Intro

Every business has an invisible hero who only comes to mind when you want to know how to increase sales or get your customer base in order. We are talking about CRM. This tool is a bit like the Swiss knife or multi-tool that almost everyone has in their car, because it does similar things: it does all the hard work. In the case of business, CRM does the following:

• Holds a database of customers and sales;
• Keeps track of potential customers;
• Helps structure and manage disparate information more efficiently;
• Provides valuable analysis for further action;
• It is a starting point for marketing campaigns.

It would seem that CRM does everything possible for business prosperity. But does it really do everything? Is it possible to measure the ROI to ensure that the CRM investment was not in vain? Or are there specific ways to increase ROI? Yes, there are certain ways to maximize your CRM ROI. To do this, let’s go through this CRM guidance.

CRM ROI for Small Businesses: Knowing the Essentials

The first thing to say is that the market for CRM software is growing, proving once again that this is a system that businesses want and meets business needs. 

Customer relationship management (CRM) software market revenues worldwide from 2015 to 2026 (in million U.S. dollars)

Source: Statista

The data is even more impressive when we look at AI and CRM automation statistics:

Source: Fit Small Business

After all, the goal of any business is to make money and increase profits, right? And CRM is a tool to help you do that. But are you sure you’re using CRM to maximize your profits?

To answer the question of CRM ROI, consider the following.

Increased number of sales 

Ideally, an effective CRM will lead to an increase in the number of potential deals and actual sales, and the whole process will be automated, meaning that your intervention will be minimal. Is this the case in your organization?

Customers come back and recommend you to others

The beauty of a good CRM structure is that you always have customer data at your fingertips, which you can use to communicate with them in a personalised way. All of this leads to an improved customer experience, which means more customers, more purchases and more positive referrals. If you don’t already have an effective CRM system in place, read this blog article to find out how you can get your small business up and running with the right software as soon as possible.

Reduced lead-to-sale time

With automated lead chains, it’ll take less time to close each deal and you’ll turn a profit faster. If that’s the case for your small business, it’s a good thing. 

Your staff are more productive

This is because they will spend less time searching for and organising information about your customers. In addition, marketing campaigns to acquire new customers, expand markets and increase profits through marketing are faster and easier because CRM automates key functions.

Reduced operating costs

And of course, with the right CRM, you can reduce operational costs, which in one way or another will add to the profitability of both the tool itself and the business as a whole. So how exactly can you reduce operational costs? Let’s take a look:

1. With CRM, you no longer need to spend valuable time manually entering customer and sales data. 
2. You also don’t need to appoint separate, valuable specialists to spend their time setting up sales funnels or advertising campaigns. 
3. Everything that used to require human intervention and time is now done with the help of tech tools that increase productivity and security in the business environment. As a result, you get results faster and processes are automated, reducing the risk of costly mistakes.

Last but not least. Although modern CRM systems are quite powerful and have many features, small businesses often use only a few of them, leaving out others that are more difficult to understand or master. And that is the secret to CRM profitability: it should be used in its entirety, not just in part. So let’s take a closer look at how you can increase the ROI of your CRM system. 

How to maximize ROI of your CRM: Best Practices for Small Businesses

We could start a cherry-picking exercise right now to convince you how simple and easy it is to increase CRM profitability. All you need is a really good tool and specialist support. But it’s not that simple. 

Maximising CRM ROI is not a walk in the park; it is a complex process that requires your time and attention, at least initially. Plus, statistics show that the average CRM ROI is $8.71 for every $1 spent. That’s a lot to think about, isn’t it?

However, if you consider these CRM best practices, you’ll get the results you want faster and with less effort. So, what can you do to maximize ROI on your CRM investment?

Choose the CRM that’s right for you

Let’s say you don’t have a good CRM. Where can you get one? Check out the options available on the CRM market, and learn about their features, functionality, cost and feedback from other users. The best way to equip your small business with the right technology is to create a bespoke CRM that includes only the features that will strengthen your business and meet its goals, needs and industry specifics. Our advice is not to spend money on a bunch of features, but to focus on what you need to do in the first place. If you’re focused on effective promotions, sales, delivery tracking or personalised customer interaction, this will affect the availability of certain modules and features in your CRM. Take this into account when choosing a specific system.

Train your people to use CRM to maximize ROI

At first glance, a CRM may seem pretty darn easy to use, but the more you delve into its configuration, the more you get out of it. Talk to any experienced professional who has worked with a particular tool for years and they will tell you about very non-obvious ways to maximise the benefits of that tool by combining seemingly incompatible options. It’s the same with CRM – you have to work with the system constantly to get the most out of it. We recommend that you assign some of your staff to learn how to work with effective CRM so that they understand the intricacies of the system as much as possible. In the future, they will be able to teach you as a manager and your colleagues how to handle the system. 

Make sure all departments are on the same page

Yes, it’s a good idea to have a few people in your team who are well versed in the system and can provide CRM guidance to their colleagues. At the same time, you need to make sure that every department – marketing, sales, customer service, HR, finance – uses CRM seamlessly so that everyone can improve their work with the tool. Additionally, when the entire organisation is using a single tool and has equal access to the data that impacts performance, it unites and helps everyone stay on the same page. 

Align your big business goals with CRM operations

One thing is important to understand: CRM cannot operate separately from your business. It’s an extension of your business, an organic part of it, so set it up to help you achieve your business goals. 

Need to increase sales? This is a good and obvious place to start. Think about which of the existing features in your CRM can help you do this. Or there may be an opportunity to add additional options – ask your CRM vendor about this. 

Need to identify regular/new/special customers? Great idea! Use detailed segmentation in your CRM to further personalise and target specific customer categories and increase productivity. 

Want to expand the coverage of your advertising campaign? Set up your CRM to create an attractive landing page, equipped with compelling CTAs and more. 

So start by clarifying your business goals and then set up your effective CRM accordingly. We’re sure you align your goals during the onboarding process for new employees. So why not do the same when it comes to using technology to improve your workflow?

Harness the power of data

Your CRM probably has powerful analysis and reporting capabilities. Make the most of them. For example, you can regularly analyse data to gain insights into customer behaviour, track sales performance and generally measure the effectiveness of your marketing activities. You’ll need these statistics to make informed, data-driven decisions for more profitable strategies in the future.

Analytics should be the first step in any upcoming marketing campaign or customer interaction. To do this, set up a dashboard to highlight the metrics that are most important to track:

• KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
• Number of sales over a period of time
• Profitability of specific campaigns
• Number of new customers 
• Customer churn rate
• Customers through the referral system, etc.

Analytics and accurate data are the key to profitability. 

Go beyond basic CRM settings

This CRM guidance is here to remind you that this tool usually comes with minimal default settings, so you’ll have to change them or start from scratch and customise the system to suit your interests. 

We know that there is often resistance to implementing new tools because of the risk of making mistakes or wasting time. But if you’re using CRM as a database, you shouldn’t expect to increase the profitability of that system. Conversely, if you want to get the most out of it, you need to add advanced functionality. This includes third party integration. For example, if you use shipping management software, it makes sense to combine the two systems to eliminate any gaps in processes and data, and generally to synchronise, automate and speed up the actions of your specialists and business processes. 

Conclusion

Technology is a tool, not a holistic solution to business challenges. However, if used correctly, you can get the most out of any technology, especially one as powerful as CRM. The only thing standing between you and a profitable CRM is getting it right. We’ve just told you about CRM best practices to make this software effective, so you can start using them as soon as possible. If you don’t yet have a CRM or are considering implementing a completely new system, you’ve got all the cards in your hand – you know what to look for when choosing a CRM and that you should start by training your people to use it.

Best wishes for a great return on your CRM investment.