Running your sales and marketing efforts with automation is a given these days. In choosing the best CRM for sales and marketing automation, what should you be looking for? Here are some tips on how you can find a sales and marketing automation solution that acts in true support of your sales and marketing initiatives.
To get the most out of automation in sales and marketing, look for a CRM that:
Gives you a 360-degree view of the entire business.
Managing customer relations requires a comprehensive approach. Gone are the days of considering customer touchpoints only when they are in scope of your sales and marketing teams. Every touchpoint, from production to follow-up, should be considered and accessible in your CRM solution.
Empowers your customers.
Customers expect to be part of the process these days, thanks to tech and IoT devices. Make sure to keep an eye out for CRMs that engage customers through online portals so that they feel engaged, acknowledged, and supported.
Supports a team approach to sales and service.
Teamwork in sales and marketing doesn’t start and stop in those departments alone. A high-grade CRM will allow every member of your team to act in support of sales and marketing by unifying data and supplying access to everyone.
Plays well with others.
If there is a buzzword that matters more than others when it comes to software solutions, it’s “integration.” Standalone products, which don’t play well with others bring limited value, creating siloed data and processes from one department to the next.
Seen through the lens of selecting a CRM for sales and marketing automation, this encourages buyers to choose a solution which focuses on unification and does not work independently of your other solutions. The best CRM options will help you achieve seamless integration with Outlook, Salesforce, and more.
Facilitates real-time response to customers.
Your customers expect answers now, not hours or days down the road. Solid CRM solutions all should offer support for fast communication with customers, while also supplying the real-time data you need to answer customer questions accurately.
Delivers embedded artificial intelligence and machine learning.
AI and ML work in partnership in quality CRM solutions to deliver big on analytics. Any solution that doesn’t take advantage of these advancements is behind the times.
A CRM that is part of an ERP solution, such as Acumatica, is one of the best and most actionable answers to all the above. With a unified ERP and CRM, companies can make sure every department is working as one and making customer-related business decisions based on the same data. Companies can also visualize real-time campaign activity more easily and align that activity more precisely with revenue targets, empowering sales with the tools they need to close deals faster.
If you would like to learn more about Acumatica and its integrated CRM module, contact us right away. Your sales and marketing efforts demand automation, and few solutions can outperform joint ERP and CRM solutions such as Acumatica.
