Choosing a CRM. Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

After I wrote the article “What are CRM systems and how to choose them correctly?” , I began to receive questions from readers about the work of CRM, the functionality of a particular system, possible additions and add-ons.

However, many questions were of the same type and even completely duplicated in letters and comments from different people. So I decided to write a small FAQ, i.e. a list of the most frequently asked questions and answers to them.

I want to remind you right away that any CRM system exists only for sales management, it is a system of automation and control of customer relationships. It can be compared to a counter or a display case. Here you can see how the seller and the goods look, what checks were on different days, what was the reaction of customers to a particular offer.

All that goes beyond directly working with clients is the back office, whose functions are not related to the CRM system. This is very important for understanding my answers and working with the CRM system in principle. I work with small and medium enterprises. It is also important for understanding my answers and the tips I give here.

So, we pass directly to the questions.

Can I place orders in the CRM system?

Not. There are other software products for working with orders.

What is usually meant by this question? People want the manager in the process of telephone communication with the client immediately in the CRM system to be able to create an order, reserve certain goods from the balances for this order, and, if necessary, be able to place an order with the supplier.

These functions relate to the accounting system, and they are simply not provided for in the CRM system. It would seem that an order is part of the sales process. But at the same time, stock balances, mutual settlements, an order to the supplier - all this applies to the accounting system used in your company.

So, if you want to reserve a product, this action directly affects the work with the warehouse. And these are balances, reserve for other orders, rejects, write-offs, posting of goods, etc. And it is impossible to reserve goods without the rest of the functions of accounting for stocks. And in the CRM-system of tools for full inventory accounting is not provided simply because it is designed for other purposes.

How is this problem solved?

The best method for solving the problem begins with the integration of the CRM system and your accounting system (for Russia, these are usually 1C software products). And regularly, for example, every 5 minutes there is an unloading of data of mutual settlements with clients into the CRM system. And then at the time of the customer’s call, the sales manager can open the customer’s card in CRM and immediately see the situation with past orders and payments.

Each manager who works with orders of goods should have access to the system of goods accounting. And the order itself is created in this system, where you can see the current prices, balances, reserve goods in stock, etc. And the fact of a new order and its amount will be imported into CRM upon subsequent data transfer automatically.

New contacts, on the contrary, are automatically imported from CRM into the company's internal accounting system, for example, after the manager indicates “Client” in the status of the contact. As a result, by the time of placing an order, the accounting system will already have the necessary customer card, and time for its creation will also not be required.

It is important to understand that in the CRM system there is no concept of Order; instead, such a concept as a Transaction is used. Moreover, in the framework of one transaction, many individual orders can be made. All this should be reflected correctly in the CRM system, and therefore attempts to create orders in the CRM are harmful not only from the point of view of warehouse accounting, but also for sales management. In some systems, for example, in Megaplan, it is possible to issue an invoice based on a transaction. But even these functions, I advise you to use carefully or not at all. Each type of accounting has its own software.

Can you give examples of the positive consequences of implementing CRM?

Of course! Moreover, when meeting with clients, I always repeat that you first need to understand why you are implementing a CRM system, what goals you are pursuing, and only then choose the software and implement it.

The most important thing that any CRM system provides is the information necessary for making decisions. Without using CRM, the manager usually has the following information: he sees mutual settlements, turnover, customer debt. But at the same time, he has no idea how many calls this or that manager made, the number of meetings held, the average check at the negotiation stage, etc. Thus, the head owns quantitative indicators of sales, but does not own qualitative ones. And he can’t evaluate the effectiveness of this or that manager.

The CRM system gives precisely quality indicators thanks to its reports. For example, based on the reports, you can see the ratio of the number of successful sales to the total number of meetings held.

Suppose one manager held 5 meetings for 2 transactions, and the other holds even more transactions without any visits to the client. In this case, the amount of orders they will be the same. Based on this information, the manager can analyze how much meetings are needed in general, determine who works more efficiently, and think over how to optimize the work.

Well, I will pass to the promised real examples.

Example 1

At one of the companies where I implemented the CRM system, based on such reports, we found out that one of the managers conducted successful sales without any calls. The fact, at least, is strange. It quickly became clear that the person gave all his customers his mobile phone, and all contacts passed only through his personal number. For a company, this can turn out to be a huge minus, for example, in case of dismissal of an employee. But without the use of a CRM-system, no one would have guessed about it, since regular reports showed effective, profitable work and nothing more.

Example 2

When introducing a CRM-system at the enterprise, Leads and Clients were clearly distinguished. Based on these two categories, a report was created that showed how many leads were received by this or that manager during the month, and how many of them eventually became customers, i.e. place an order.

According to the results of the first month of working with CRM, the company management received interesting results. One of the managers received incoming calls (leads) even more than the others. And the percentage of customers among them was much lower than that of colleagues. Before the introduction of CRM, the difference in manager performance was not so noticeable. In terms of financial turnover, this employee lagged slightly behind others. But in order to get these sales, he needed a lot more incoming calls. How so?

It turned out that the manager stutters. Naturally, this feature significantly reduces the effectiveness of telephone sales, people with similar speech defects are simply not suitable for this position. Sadly, I had to part with the manager, but as a result, the sales department increased overall work efficiency.

Example 3

The introduction of any CRM system is in some way compulsory cataloging and standardization of work, because now all managers with all clients will work in a common system. The results of the implementation process itself are also interesting.

I had a client - a company engaged in the sale of the services of various teachers and tutors. Each manager kept his own Excel file with customers and sold services. At the same time, the sales system was so confusing that even managers and those could not always quickly and clearly answer how much the services of a particular teacher cost and substantiate this figure, which, of course, did not affect the level of sales and customer confidence in the best way.

The implementation of the CRM system forced them to collect the entire list of teachers in a single list and assign a specific category to each person and service. As a result, there was a clear common gradation for all. And now managers began to sell not just “Ivanov’s tutor”, but based on the level of customer needs. Home-based training costs more than distance learning. Teacher training in the first category is more expensive than similar, but from a specialist in the second category, etc.

The introduction of a clear and understandable billing system for customers had a positive impact on sales and simplified the work of managers.

Is it possible to keep track of costs in a CRM system?

Not! CRM-system is intended only for work with sales.

On the one hand, many people are guided by this logic. In the CRM system, we work with sales. But any sale is also a certain cost. Someone ties managers' salaries to sales, someone gives a gift to a client, someone makes bonuses. And all this, it would seem, is tied to a deal.

In fact, in order to account for costs, it is necessary to distribute them. Such concepts as cost item, distribution base, distribution coefficients appear. You need to understand what is distributed and in what proportions, etc. All this is not in the CRM system. There is only the transaction itself, to which these costs relate. And all the other tools for working with costs are missing. For such work, you do not need a CRM, but an ERP system .

Is it possible to take into account in the CRM system sales and everything related to them?

Not! If you buy a CRM system as a software product, it does not provide such an extensive accounting functionality.

As with the previous question, you need an ERP system to track sales .

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning, enterprise resource planning) - an organizational strategy for the integration of production and operations, human resources management, financial management and asset management, focused on the continuous balancing and optimization of enterprise resources through a specialized integrated application software package that provides a common data model and processes for all areas of activity. ERP-system - a specific software package that implements the ERP strategy.

Wikipedia

Can I use foreign services in connection with updates to the law on personal data that entered into force on September 1, 2015?

There are a lot of issues related to changes in the Federal Law on Personal Data , recently. Let me remind you that on September 1, 2015, requirements for the storage of confidential information of citizens of the Russian Federation on servers located in Russia entered into force.

How can this law turn out for CRM users? So far, the requirements of this law are so vague and complex that it is impossible to give a definite answer than what this will turn out for users of a particular system. Almost all specialists and users are in standby mode.

What can be done in this situation and what to choose? I believe that you need to choose the system that suits you. Without regard to the country of origin. On the one hand, it is not a fact that all Russian CRM systems are located on Russian servers. On the contrary, it is reliably known that many Russian developers are actively using foreign resources because of their reliability and at the same time favorable prices. Therefore, even if you buy the Russian system, it is not a fact that your data will be stored on the territory of the Russian Federation.

It is also not very clear what is meant by “confidential information”. There are certain explanations, but most of them are advisory in nature. In general, at this stage, the work of this law raises more questions than answers.

I personally believe that choosing a CRM system depends entirely on your tastes and needs. So far, there has not been a single case that any claims were made against CRM systems and other similar commercial projects. Moreover, if you are a small or medium business (and I work with these segments), you have nothing to worry about. You are too small and uninteresting for our regulatory authorities in this matter. I think that they will be occupied by large companies and sites for a very long time. And therefore, you can work calmly, as before.

How expensive or cheap will the implementation of a CRM system be? And how to calculate its payback? How to understand whether she is needed or not?

Each businessman seeks to calculate in advance the economic benefits and the feasibility of introducing a new product. Therefore, these questions are quite natural. How to determine how profitable a CRM system will be for you?

I suggest this formula: take the volume (amount) of sales and divide by the number of managers. Thus, you get the average amount of income that one manager brings to your company. For example, it will be 30,000 rubles. Now compare this amount with the CRM-system license for 1 computer, for example, it will be 3,000 rubles. It is clear that at the same time, the costs of optimizing the work of the sales department are not comparable with revenues. And the CRM-system will be an additional plus, which, with proper management, will help to increase the amount of income and make the work of managers more efficient. And if your manager on average brings you about 20,000 rubles, and the system you choose requires up to 10,000 rubles per month for one workplace, then you should think about whether you need this system? Most likely, you should look for a cheaper option or do without CRM altogether.

In general, the CRM system is convenient for managers, as it helps them automate part of the work, serves both as a reference, and an organizer, and an assistant in optimizing the personal workflow. CRM is also an excellent analytical tool for the leader, which gives high-quality indicators of the sales department and helps to identify “weaknesses” in the workflow. When used correctly, CRM will help increase efficiency and, as a result, sales volumes. But it is important to remember that CRM is not a panacea, but just another working tool, and if your turnover does not allow you to easily implement and apply it, the best solution would be to find a less costly solution and postpone the use of CRM for the future.

Is the statement true: “CRM is sales, and we have been selling for a long time, therefore we can handle the implementation of CRM ourselves”?

Not! I often heard this statement from my clients at the stage of deciding to use a CRM system, but later they turned to me for help. A significant role in the formation of such an opinion is played by the companies producing CRM systems themselves, who write that everything is intuitive in the implementation process.

In fact, this is not so: like any software product, CRM has its own implementation features, its own advantages and disadvantages. And if you want to effectively implement a CRM system, you need to contact specialists. You can often find such a specialist right on the manufacturer’s website.

Highly recommend: do not give in to the illusion that implementing CRM is very simple. Don't buy phrases like “Less time, more sales.” All CRM systems are not a ready-made system, this is a constructor that you must first configure for yourself.

On the issue of unsuccessful implementation of CRM-systems

Clients often ask about successful experience in implementing CRM systems. But in addition to this, I am also talking about unsuccessful cases, since I believe that it is very important to understand not only what leads to success, but also what leads to failure.

So, what leads to failure:

1. General level of training for managers.The first who will resist the implementation of the CRM system are the heads of the sales departments, no matter how strange it may sound. As a rule, the idea of ​​using a CRM system belongs to a business owner who wants to increase the transparency of managers' work and evaluate their work from an objective point of view, in contrast to the subjective opinion given by the head of sales. For a business owner, CRM is a control tool that makes it possible to be less dependent on the head of the sales department. For the head of the sales department, it is important to maintain the status quo. Also, the implementation of CRM reveals the general unpreparedness of staff for changes in the company. There is such an indicator as labor productivity - with the introduction of a CRM system, labor productivity increases. But the intensity of labor also increases, because in the same period of time more work needs to be done, as the control on the part of management increases. Many employees do not stand it and leave.
   Often at enterprises a boycott arises: active or passive - more about this can be found in my article “Implementation of a software product. Features of the work of a business consultant. Part III. Final "
2. Lack of funds. If you are starting CRM implementation, you need to calculate your financial capabilities. There was a case in my practice when a client refused to implement because he was not ready to spend. As I wrote above, many people think that they will cope with the implementation on their own, but in the course of work a lot of technical issues arise that require contacting specialists, and therefore entail additional costs. You need to be prepared for this and calculate your financial capabilities.
3. Unreadiness for technical difficulties . Often customers rely on the rapid implementation of CRM. In practice, everything can turn out longer, and this also needs to be prepared. This is due to some technical issues. This is especially true for the integration of CRM systems and accounting systems. You need to understand that there are no ready-made integration modules, they are created, as they say, for the client. And accordingly, after creating the integration, another test period is required to verify it. Not all of my clients were ready for this, they did not want to wait, but wanted to get everything at once.
4. CRM system is not needed at all . One of my clients introduced a CRM system, but after a short period of time the system was no longer used as unnecessary. It turned out that the client has 7-8 transactions per week, and this is not such voluminous material for analytics. Therefore, in order not to lose time and money, carefully analyze your business in order to understand whether you need CRM

.