CRM software simply means customer relationship management. And every company can use it. The most commonly used by SMEs include Salesforce Essentials and Keap – formerly Infusionsoft.
A CRM gathers information from existing customers or new leads. It places them in a simple surface. You can retain customers by quickly accessing your own notes in an account. Because you appear organized and attentive. CRM promises to give your human memory an irreplaceable crutch.
No two CRMs work the same. Strong opinions about the best platform abound. Scott Marker, a CRM industry observer, says CRM is a $ 36 billion industry. However, most end users hate to use the product. Marker claims that most CRMs continue to be unfriendly. Most use platforms. This implies that they are external.
Small Business Trends spoke to Dennis Fois and Kira Lenke from Copper. They describe copper as software, not as a platform. Copper alone offers full functionality with G Suite. This includes Gmail, calendar, drive, sheets, storage, forms, etc.
Google recommends Copper is officially recommended by Google according to Gsuite.Google.com. It's in your Gmail inbox. So Copper says it can automatically track your email history. In addition, employee emails are sent to the correct accounts. Users can view and update leads. And they log into accounts directly through Gmail. This is done without switching the tabs back and forth.
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Dennis Fois is CEO of Copper. There he undertakes to redefine the role of CRM. He brings over 25 years of experience in developing and managing high-performance multicultural teams. He had worked in technology and financial services for startups and public companies. Fois was previously the CEO of NewVoiceMedia. Vonage eventually acquired this company. Prior to NewVoiceMedia, Fois was CEO at Rant & Rave and held senior positions at eGain, Barclays, Solera and ADP. He advises and supports a number of technology startups and VC teams in various phases of growth and scale.
Kira Lenke is Vice President of Marketing at Copper. In her current position, she is responsible for managing and overseeing the company's marketing role and driving the strategy to strengthen Copper's market position. Before joining Copper, she held marketing positions with technology companies such as Aviso, DudaMobile and Intuit. Her experience includes storytelling and brand building, product launch management, key messaging and feature differentiation, creative, large-scale brand campaigns, email marketing for retention and lifecycle, and segmentation through key customer insights.
Small Business Trends: What Should Small Businesses Know About Copper? How is it different in the CRM area?
Dennis Fois: While most software programs developed in the 1990s evolved over time, CRM technology got stuck in the past. Copper is another type of CRM that was developed for modern employees. It's in G Suite, the productivity cloud that used to be called Google Apps For Work and that has fundamentally changed the way we work together.
By partnering with G Suite, Copper can provide a user-friendly interface that users are already familiar with. It also automates data from G Suite and simplifies it into useful, organized information that is useful for multiple business departments.
Kira Lenke: At Copper, our focus is on collaboration and ease of use. We are not trying to set up another desktop from which users can work and learn how to use it. Instead, we meet people in a tool they are already familiar with – G Suite. If you place Copper next to the collaboration tools that people already know and love, Copper works seamlessly in the background and requires almost no onboarding. Copper doesn't require extensive administration and even sends you reminders when it's time to connect with a potential customer or customer. This gives small business owners time to focus on what they do best – running their business and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
Small Business Trends: Most small businesses market and sell at the same time, which can lead to stress. How should they deal with it?
Dennis Fois: I often see small businesses struggling to find the right balance between short-time work and planning long-term goals. Both are essential elements of the roadmap to success and must be seen as connected.
The solution here is not to separate short-term and long-term priorities. It is easy to prioritize, but the real key to growth is to think of short-term measures as associated with long-term goals. Together they make your roadmap.
One way to adapt to this mindset is to measure your inputs against your expenses. For example, if the long-term goal is to increase your sales by 30 percent this year, you first need to consider how many conversations you have with existing customers and prospects each day. The next input would be to plan your daily schedule. Every day is different for small businesses. Instead of sticking to a rigid schedule, you should schedule a certain percentage of time for certain tasks, such as: B. for answering customer inquiries.
Trends for Small Business: Why Do Many Small Business Owners Feel the Repentance of Buyers After Buying Software?
Dennis Fois: For software companies, the goal of building a highly valuable company often goes before the goal of making its customers successful. This approach leaves small businesses behind, as the focus is on larger businesses and larger customers that bring companies to the highest rating.
Some things software companies can do to target small businesses are designing technologies that are easy to use and work for companies of all sizes. It is equally important to create a freemium option and a price plan that can be reached by every customer. Free trials or freemium versions are critical when targeting SMEs. Software companies can also benefit by providing case studies on how other small businesses use the product.
Kira Lenke: My first piece of advice for small businesses is not to fall into the trap of doing your app-ifying business. Integrating your business tools into each other can sometimes be helpful. However, there is a chance that you will spend more time getting them to connect without real value. I think it's best to choose a technology stack that works for you and your team and master it.
To increase efficiency, G Suite tools like Sheets and Docs are my personal favorites. Financial tools like Xero and Quickbooks make it easier for small businesses to manage their accounting and finance. Another great strategy for small businesses is an email campaign. Mailchimp is an email marketing platform with a variety of personalization features. Our list of business tools is an excellent resource for identifying the technology stack that best fits specific business needs. While many business owners quickly try out new apps, adopting and implementing these apps is not a priority in their company. In most cases, this is because software tools are not designed for the needs of small businesses.
Images: Copper.com
