There is no denying the benefits of an all-encompassing Customer Relationship Management system – from soaring profits to satisfied employees, Salesforce has evolved to solve the pain points of any business. It can be difficult for organisations to make such a drastic change to their operating model, perhaps you are still an SME and are wary of the costs, or maybe you are a large corporation who’s facets are so siloed and complex that you don’t know where to make a start. We have created a set of questions to ask before you invest in a CRM, which should help paint the picture of whether you are ready to grow with Salesforce.
Are you struggling to manage your growing business?
CRM boomed because it solved one of the biggest and universal business problems – a disjointed and haemorrhaging sales pipeline. As it developed, Salesforce became a salve to heal even more issues, it reduced admin burdens to increase productivity, it simplified customer service to deliver personalised assistance which accelerated loyalty, it can now even track and tackle carbon emissions! If you are a sole trader or small store with a handful of employees, you may not yet require all of Salesforce’s functionality and the expense that it entails.
Are your employees unmotivated or frustrated with fragmented processes?
Salesforce is a brilliant tool to help your colleagues make wins, and the ecosystem can be an amazing source of personal development. It encapsulates all business functionality to not only reduce the time switching between various applications and platforms but to also provide a single source of truth for every customer or account. Salesforce helps your team work together, highlighting a 360 degree view of the customer from the initial point of contact to the 50th transaction. If your team is hesitant to make a change and can’t see the benefits, take the time to have an open discussion with future users to involve them in the decision.
Do you have the funds?
Salesforce, like many CRMs, is a multi-tenant platform. Simply put, you rent the solution. This is a huge advantage for most, as it means no astronomical upfront costs and resource-consuming maintenance. However, it means you must consider the long-run impact of migrating your business onto a new platform and the potential for additional costs such as app integrations and consulting partners. Do you have stable revenue and a growth mindset? If not, perhaps now is not the time to take on a CRM.
Do you know what you need from your CRM?
The best starting point for implementing Salesforce is having a thoughtful plan for your investment. Perhaps you’re a Non-Profit looking to manage donations and events, or a Real-Estate firm wanting to build a custom system to store all property and buyer information? Knowing what you want from your CRM is the key to getting the system to work for you. If you are unsure of why you might need a CRM, take the steps to evaluate your business needs before starting the conversation.
Are you ready to scale?
Salesforce boasts impressive statistics on revenue acceleration. CRMs remove obstacles in the way of your organisation’s success, allowing you to speed towards your next goal. If you are happy with your business’ size and pipeline, perhaps there is simply no need to purchase a CRM system until you are ready.
Did you answer yes!? To any of these?
If you answered ‘yes!’ to any of the questions above, it sounds like you are ready to start your journey with Salesforce. Our friendly experts are always more than happy to help out with any questions, so please feel free to book a call with us below or email hello@performa-it.co.uk.
For more information, read our article ‘5 things you need when starting off with Salesforce’ or take a look at some Salesforce customer success stories here.