Every agency has its own unique needs when it comes to CRM. Whether you’re buying a new software solution or setting up for the first time, buying a CRM is not a decision to be taken lightly.
Before we dive into some of the questions you should ask before shopping around for CRMs and top CRMs for agencies, let’s lay some groundwork.
What is CRM software?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a combination of processes and practices designed to manage customer interactions across an enterprise. Buyer’s Journey. The goal is to engage customers at all touchpoints to build better relationships, drive retentionloyalty and sales growth.
Handling all of this manually can be difficult, especially as your business grows.that’s why 65% of businesses invest in CRM technology within the first five years of launch.
CRM software automates repetitive CRM tasks and simplifies processes, freeing sales and marketing teams for critical tasks. It centralizes client connections, collects client data from a variety of sources, and provides actionable insights to facilitate the relationship between clients and your agency.
Some key CRM features include:
- Contact management
- Lead management
- Interaction tracking
- Email integration
- Workflow Automation
- Pipeline management
- Sales Forecast
- Reporting and Analysis
Before you start test driving a different CRM, here are a few questions to answer:
- What is the most important feature you need? For example, are you looking for something that can help you Simplify your sales process Or tools to help organize multi-channel marketing campaigns?
- Are you looking for a CRM for your agency to use on behalf of clients, or both? The more users that engage your CRM, the higher the (usually) cost.
- Which processes would save you the most time and money if automated?Different CRMs have different automation options – for example, triggering Email Drip Campaign or automatically lead score. What do you need and what do you live without?
- Which user interface (UI) do you prefer? Not all UIs are created equal. Some use a spreadsheet-style interface with unique “views” that help you sort and filter records. Others mirror social media networks with a centralized newsfeed or dashboard that all users see when they log in.
- Do you really need something new? If you use an Excel spreadsheet to track customer relationships, the answer is probably “yes.” However, if your current CRM lacks some of the features you wish you had, consider whether you really need them. No CRM is perfect, and switching to a new solution can be time-consuming and expensive.
Get input from your colleagues and other stakeholders. Ask your sales and marketing teams what matters most to them in CRM. Once you have your “must have” list and budget, it’s time to demo the best CRM software for agencies on the market.
Benefits of CRM Software for Agencies
From what we’ve discussed, the benefits that CRM provides are obvious. However, we really wanted to examine what a solid tool can offer your agency, so here are some of the core benefits of using a CRM:
1. Better Contact Management
If you want to build a comprehensive client profile to facilitate advanced personalization of your agency, then CRM software is your best choice. First, it centralizes customer contacts, making them easily accessible to sales, marketing, and support teams.
Not only that, it breaks down data silos in your organization, Improve the functions of each department Ensure customer interactions from all departments are recorded in one repository. For example, a sales team can easily find a deal, pick up where the marketing team left off, and move forward effortlessly.
2. Better sales forecasts
CRM software helps build a comprehensive profile by updating customer profiles as new information about the customer emerges. Every customer detail from demand to locale is handled by your sales team. Using historical data can help reps determine which customers are profitable.
Additionally, CRM tools with predictive analytics provide better insights Sales Forecast. Unfortunately, not many institutions seem to be aware of these benefits because only Less than a third use CRM for sales forecasting.
3. Improve customer satisfaction
Your agency clients want to receive personalized emails, as they often vary by industry, desired service, or interest. With CRM, you can easily take advantage of personalization. It allows segmentation of customers based on different aspects such as service, transaction size, etc.
Segmentation drives better personalization, which in turn leads to Higher customer satisfaction and retention. Statistics show that when you prioritize personalization, you Convince 90% of customers to spend more About your services and products.
4. Continued revenue growth
68% of businesses today are increasingly using customer experience as a competitive advantage. Lisa Marcello It’s easy to understand the forces behind this trend. She believes, “Happy customers are your biggest advocates and easily your top-performing sales team.” CRM helps you track your customers and get to know them better. As you get to know them better, you can keep them happy by providing them with tailored service and care. When you keep your customers happy, they are more likely to become repeat customers and even attract others to work with your agency.
Losing clients can be extremely detrimental, even causing some organizations to close their doors.that’s why Hiring a business is critical to an agency’s successwhile a CRM can help you build a healthy maintainer.
Ready to join CRM? Let’s take a look at some of the best CRMs for agencies.
insightful
Image courtesy of Insight
Insightly has the level of functionality required by a small business or mid-sized organization. It has built-in project management tools, a great user interface (UI), integration with third-party applications like MailChimp, and many customization opportunities. Users love Insightly because of all the features available in the free plan.
Price: Free plan, Plus – $29/mo, Pro – $49/mo, Enterprise – $99/mo
podium
photo by Get the app
Podio is a CRM that also provides project management, workflow management, social intranet and product planning tools. With all the added benefits, Podio is a great solution for agencies looking to manage both creative projects and sales activities in one place.
Price: Free Plan, Basic – $7.20, Plus – $11.20, Premium – $19.20
agile
Image courtesy of Nimble
Focusing on the individuality of each customer, Nimble draws insights from social media and other channels to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date profile information. With several email marketing tools built in, this CRM is especially useful for companies that offer email marketing (or rely on it to develop their own marketing strategies).
Price: Nimble Business – $25/user/month billed monthly or $19 per user/month billed annually
Benchmarks
BenchmarkONE is a CRM and marketing automation platform built to meet the needs of SMBs and agencies. With customizable lead scoring capabilities and a suite of email marketing automation and tracking tools, BenchmarkONE makes managing opportunities and increasing sales simple. Customers choose BenchmarkONE for its ease of setup (#1 on G2 Crowd), intuitiveness and live customer support.
Price: Offers a free plan, Lite and Pro plans start at $0/month for 250 contacts. Prices are based on the number of contacts. Unlimited users. Eligible institutions have access to partner pricing and discounts.
Pipe driven
Image courtesy of Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales CRM focused on driving salespeople to action on prospects and customers. It integrates with multiple third-party email providers and other tools such as Outlook, Gmail, Google Maps, Trello, and Zapier. It’s ideal for agencies with long or complex sales cycles, as it’s primarily a pre-sales tool.
Price: Free Trial, Basic – $12.50/user/month, billed annually, Premium – $24.90/user/month, billed annually, Pro – $49.90/user/month, billed annually, Enterprise – $99/user/month, billed annually
sales force
Image courtesy of Salesforce
If you need a full-featured CRM, the industry-leading Salesforce CRM might be the answer. While some users find the UI and numerous features overwhelming, Salesforce is a powerful tool once you take the time to learn how to use it.
Price: Essentials – $28.33/user/month, Sales Professional – $84.97/user/month, Enterprise – $169.94/user/month, Unlimited – $339.88/user/month
wise man
photo by software advice
Sage CRM is a multipurpose solution that connects your sales and marketing activities with other departments such as accounting, service delivery and customer service. With lead scoring, email marketing, and territory management capabilities, it’s an excellent solution for larger organizations with complex or dispersed sales teams.
Price: Starting at $45/month/user
application
Image courtesy of GetApp
Apptivo CRM is known for its “all-in” capabilities – from lead and opportunity management to document storage and email marketing. Manage customer relationships from pre-sale to sale and beyond.
Price: Lite – $8 per user per month, billed annually, Premium – $12 per user per month, billed annually, Ultimate – $20 per user per month, billed annually, Enterprise is quote-based
HubSpot CRM
Image courtesy of HubSpot
HubSpot’s CRM is free, and if you’re a boutique agency or just diving into the waters of CRM for the first time, it might appeal to you. It’s easy to use, and while it doesn’t have as many advanced features (like a mobile app or proposal tool), it’s a great solution for keeping client information organized.
Price: free
Spiro
Spiro is a solid CRM software for small and medium organizations. It’s a powerful tool that lets you automatically create contacts and organize and prioritize opportunities. It stands out with solid features that pinpoint anomalies in the sales funnel and recommend sales steps to convert more sales.
Price: based on quotation
We hope this guide helps you as you consider using a CRM for your growing agency.If you want to learn more about what BenchmarkONE agent-centric software can do for you, you can Sign up for the free plan here.
