Sage CRM Consultant Reviews Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016 Part 1

Sage CRM Consultant Reviews 5 CRM Trends in 2016

As Sage CRM consultants, our CRM experts talk to many businesses who are considering Sage CRM among other CRM options. In this blog article we present the top 5 CRM trends in 2016 that we came across and a review of how Sage CRM stacks up. We believe this article will help you in your research to determine which CRM option will be the best fit for your business.

First of all, let’s cover the basics on what is CRM? CRM (client relationship management) is an integrated system that includes all the strategies, tools, and processes of a business that are utilized to manage client relationships. A CRM system allows you to electronically file and keep track of all your important client communications so that your clients become the core of your business.

So, how does Sage CRM stack up to the top 5 CRM trends for 2016 outlined in this article? Here is what our Sage CRM consultants discovered:

Sage CRM and 2016’s Top 5 CRM Trends

1. Content

The article highlights that consumers’ demands for in-depth information is ever-increasing, while their patience is steadily decreasing.

To keep up with the changing market needs, “marketers are creating shareable content and microsites to highlight products and promotions, but also deliver targeted messages around topics relevant to the buying stages (information at the prospect stage and offers at later stages).”

How does Sage CRM help businesses to deliver content across different platforms? Sage CRM integrates with Mailchimp and Sage E-Marketing – so you can file and track all your communications.

You get access to e-marketing templates, smart-sending features, automated drip marketing campaigns and tracking capabilities from within Sage CRM.

Sage CRM also allows you to extend conversations and collaborate with prospects and customers across multiple social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.)

Questions: How are you leveraging technology for your content marketing campaigns? Are you using social media and e-marketing solutions? Are they integrated with your CRM system?

2. Geo-Location

This 2016 CRM trend highlights how retailers “use mobile phone signals to track customer movements around and within a store. Retailers can even identify repeat shoppers and keep a record of their in-store behavior.”

While Sage CRM doesn’t have this capability yet, it does have a mapping add-on feature that allows you to plot your location and view other companies, opportunities and cases that are located in your vicinity.

The Sage CRM mapping add-on feature is powered by OpenStreetMap (free Wiki World Map). So you can plan your sales visits more efficiently.

Questions: To what extent are you using geo-location targeting at your business? Are these capabilities integrated into your CRM system?

3. Service and Customer Experience

Research company McKinsey reported that seventy percent of a customer’s buying experience is based on how the customer feels they are treated. With access to so much information online, customers now have more choices and are becoming increasingly frugal. This leads to them demanding more. How does CRM fit into this trend? A positive customer experience across all your company touch points may be the key.

Are you leveraging technology to develop an infrastructure that allows for knowledge sharing? The article states that “smart organizations will streamline, hide, or eliminate the transactional parts of the customer experience.”

Let’s see how Sage CRM can improve your customer service department:

1. Sage CRM provides your customer service team with the facility to record customer inquiries/incidents that need to be followed up.

2. If a case is not followed up within the time allocated, it can automatically trigger an escalation procedure to inform your customer service manager, ensuring that customer cases are attended to promptly and issues are not overlooked.

3. Users can also create a company dashboard for specific key accounts, enabling better customer service. The interactive dashboard allows your customer service team to monitor customer cases from within the CRM system.

Discover more customer service benefits with Sage CRM.

Let’s see how Sage CRM can enrich your customers’ experience

1. Sage CRM offers a web self-service module that allows you to give your customers, partners, and suppliers access to a subset of your Sage CRM data and functionality over the web. This capability can be fully integrated within your website, ensuring that your customers benefit from an entirely seamless experience.

2. With Sage CRM you can quickly generate sales proposals and quotes using predefined templates.

About Front Line Systems

Front Line Systems is an ERP Consulting Firm with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are dedicated to helping businesses solve their accounting, CRM, manufacturing and warehouse concerns. We believe that your business has an amazing capacity for innovation and growth, and that technology can help you realize that capacity.

Front Line Systems is a technology partner that solves problems and creates solutions for the life of your business. We provide CRM software implementation, support and consulting services in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Connecticut (New England) and serve clients across the US. Contact Front Line Systems at 866-435-0243 or visit us online at www.flsinc.net. We look forward to serving you.

Another version of this blog was published on Front Line Systems Blog on 7/13/16 - How Does Sage CRM Software Perform Against the Top 5 CRM Trends for 2016?

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net by Stuart Miles