2 min read
For the last 20+ years, sales teams across the world shared one powerful technology in common, the customer relationship management software, or CRM. Traditionally, this CRM database that tracked relationships, set follow-up reminders and mapped the sales pipeline was accessed from a desktop computer. As computing power increased, so did the CRMs, growing into powerful, software systems rich with features capable of optimizing the sales funnel and giving management valuable analytical statistics of what’s happening in the field.
Despite its value, the desktop CRM has one major flaw; it’s stuck inside the office.
Once in the field, the sales rep is disconnected from the wealth of information stored inside the desktop CRM. As sales reps increasingly need to be in the field in front of their clients and prospects, they need immediate access to the data from their CRM in order to maximize their effectiveness. Fortunately, the industry has taken note and a mobile-first CRM solutions, such as ForceManager, are available to maximize your sales team’s production.
A sales team with a mobile CRM not only provides flexibility and autonomy, but it’s also a proven way to increase sales, boost productivity and generate more revenue from existing clients. Here are 5 benefits of using a mobile CRM on your sales team:
First and foremost, a mobile CRM will increase sales. Giving your sales rep immediate access to their account history, product information, pricing and promotional materials while they’re in the field will help them close more deals and increase the overall deal value. By placing all of the necessary information on their phones, sales reps don’t waste time looking up contact information or sifting through notes to remember their last meeting or conversation with a prospect. This removes the clutter and opens the door for creating genuine relationships and ultimately closing more deals.
The mobile CRM makes it faster to collect valuable information as well. As a manager, the CRM delivers insight into what is happening in the field and how to best allocate resources. By allowing sales reps to use the CRM in the field to update contacts, input notes, request information or submit a proposal, management will always have access to the latest customer data, thus increasing the return on the CRM investment.
Using a mobile CRM opens the floodgates for maximizing productivity by utilizing core technologies on smartphones and tablets. For sales reps, having your calendar and contact applications integrated into the CRM can be an enormous time-saver. If there’s an upcoming meeting, the sales rep not only receives an alert to his smartphone, but also sees the contact information and recent notes for the prospect without having to navigate separate applications. Furthermore, by viewing your weekly agenda in a map-layout, sales reps can optimize their route planning and make more client touches than otherwise possible.
Because ForceManager’s mobile CRM solution syncs information across all mobile devices and operating systems, your company can freely allow your sales team to use whichever mobile device they prefer in the field. Technology will continue to evolve faster than the enterprise can keep pace with so why fight the trend and insist on your employees using outdated mobile devices? Instead, adopt a mobile CRM that works seamlessly across all devices and platforms, including wearables which is becoming a new trend in sales CRM technology.
Sales and customer service are often mentioned in the same breath, and for good reason. Closing the sale is not the finish line. The main goal is to acquire lifetime customers that are consistently impressed by the level of customer service, value and commitment your organization offers them. Therefore, it’s critical that sales and customer service are aligned and have access to the same up-to-date information. By adopting a mobile sales CRM, your organization will become incredibly fast at finding, communicating and responding to questions, complaints and potential problems facing your current and future clients.
In 2015, having a mobile CRM is no longer optional. It’s mandatory. With a mobile CRM your business becomes more connected, your sales team is more effective and management is more efficient in allocating resources. In short, a mobile CRM will increase your sales team’s productivity and revenue, and they’ll be happier because they won’t be wasting time in the office with data entry when they could be out closing more deals.
