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FionaFell.
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July 20, 2009 at 10:13 am #965209Up::0
Hi everyone,
I’ve been wondering when others have decided it’s the right time to move to a customer relationship management system (CRM)? Most people I’ve spoken to have heard of CRM systems and know they’re generally useful, but it seems there’s some kind of inertia in moving from a mail program and spreadsheets to a more sophisticated system like Highrise, vTiger, Zoho or Salesforce.
Did others start their businesses with a system in place, naturally grow to a CRM or abruptly change when things got too out-of-hand?
How did you achieve the discipline to include a CRM in your (human-based) processes? Or do you not see any benefit?
I only recently started using a CRM myself. Previously I’d has been using hand-written notes for phone calls, Gmail contacts, cards in MYOB, todo’s in Backpack and a top drawer full of business cards. I played with vTiger (a mature open-source CRM) and now myself and two other IT guys host it for people without the expertise to install it themselves.
Anyway, your thoughts and experiences about moving to a CRM are appreciated!
regards,
Jeromy
http://www.openondemand.comJuly 20, 2009 at 1:03 pm #1010756Up::0Hi Jeremy,
This is something I’ve been pondering lately. My business in only in the early stages so I don’t have the data or money for a sophisticated system. After some discussions with forum users I looked closer at what I have and find MS Outlook is a lot more versatile than I thought. Although using MS products wouldn’t have been my choice, I had it anyway and use Outlook for email and calendar. Just setting up my contacts consistently linked each to relevant emails and calendar entries -and I can also link notes or journals. The other advantage for me is that my contacts sync to the iPhone as well.
Probably in time my business will be too big (here’s hoping!) and I will need to upscale but I think no matter what system you use the crucial thing is to be systematic and learn to discipline yourself….
July 20, 2009 at 1:33 pm #1010757Up::0As soon as… “Previously I’d has been using hand-written notes for phone calls, Gmail contacts, cards in MYOB, todo’s in Backpack and a top drawer full of business cards”… doesn’t do the job.
The more you are communicating with people the more you need CRM and the more your business grows the better the internet based system you need
August 14, 2009 at 6:16 pm #1010758Up::0I think if you have the smarts and discipline to use a CRM from day one you are going to be in a much better position down the track.
As you grow your business, every tiny bit of automation and system that you have is critical to your ability to manage. Sure you can spend time six months down the track sorting reoganising and getting all your data into a CRM, but if you do it from day one, you will find it all works a lot smoother. And in 6 months time you will be so successful, there will be no time to do it…
I would strongly recommend you look at Zoho.com – a FREE open source CRM the works very similarly to Salesforce.com (which costs about $1500 per user commercially) You only get 3 user licenses for free, but if you are small that should be more than enough – then you have to pay as you get bigger – but its not a whole lot as I recall.
Hope that helps….
August 14, 2009 at 6:46 pm #1010759Up::0If I had been a smarter cookie, I would have used a CRM from the very first day I opened my business. As it is, we use Sugar CRM, which does the job, but is not perfect. I am looking into installing vTiger and now, thinking about Zoho.com… (thanks BookkeepiingPro).
If you are looking for a paid online solution, check out 37 signals – http://highrisehq.com
These guys have awesome systems.
August 15, 2009 at 3:07 am #1010760Up::0Hi Jeromy,
CRM software can be very useful if used correctly and if you have the discipline to use it.
We bought and have never used a CRM system as it was too confusing to use. Our initial systems we have in place work quite well and it probably uses the same amount of time as a CRM system.
We use Outlook to ensure we have a copy of every communication sent to a client – even word docs can be clicked and dragged into a client folder in Outlook for future reference. Categories and distribution lists can also be created so you can send mass mail outs as well.
On top of this, we have a spreadsheet set up for every client which also includes a ‘notes’ page so that we can record phone calls etc…
The 2 combined we find are just as good as having a CRM package and no additional training is required…
Hope this helps!
August 29, 2009 at 3:40 am #1010761Up::0Jeremy, post: 12044 wrote:Hi Jeromy,CRM software can be very useful if used correctly and if you have the discipline to use it.
We bought and have never used a CRM system as it was too confusing to use. Our initial systems we have in place work quite well and it probably uses the same amount of time as a CRM system.
We use Outlook to ensure we have a copy of every communication sent to a client – even word docs can be clicked and dragged into a client folder in Outlook for future reference. Categories and distribution lists can also be created so you can send mass mail outs as well.
On top of this, we have a spreadsheet set up for every client which also includes a ‘notes’ page so that we can record phone calls etc…
The 2 combined we find are just as good as having a CRM package and no additional training is required…
Hope this helps!
Have you found that Outlook crashes after a while?
I stopped using it (use Thunderbird for my email) and have heard that it slows right down once you have around 1000 emails in the syste.
October 16, 2009 at 7:00 am #1010764Up::0The right time is yesterday.
The right system – I use Highrise and love it. Easy to use and, while basic, perfect for our needs right now.
Zoho is a piece of crap – just FYI. You get what you pay for. I used it for two months … it tries to copy Salesforce but without the level of usability, functionality of customisation.
And Salesforce is difficult to get your head around at first, but awesome … and comes at a price … not a small price!
We’ll probably migrate to Salesforce in the next 6 months because we’ve expanded our salesforce to a point where we’re going to need it …
I would say for 1-2 sales people – Highrise.
For 3+ – Salesforce.
At that point, Salesforce should pay for itself.
October 20, 2009 at 6:05 am #1010765Up::0Leela is spot on – it’s never too early to start using a CRM. In fact, the earlier that you use it, you start to integrate the way you do business into your CRM – and it will allow you to automate, measure and test, and therefore have a solid control over your business.
Another option is SugarCRM – it’s highly customisable, and it’s actually free. A friend of mine runs 60 sales people in 4 difference offices from the system, and it works very nicely.
October 20, 2009 at 11:13 am #1010766Up::0I have tested so many CRM products – there are so many out there, so good, some bad, some ugly.
I am currently using Javelin which is a SAAS hosted online solutions.
I was using Salesforce group edition but it was too clunky and expensive to upgrade.
Javelin is free up to 250 contacts and then $12 per user per month, beautiful interface and so easy to use.
Big thumbs up, give it a free trial – you will be pleasantly surprised.
Cheers
October 21, 2009 at 1:34 am #1010767Up::0Hey Jeromy- I agree wholeheartedly with Leela and FinSpec – it’s never too late.
I use Salesforce.com for my businesses and love it. I’ve been using Salesforce for about five years. As for costs, I don’t find it expensive, but it depends on what you need and what version you run. For all my businesses I started at the lowest end Group Edition ($90 AUD a year per user I think), then upgraded versions as the businesses needed it and could afford it. There are some great free applications you can add for functionality like email inside Salesforce (although there is an Outlook sync if you still want to do that), cool auto lead followup apps so your customers always get an email every X amount of days and other cool stuff.
The thing I like best about Salesforce.com is that small business can swing on the coat tails of the big business applications they develop. It’s automated some of the routine so I can concentrate on the big stuff.
October 21, 2009 at 4:52 am #1010768Up::0I have to agree: the best time to start using a CRM is yesterday!!
In my business I work with a lot of technology and setting things up for clients to streamline their processes and have set up many CRMS for businesses at different stages of their lifecycle.
From my experience if a business waits too long to implement a CRM, then the effort required to move across to a CRM is huge. That’s when you need someone who understands them (like myself) to set it up in the quickest way to save you money. So if you can start disciplining yourself to use a CRM now – even a basic one – then you’re setting up good, stable practices from the start and it’s going to be a LOT easier to migrate to a more robust solution down the track.
Some of my clients have used SugarCRM and found it just okay, but lacking in functionality. Microsoft Outlook is tiresome and will only last for a short while as your contacts and business grows. My pick is Infusionsoft where marketing is concerned, and staying on top of the contact with customers. It also integrates with outlook to keep track of all emails sent to customers in the database.
Hope that helps!
October 21, 2009 at 6:53 am #1010769Up::0Also, totally think about what you’re going to want / need in the future …
I’ve been spending today merging all of my highrise, 1shoppingcart and aweber accounts into Business Catalyst. Exhausting. System is FREAKING AWESOME though … if you’re an internet marketer, you’ve GOT to have it!
October 30, 2009 at 3:55 am #1010770Up::0One of the biggest hurdles for small businesses with implementing a CRM solution is the training time and effort. This is why our system is designed to be reasonably flexible, but you can start with a very basic system and turn on features as your (and your staff members’) comfort level grows.
Personally, my answer to the ‘when do I need CRM?’ question is as soon as you have at least two different people talking to your customers – unless you are very organised, they are unlikely to have the same information about your customers unless that information is centrally stored and well organised.
Kathy
October 31, 2009 at 3:34 am #1010771Up::0To address the original posters question: “ASAP”.
I regret not getting a database of customers, clients and their invoices, notes about our phone conversations, and comments on what type of people they are, much earlier than I am.
I am in the process of getting a database developed now. Custom designed and built, so it does just what I need it to do now, and so I can continue to develop the functionality in stages as my needs grow.
I have v.1 scope tied down and being built, and some ideas for v.2 and v.3. (Nice to haves at this stage; the v.1 features are much better than my excel spreadsheet, and un-synced contacts/address book, and scribbled post if notes)
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