CRM trends: These systems ensure relevant customer contacts

The study conducted worldwide "State of Inbound 2017" from HubSpot and the "CRM Study 2018" from CMX Consulting take an in-depth look at marketing and sales challenges, the current state and expected trends.According to the State of Inbound study, most companies face the challenge of generating traffic and leads in marketing. In sales, it is customer acquisition. Often, there are difficulties in identifying leads from which possible purchases are to be made later. Retaining customers for a long time seems to be impossible for many companies. Is it the marketing? And does my marketing even make sense? Only 64% feel that the marketing strategy is effective. Thus, sales and marketing should work hand in hand.For large companies, this is often not easy because departments are located in different buildings or even in different cities. Regular, face-to-face meetings are time-consuming or simply not possible. Telephone conferences offer a good alternative - but here, too, planning is required. A short coordination, a brief comment or feedback is always associated with fixed deadlines. The workflow comes to a standstill.traceability of the projects, fast communication channels, uniform working methods in the company, simply bring structure into it: That's what many companies want

Time-consuming search for the right CRM solution

The search for the right system is usually the problem. There are simply too many providers. The research is time-consuming and the decision is difficult. 28% of the companies need 7-12 months between the presentation of a CRM and the purchase decision. That can be nerve-wracking."Those who do not yet use CRM should put it on their agenda as soon as possible. If you don't change your mind now, you will miss out on the most effective measure for streamlining the sales process and increasing the number of contracts signed." Inken Kuhlmann, Manager Growing Markets at HubSpot.Before deciding on a CRM system, you should first be aware of your own requirements: The software should fit the company and be suitable for the respective area of application. In addition, it must be weighed up whether a single workstation, a group solution, a cloud service or individually compiled CRM modules should be purchased.

CRM as a strategy "Vehicle"

Each individual is responsible for his or her own organization and strategy, but each needs a basis. The basis is called CRM. The software supports in the area of customer management and serves as an aid for our daily work.many applications can be used in such a way that it usually takes only a few clicks to complete the entries. Processes go faster from the hand and by stored histories all procedures are at any time comprehensible. Many CRM systems have an integrated chat function, where employees can clarify things in the short official channel.By selecting individual modules, companies can customize and optimize customer management. A study by CMX-Consulting clearly shows where the trend is heading. 58% see CRM as a customer-oriented corporate strategy and 48% as an IT solution for systematic customer management.

It's going to be Cloudy.

The 2018 CRM study by CMX Consulting shows that 7 out of 10 companies with a CRM are already in the cloud or plan to switch to a cloud solution in the foreseeable future. The reasons for deciding against a CRM are currently still the cost factor and lack of resources versus the benefits. However, 85%* of companies are currently using a CRM. The trend towards cloud solutions is continuing.

Room for improvement.

There is still room for improvement in many areas. CRM is not yet the everyday companion in every company and thus data is not maintained enough even with CRM. Only ¼ of the companies record feedback from the customer in CRM and only 4 out of 10 companies have a complete contact history.The integration of social networks into CRM is currently used by 10% of the companies surveyed. 30% have planned to do so in the longer term. For marketing and sales, this could mean generating leads faster as well as creating additional interaction with customers.

Targets

Every company sets the focus of goal definition differently. In the "State of Inbound 2017" the main goals of the companies for the next 12 months in marketing are to convert 70% leads into customers, 53% want to increase traffic on the website and 71% of the companies want to sell more in sales.These goals can be simplified with a CRM system. Transparent sales processes, an overview of all processes for optimal preparation for customer appointments and short communication channels are the first steps to improving the structure. This also significantly improves the workflow and coordination between marketing and sales.*For the "State of Inbound"-For the CRM Report, HubSpot surveyed 6399 marketers and sales professionals worldwide. For the current edition of the CRM study, a large number of relevant midmarket and corporate companies are represented as participants (n = 150).