The CRM Software Features You Must Have to Remain in Business

The amount of CRM software that is on the market today can make it extremely difficult to decide which one is the right fit for your business. With so many options it can be overwhelming to figure out what specific features will improve your business and which ones can just make things more confusing. Today, we are going to guide you through the overwhelm and share with you the must-have features for your next CRM software that will improve your business's productivity.

Remote Accessibility

This feature cannot be stressed enough. It's a very common feature to overlook in the process when you compare CRM software. However, once you have your software up and running, you'll almost immediately realize the problem and it will be too late to fix. Whatever software you decide on must be accessible remotely.

If you can only access your software from the office, it's not doing you much good in the long term. Employees tend to take their work on the road, to trade shows, customer sites, and even home. They need access to your software wherever they go so they can perform their job. This feature will even open up doors to hire remote workers who have the skills you need but don't live near your business.

Analytics and Reporting

We're sure we don't need to tell you how much a ton of unorganized information is not very helpful to improving your business. While keeping records on your clients and leads is a necessity, it's only half of the battle. You need a way to sift through and analyze that data in order for it to be useful to your business.

Your ideal CRM software should be able to perform this sifting for you via analytics and generating reports. The best software out there allows your business the ability to create and track marketing campaigns with target groups. When you can physically see what is converting and what is performing less than optimal, you can make informed decisions about your future marketing campaigns.

Lead Management

Your leads are the new lifeblood of your business. Keeping track of new leads that come in, following up on a regular basis, and tracking how long it takes them to turn into customers is imperative. Your CRM software should be able to do all of these things if you want to cash in on your leads.

If your business is not following a schedule to follow-up with your leads, you're leaving money on the table. By having a software that reminds your sales staff to contact leads on a regularly established schedule, you can continue to keep your leads active. At this point, it just becomes a numbers game to see how many days it takes your average lead to convert into a paying customer.

These are three basic features that your CRM software must have in order for your business to remain successful well into the future. Without a way to easily track your marketing campaigns, regularly staying in contact with leads, and the availability to work from outside of the office walls, your staff is performing well below what is truly possible. Do your business a favor and ensure your next CRM software has these must-have features.