally, using CRM leads to much higher client retention rates compared to not using CRM at all (47% vs. 37%).


Customer Care in CRM

Customer Care in CRM

Source: Aberdeen Group

 

A CRM system transforms the client service agent into a more productive, proactive, and knowledgeable agent. Therefore, the agent’s response times, quality of advice, and overall delivery and demeanour improve to transform and enhance the customer experience. Likewise, the agent finds it easier and more convenient to do his job with the help of CRM because data is centralised, readily available, and real-time. Thus, the client contacting the Customer Care division finds it quicker, easier, and more convenient to contact the firm. Since it is no longer a hassle, and surprisingly pleasant, the client becomes more satisfied and loyal. In the end, the client is less likely to leave and the use of CRM helps client retention shoot through the roof.

Aberdeen is not done there, though. They go on to highlight in the following chart how using CRM leads to positive returns on a year over year basis for the metrics of average margin per client, cross-sell and up-sell revenue, and first contact resolution. On the other hand, firms not using CRM experience negative or flat results for the same year over year KPIs.

Organisations who are either slowly struggling or refusing to use CRM are definitely lagging top performers that already are successfully using CRM.

Customer Care in CRM

Customer Care in CRM
Source: Aberdeen Group

If your organisation is clamouring to provide your customer service agents and field sales executives with more insight and visibility into your client, prospect, and partner relationships take a look at CRM. As a leading Sage CRM Developer, Loria Consulting can assist you in syncing your CRM system with your sales and operational processes to better align your products and services with your customers’ needs and differentiate yourselves from the competition.

We have recently completed yet another SalesForce.com to Sage CRM migration project and as a result we now have a vast library of routines which can be reused on future migrations.

Whilst we are not offering a packaged product, we can provide a reliable and cost-effective solution for those wishing to migrate their data from SalesForce.com to Sage CRM.

Our routines are already built to handle all of the standard SalesForce.com objects such as Accounts, Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, Cases and Activities/History.  With some simple additions we can also include any custom objects which may have been created in a customised SalesForce.com system.  Documents and attachments are also covered - our routines push these straight into the standard Sage CRM document library with links to the appropriate record.

If you are planning or considering migrating from SalesForce.com to Sage CRM, we can help - contact us to discuss your requirements in more detail.

 

CRM is often misunderstood as an application or a tool, but in the real sense of the term it is a way of doing business.

There can be innumerable reasons for businesses to implement CRM. However, let's take a look at few of the most apparent benefits of using CRM.

  • 360 degree view of business
  • Organisational-level data sharing
  • Reduce cost on customer acquisition
  • Centralised customer interaction
  • Improved customer support
  • Increase customer satisfaction
  • High rate of customer retention
  • Boost new business
  • Increase revenue at low cost

Thus CRM is becoming increasingly important among businesses. With an ever increasing customer expectation there is a need for organizations to adopt new business services and strategies - CRM provides this versatility in enhancing sales, customer support and success in business.

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