The lifestyle changes driven by the lockdown have prompted more small businesses to radically transform their business processes.
It’s increasingly become clear that companies were ill-equipped to handle this new way of working and are turning to technology for help.
According to a survey from Workbooks, the number of SMEs looking to adopt a CRM system rose by 16 percent from the previous year and a 30 percent increase from two years ago.
Such a change has been driven by the need to have better information about their customers and to make it more readily available. During the pandemic, many businesses had radically changed their priorities – the survey found that nearly sixty percent of small businesses have been radically transformed by the pandemic and had changed their priorities.
In particular, there was a new approach to home working. The survey revealed that 76 percent of the respondents had worked from home. Indeed, most continued to do so – only 16 per cent had gone back to the office – and there are already signs that this situation is likely to continue.
However, this dispersed customer base has caused some degree of difficulty in communication, not all customer data was available to everyone, a factor that reinforces the need to upgrade corporate systems. If this trend for home working is to continue then it’s apparent that there’s a need to deploy efficient CRM software.
John Cheney, Workbook’s CEO says that there was a paradox at play. “Our customers are relying more on the access to data and insight from colleagues and partners and, at the same time, have limited amount of personal interaction. It has therefore become even more important to have a rich and fully functional CRM to draw greater customer insights. “
The growing trend for home working needed to be tied to a more rapid understanding of what customers wanted. There was a need for systems to help companies better react to changes in workflow and demand, allowing any necessary changes to be made by anyone and at any time.
John Cheney adds that such was the demand for this type of analysis, that there was little surprise in the uptick in CRM deployment. “The need to get a clear view of their sales and marketing pipeline to deliver the best customer experience has been a major factor in driving this interest.”
Companies should be prepared to meet further challenges in the future. The survey found that 51 percent of respondents reported higher productivity and 32 percent of them did not want to go back to their previous office-based life.
It’s the need to obtain better business insight that is still the main driver for CRM. According to the survey, 52 percent of customers gave this as a main reason. And respondents tend to be happy with their systems: when asked to rate their CRM, 79 percent gave an above-average score.
John Cheney says that every year there is a rise in businesses adopting CRM. “In the near future, we’ll see a take-up of about 100 percent as more companies become aware of the benefits that CRM will bring them. Companies who have gone down this route will benefit from greater insights, enabling them to react to changing market conditions in a timely manner. This in turn will mean that their customers will be better served.”
The survey can be found here.
Workbooks offers growing companies a SaaS platform to run their business and engage effectively with their customers – at an affordable price. Its core CRM services extend beyond sales, marketing and customer services to include powerful marketing automation, event management, order management and fulfilment, invoicing and supplier management functionalities – at a price which is typically 50-70% less than alternatives such as Salesforce or Microsoft.
About Workbooks
Workbooks unites the entire organisation around data and processes, promoting teamwork and collaboration. It provides a single 360-degree view of customers and the information is accessible at all customer touchpoints. It provides a single 360 view of customers and the information is accessible anytime, anywhere. Productivity is increased, operations are streamlined, insightful decisions are made, and the business is better equipped to differentiate against the competition. For more information, visit www.workbooks.com.
