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4 Common Misconceptions About CRM

Many companies have misconceptions about CRM. Maybe because it can do so much there is an automatic assumption that CRM must be expensive or hard. Some misconceptions, lurking around the corner, might even thwart your idea to implement a CRM. To put everything to rest, we’ve made a list of common misconceptions we came across helping our customers.

CRM won’t do us any good. Our business is different. Smfh!

Are you sure about that? Any company who has more than a single client needs a way to track activity, sales pipeline and to store contact details. Even if you don’t need to do major segmentation or in-depth profiling you still need a reliable tool!

Because so many companies presume the only CRM systems are costly big-name packages they don’t realize there are more cost-effective options out there. Don’t keep putting your contacts in a spreadsheet with ever-increasing columns, make the leap to CRM and you won’t look back.
 In reality, a CRM could still be very beneficial to your business. To illustrate my point, let’s look closely at the three words comprising the “CRM” acronym: Customer Relationship Management. If history has ever taught us anything, it is that we have to move forward. And, a spreadsheet isn’t moving forward.

It’s expensive and our budget isn’t enough

Well, this is a decade old conception which somehow made its way into 2018. CRM used to be expensive and complicated. The system has evolved. In today’s cloud-driven economy, the budget has become less of a problem for both SMBs and enterprises. Many CRM – Apptivo included – offer a freemium pricing model and a 30-Day Trial, to help businesses to grow and establish itself without investing a dime.

Not all providers charge high fees and it pays to shop around. You don’t have to get a big brand name to get a good CRM! Also, try to be selective when choosing your package and extras, make sure it fits your needs!

Our people aren’t tech-savvy enough

If your people can understand what hashtags are, they can figure out CRMs. A quick demonstration on how a CRM will make them more successful is enough to get them intrigued and you’ll be amazed at how quickly they can pick it up.

Some might be hesitant. But eventually, they will understand its value.

 Be sure to look for a CRM that offers,

  Intuitive and flexible UI
Custom reports and insightful charts
seamless integrations to users’ email inboxes
Mobile and web apps

CRM can handle all my dodgy data  

Sorry to burst your bubble but it doesn’t work like this! 

To get the most out of your CRM you need to look after it and what you are putting into it. Poor data and no maintenance limits the effectiveness of your CRM as you can’t trust what is coming out. Think of the database as being like a car. You wouldn’t use poor quality fuel and skip services, would you?

If you take simple steps like making sure data is entered properly and the database is maintained with regular deduping and updating your CRM will be a powerful tool for the whole organization!