How Can a Customer Relationship Management Software Help Me Get Serious About My Sales Process?

how can a customer relationship management software help me get serious about my sales process

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is an especially useful solution for any business to utilize, as long as they do so with a strategy in mind. Let’s go over why this strategy is so important, and how it should be shaped. Let’s begin by defining what Customer Relationship Management really is, and how it can help you get serious about the sales process.

THE CONCEPT OF A CRM STRATEGY

Using CRM software has a pretty low bar for entry. Basically, you just have to procure it and populate it with the data you have collected. The purpose of a CRM strategy is to really use your solution to the fullest extent that you can, which allows you to optimize your outcomes.

There are a few ways that your CRM strategy can enable you to do so:

  • It condenses data in context to help you reference it as you make decisions and set goals.
  • It makes customer service efforts more comprehensive, which can boost retention and loyalty.
  • It assists you in making sales by scaling your process properly and eliminating redundancy.

Naturally, these are benefits that can assist any business in its pursuit of its goals, so it is important that you create a proper CRM strategy to guide you. Here is a simple process for you to follow:

UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS AND STRATEGIZE FOR THEM

  • What is it, exactly, that you want your business to accomplish?
  • What is your intended use of your CRM software, and what do you want to achieve with it?
  • How will each department use it to do strive toward their goals?
  • How will your offering be distributed?

Once you have conferred with your team and answered these questions, it is time to consider the business landscape and who your ideal clients are. Then, determine what makes your offer different, and commit to providing this difference each time in the way that best suits your prospects.

ANALYZE AND ORGANIZE YOUR TEAM

How will the introduction of your new CRM software impact your team? Speak with those whose job responsibilities will be affected by your new solution, and look for any past experience with such platforms for their impression of different options.

You will also need to identify those team members who will be using the software to collaborate and be sure that everyone understands their particular roles. It is also helpful to determine the goals that each department should strive toward, and identify the key performance indicators that will help measure their progress.

IMPLEMENTING YOUR NEW SOLUTION AND STRATEGY

Determine how different contacts will be divided within your CRM, and establish a policy of collecting all the information you need from a contact that is going to be included. You should also strongly consider mapping out your sales processes for each of your services so it is easier to manage your brewing business.

It is also a good idea to keep your software requirements in mind when selecting your CRM, as you will want to select a title that plays nicely with your existing solution. Is your chosen email platform Outlook? Make sure to find a CRM that integrates with it for optimal benefits.

AE Technology Group is here to help you with these considerations, and more. To learn what we can do to assist your customer relationship management through IT solutions, or any other of your business processes, reach out to us at (877) 771-2384.

Why Microsoft Exchange No Longer Has a Lock on Business Email

why microsoft exchange no longer has a lock on business email
exchange-zarafa-email

One interesting thing about Microsoft’s recent communications regarding its public beta of Office 2013 is that the emphasis has been entirely on the client-side and cloud-based aspects. To learn anything more about the new Microsoft Exchange server requires more digging.

This is a sign of how Microsoft is shifting focus, and though it is keeping and adapting most of its legacy office programs, it is starting to recognize that its models are becoming less viable in the face of Microsoft Exchange alternative providers.

Organizations Are Losing Fear of Hosted and Cloud-Based Solutions

Email has been one of the prime vectors of malicious attack, and in fact the combination of “Microsoft Outlook + VBScript” used to be almost synonymous with basic hacking. Companies have been forced to stay guarded when it comes to email content as it contains the core of all internal communications and is also a powerful resource for attackers. This has been enough to justify the overhead associated with storage, licensing, and upkeep of email systems.

However, things have changed in recent years. Enterprise organizations are willing to trust their email exchange to hosted/cloud-based third parties, finding that security is often more than adequate and that the ability to leverage web access and mobility creates returns in productivity that more than justify the risks of giving up control.

Competitors Have Established Viability

Microsoft Exchange market share has dropped accordingly. Gmail as a business solution may have not been a widely-embraced idea when Google first launched its services, but nowadays email as part of Google Apps for Business has become the go to solution for countless successful organizations.

In addition, open source exchange alternatives such as Zarafa have allowed businesses to build an entirely Exchange-compatible email stack on top of a Linux-based solution. This allows them to leverage the advantages of local control yet also sidestep massive ongoing licensing costs and easily implement mobile and web-based access.

If you are evaluating your long term email strategies and considering migration, contact a trusted Exchange alternative provider.

Moving Your Business to the Cloud

moving your business to the cloud

Making the switch to cloud computing is both a painless and effective move that is crucial to your businesses productivity and efficiency. You will see vast improvements in your day to day operations when you utilize our cloud computing solutions and here is why.

Collaboration

Through cloud computing employees can share and edit projects simultaneously with real-time collaboration. Our cloud-based customer relationship software lets you collect and manage client information and generate new leads without the headache of having to install software and make constant upgrades on all your workstations.

Increased Security and Availability

Your data is only as safe as your infrastructure. Encrypted cloud storage protects your sensitive business data and documents from virtual attacks and allows you to access them from virtually anywhere!

Savings

Cloud computing will save your business money in different ways. Did you know that a cloud network can reduce your energy use by up to 87%?

We can offer your business a cloud-based service that will improve your work flow. Some of solutions include:

iceCRM – A cloud based customer relationship management. This service is accessible 24/7 from any device in any location! This service is customized and tailored specifically for your business, enabling you to manage your daily business needs!

Zarafa – Our collaborative cloud based email groupware. Zarafa has all the benefits of big name email services such as Microsoft Outlook, but is only half the price!

ASK4Cloud – One of the most secure and reliably cloud drives available to small and medium size businesses. You are enabled to sync files, backup multiple folders and have unlimited access anywhere, even on your mobile device! Your cloud is located on a private cloud server and can be re-branded to your company name. Your name, your data, safe and secured.

ASK4Backup – We provide our clients complete cloud based data recovery and business continuity programs. All of your sensitive and crucial business documents and data can be stored and backed up through cloud computing and you’ll never have to worry about losing a document again!

3 Considerations to Make Before a Cloud Network Migration

3 considerations to make before a cloud network migration
cloud-computing

Cloud network migration for most organizations is part of the future IT roadmap.

Though cloud migrations sometimes remain stalled due to concerns over security as well as maintaining total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI), the next few years will see an inordinate growth in the amount of data center traffic coming exclusively from cloud services. When cloud network migrations are part of a company’s march into the future, there are some key considerations to make.

Providers Are Not All Are the Same

The number of cloud service providers has grown rapidly, with Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Rackspace being just a few of the organizations that offer enterprise cloud services. They also all happen to have existing track records of delivering such services, giving a discerning organization plenty of history and information with which to judge the best partner to meet its network needs. Pricing is typically one the main points of consideration when choosing a vendor.

Though most cost models are usage-based, rates, policies, service tiers, and SLAs vary greatly among providers. Cost, however, should not be totally overshadow less tangible factors such as how well a cloud provider’s technological direction aligns with strategic vision.

Transitioning Systems in a Simple, Slow, Staged Approach

An organization will often have to start somewhere when moving systems to the cloud. This approach should be phased – cloud migrations that fail tend to do so due to the lack of planning. The guideline for beginning such a migration is to select a system component that has low complexity, lax security requirements, and limited risk of failure to the organization.

Straight Replication of the Existing Infrastructure Never Works

It behooves an organization to not plan on a one-to-one mapping of existing resources into the cloud. Doing so would mitigate the advantages in terms of scalability and better resource allocation that justify the move to the cloud in the first place.

Cloud solutions offer many ways to improve tech mainstays such as application servers, DMZs, and database service. Such improvements should be an essential part of any cloud migration plan rather than an afterthought.

How do I choose the right MSP Managed Service Provider?

how do i choose the right msp managed service provider

You know that choosing the wrong managed service provider can result in a company not only not growing at its projected pace, but can actually take a firm backwards.

So, extensive research into the types of support and management available is essential, as is some way to make sure the decision results in obtaining everything necessary, but not a bit or a byte more. While your needs are unique in many ways, there are some things that all companies in need of a managed service provider have a lot in common.

Do some or most of these issues sound familiar?

  • You’re working within a complicated web of vendors, whose individual components may or may not “play nice” with each other.
  • You have your own proprietary products, designed to interface between various pieces of purchased software and/or equipment, as well as some created to do specialized things required for the production of your specific product or service.
  • Every day you seem to need faster ways to diagnose and resolve different types of challenges.
  • Your company keeps growing, which creates a constant need for vigilant assessment of areas of strength to work with and areas of weakness to compensate for.

The levels of complexity in your specific industry and in the world of IT seems to be increasing exponentially. Budgets are constantly shrinking, requiring you to constantly ask more and more of your already overworked IT teams. So how do you as the CIO or head of IT make this essential decision?

According to Pat Patterson there are seven essential questions that need to be asked and answered by any potential partner:

  1. Will the proposed service partner support your business strategy now and in the future?
  2. Do you trust them to have the necessary expertise and bandwidth to provide maintenance, deliver support services or assume managed-services responsibilities?
  3. Will they become trusted advisors that stay engaged and serve as an extension of your IT organization and business?
  4. Do they provide a portfolio of offers that span the entire service continuum and have the necessary flexibility to ensure a smooth deployment of managed services?
  5. What applications, diagnostics checks or analytic tools do they leverage to anticipate any problems or hidden issues?
  6. Do they provide a single point of contact that can quickly swarm experts to resolve an issue in your network?
  7. Do they really know you? Understand your solution?

Now that you know what types of questions to ask you can rest easy because we have all the answers.

Contact AE Technology and we’ll help you design and implement an infrastructure that works for you. We’re dedicated to helping you make the right decision for your individual company’s distinct needs both for today and tomorrow.