Good CRM systems are the backbone of your customer relationship management process. They keep track of clients, leads, and follow ups, and allow business development and product specialists to organize feedback and grow consistently.
According to a recent report, 91% of companies with more than 11 employees use at least one CRM application in their day-to-day. But there’s also a substantial portion of companies that use more than one, and their ability to juggle multiple CRMs successfully is at the core of their business.
In this article, we’re going to talk about how to work with more than one CRM system with your company. You’ll learn what CRMs are, how to use them, and why it’s often relevant (and necessary) to have multiple operating simultaneously.
What Is a CRM Software?
A CRM system is a piece of software that’s designed to help you manage your customer relationships. You can use it to store information about your clients and customers, keep track of all their interactions with your business development team, and handle routine tasks like feedback and follow ups. A good CRM should be able to automate a lot of these processes, so they run smoothly without requiring too much effort from you.
Why Do You Need More Than One CRM?
Now that you know what a CRM is, let’s look at why you might need more than one.
Many companies only use the services of a single CRM company for their business, and never even consider using several different systems. At first glance, it can seem like a lot to take in.
But this isn’t always the best approach, because every software application has its strengths and weaknesses. Many applications are better suited to some tasks than others.
By using a combination of CRM systems, you can get the most out of each one. For example, some CRMs (like SalesForce) are better for sales teams, while others might focus on customer service or marketing. Choosing the right mix of software for your business to strategically cover different angles of operations allows you to build more efficient processes and improve performance across the board.
How To Set Up Your Business To Use More Than One CRM
Now let’s look at how you can configure your business so it runs smoothly while also allowing access to multiple CRMS:
1. The first thing you need is a way for employees to switch between CRM systems quickly. Task-switching is a known phenomenon in psychology whereby changing from one task to the next can yield heavy attentional deficits, so ensuring this process is smooth and simple is key.
For example, you could implement a simple menu at the top of your website that allows your employees to select which CRM they want to access. You can also use one or two-click login options to minimize switching costs – or have each employee assigned their specific CRM from the start, so it’s automatically logged in for them when they arrive.
2. You’ll need to figure out how all your different CRMs will communicate with each other. For example, you might choose to have one system send data about new clients and customers to another which keeps track of ongoing feedback.
3. If your CRM allows for it, try and set up several emails with forwarding addresses so each employee can receive and track messages sent by your different CRMs. For example, email notifications from Retention360 could go to an e-mail like firstname.lastname.retention360@yourdomain.com. This can help your staff manage organizational overload.
4. Ensure all your employees understand how the different systems work, what they’re used for and why you have a combination of them instead of just one or two. If they don’t know the reason why they need to switch CRMs, then it will be difficult for them to appreciate them effectively.
7. If you’re using more than one CRM for sales purposes, then make specific sales-related tasks and data only handled by the CRM directly connected to your payment system. For example, you might choose to use one system for recording invoices and another for feedback. Ensure the system involved in recording invoices is the one hooked up to your payment system, to avoid double charges or other deposit mistakes.
Conclusion
Having a multitude of CRMs can significantly improve the efficiency and performance of your business. These programs are designed to handle specific tasks in a way that simplifies and streamlines operations – plus, they almost always provide customizable options that let you tailor them to meet your specific business needs.
If this sounds like something your business could benefit from, speak with the Retention360 team about how best to integrate our software with your pre-existing CRM. Get better feedback, faster product iteration, and fantastic customer retention with our award winning software.
