CRM tools help businesses recover from economic uncertainty of COVID-19

Michael Bornheim, principal consultant at iOCO.

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With COVID-19 and the resultant lockdown, South African industries, and the world at large, are in a very uncertain place. The closure of businesses and facilities has, as predicted, led to an economic backlash within many (if not all) industries. In order to succeed and overcome, it is imperative that organisations take hold of technological advances to aid in lead conversion and the boosting of sales and growth.

According to Michael Bornheim, Principal Consultant, iOCO: “The right customer relationship management (CRM) tool will increase efficiencies across the board for sales and service teams.”

Bornheim argues that CRM is one of the most effective tools to employ in these uncertain times. Businesses need to be adaptable as the economy re-establishes and many changes will have to be made. Technologies such as CRM allow businesses to sell from any location the way that they want to, and in a way that can accommodate their customers' needs.

Not all CRM software is created equal, but with the right CRM tool, businesses will be afforded the opportunity to boost productivity and sales in a flexible and sustainable way. CRM software also allows for a rapid filling up of the pipeline, by teaming sales up with marketing. The use of one unified, secure, AI powered platform that can integrate and connect anything allows for manageability, which streamlines the process. This is furthered by built-in intelligence, automatically capturing vital data needed, and the ability to plug-in thousands of sales apps and components.

The benefits of CRM software have also been seen in the areas of IT and administration. This has mainly been due to the ease with which new products and services can timeously and effortlessly be launched. “There is so much that CRM can offer for IT and admins. For instance, with iOCO’s Salesforce CRM, the Customer 360 Platform and best-in-class apps built on Salesforce Lightning accelerate the time to market,” continues Bornheim.

With benefits such as these, app development is simplified. This allows IT and admins to be able to easily and efficiently create new apps without using code. These apps can also be extended with partner-built components. This simplification is essential during a time when resources and time are limited. Further, end-user productivity is improved, which potentially bolsters sales.

According to a Forrester Report: The Total Economic Impact Of Salesforce Lightning: “Organisations reported that their Lightning experience deployment improved the end-user experience, reduced the time spent on administrative tasks, and increased end-user productivity. Organisations saw time savings for users who relied heavily on reporting and the dashboard capabilities of Salesforce. Users such as business sponsors decreased time spent on managing pipelines and creating reports and benefited from improved processes.”

This means that, in addition to benefiting sales and service teams, IT and admin, the right CRM tool will also benefit power users, enabling them to build transformation into their organisations’ DNA. “This is essential during this recovery period, while businesses will continuously be shifting, evolving and building,” concludes Bornheim.