Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are a vital component for any business. If you’re considering investing in a real estate CRM application, here are some of the components you should consider and look for:
1. Contact management.
An effective CRM system provides instant access to every contact or interaction with a client or potential customer. It provides complete data on every question, service consultation, preference and previous communication details which means every future interaction will be personalized and current.
2. Lead management.
From initial prospect to sales or transaction completion, your CRM database allows you to track your pipeline activities, as well as your tasks and targets. In addition to seeing demographic details, you can easily pull up every detail of a leads transactions, deals (even the ones that are lost), conversations, website activity and appointments in one place.
3. Sales forecasting.
A successful sales forecasting component allows you to qualify leads and measure your targets. Team leaders can generate reports to motivate and manage their teams which allows them to focus on the customers needs and how the business can better work for the company. Detailed reports allow you to know when the time is right for cross-selling or up-selling, generating higher revenues for the business and the sales staff. Marketing and support functions can plan campaigns to further enhance the sales experience.
4. Instant messaging.
With instant messaging, all of the team members have the ability to ask a question and receive an immediate response without experiencing delays from unread emails or missed phone calls. It allows for instant feedback and support, ensuring the customer remains the first priority. Likewise, it allows team members to address a customer’s questions even when they’re on the road by providing prompt information to support staff or other team members.
5. Email tracking.
To easily and quickly get a complete view of the customer or leads, syncing email clients to the CRM system is the most effective way, without having to log in or out of different systems. Calendars can be managed and contacts viewed from any device, making it simple to create or manage emails. Templates can be customized to immediately respond to a lead query, or to provide ongoing updates on current trends and activity.
6. File sharing.
Because all team members can upload data to one location, file and content sharing is instant and easy. No time is lost because someone has information stored on their computer but isn’t available to provide a copy to other team members.
Whatever the size of your business, a CRM system can simplify your customer relationship management into a concise, easy to use application. Rather than tracking activity on a spreadsheet, a CRM system provides a single point of reference for each lead or customer, which reduces the amount of data entry needed. A strong business needs strong collaborations between team members. Having a great CRM system makes this process less time consuming, allowing sales staff to focus on sales, rather than on the administrative functions.