If you’re only looking for contact management, there’s no need to deploy a CRM system. However, a CRM implementation is more than a software installation. It involves making changes to your sales and data gathering process, as well as your business intelligence strategy.
A contact management service can be used on its own to jumpstart your sales operations. It makes expanding into a CRM system much simpler, and if the contact management platform already has CRM features, it provides a great foundation for data.
What is contact management software?
Contact management software is an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes and can be used to store and access contact information.
Additionally, contact management software can be used to store customer data, including contact details, preferences, purchase history, and more. This allows businesses to better understand their customer base, build more meaningful relationships, and create personalized experiences.
In other words, contact management is the process of storing and tracking data on customers and leads to help businesses grow and diversify their customer base.
Investing in contact management and upgrading to customer relationship management software can provide data that allows for increased engagement between the company and its customers.
Solutions such as Onpipeline CRM take the concept of contact management to the next level, offering features such as the ability to track interactions, monitor sales progress, manage quotes and keep a record of conversations for future reference.
Why use contact management software?
A contact management system can be highly beneficial for departments that interact with customers, such as sales, customer service, and support programs. It can have a major effect on how sales are conducted and can streamline the process.
Replacing manual methods with a centralized system ensures that all lead information is kept in one organized location, eliminating any chance of misplacing crucial contact details.
This type of software helps users store and organize important contact information in an orderly and easily retrievable manner. It enables users to quickly and easily search for specific contact data when needed.
Contact Management vs. CRM
CRM software is typically more intricate, with a wider range of abilities, when compared to contact management programs.
A contact management system commonly has features that allow users to store and track contact details and contact history, while Customer Relationship Management tools have more comprehensive features that let users manage their entire sales process, including lead generation, pipeline management and communication functions.
When selecting a contact management program, it is important to assess what features will be most effective for your needs. It is possible to use a basic program like Microsoft Excel to manage contacts, but more sophisticated options are available for better efficiency.
Do you need contact management or a CRM?
If your business is still in its early stages, it may not be the time to invest in a CRM yet. Utilizing a contact management system first can help you identify your most loyal customers and reduce the contacts you will have to manage when you upgrade.
Additionally, you can save on software costs, integrations, staff and training while your business is still growing. However, when your business is more established or your revenue has increased, you may be ready to move from contact management to a CRM.
A CRM can be useful for businesses of any size that need to make complex or fast sales. It can provide useful data to help increase sales and can even be tailored to different locations by segmenting customers, so that the right products and services can be offered to the right people.
How to choose the best software?
- Reaching out to a respected peer in your field can be a great way to get advice on the best contact and customer relationship management programs. Ask them which ones have the best customer service, payment plans and connection options, as it can save you time and energy compared to trying each system out yourself.
- You can take advantage of free trials to check out the features of a system, such as the navigation, and customer service, before investing money in it.
- See if the contact management software you are considering offers a free trial so you can try it out before making a purchase.
- If unfamiliar with contact management or CRM software, it may be beneficial to look for a company that provides either in-person or virtual onboarding. Having someone explain the features you need to use can be beneficial and will help you learn the software
