Tech

When picking a CRM system, most companies look at the features: which ones do they have, what do they do, and how will it apply to your business. The most popular features are typically the sales tracking, the cloud storage, message boards, and reminders. But what about some of the features that you might not think about, that can determine how well the software works for you? People tend to overlook some of those other features like document creation and layout, accessibility, and the layout of the system itself, which is what we are going to dive into below.

When you are looking at all the different systems, it is easy to get overwhelmed and busy looking at what it will do for you, but what happens when you make the choice and then you can’t figure out how to even get to the features you wanted. Many of the systems out there have gotten complicated; it isn’t easy to understand what you are looking at and it isn’t easy to get to where you want to go within the system. Being able to use the system you choose is important, which is why Scoperite takes great pride in the easy navigation and simple layout of our system. We don’t think you need a ton of bells and whistles, but we do think that you need to be able to find the features you have.

Scoperite is broken down into a series of simple tabs and tables. There are three different tables on the main page for the three major stages of a claim; each table contains the claims within that stage and the claims can be searched and sorted by claim number, address, or client name. The tables make it easy to access the claims you need, as well as the features that you wanted for those claims. The tabs allow users to find the production section, the reports section, and the settings section. Each of these tabs as a few different pages within it based (i.e. the production calendar or the employee list) that are clearly labeled and can be visited by simply clicking on the icon/word. Beyond that, there isn’t much to explain when navigating Scoperite, it is simple.

Obviously, every system and every company are different, so you may need one with more features that takes more time to learn and navigate, but remember when you also want the system to make your company more productive, not more complicated. When you are doing your research about CRM systems, take the time to check out some of the lesser thought about features to make sure you truly are picking the right system for your company.

Most CRMs are pretty similar. There really is no way around that; they all have similar features that serve similar purposes, regardless of the industry or intended function. So what makes them different? And how do you know really which one is right for you? We have talked before about picking the right CRM for your company here and here, but today we want to talk to about how Scoperite is different than many of the other systems.

At Scoperite we stand by our goal of success through simplicity, which means making your life easier. It means not have a bunch of useless features, it means having an easy to use layout, and it means not being the end-all, be-all software system for your company. Many of the CRM systems out there are made to be the last piece of software that you will ever need; it is all-encompassing, has all the features from an email server to sales management to budget reports, and is meant to be used for anything (and everything) your company could possibly need. But who really needs that besides gigantic corporations? Not small businesses that’s for sure. Even medium and some larger companies don’t need something that can do it all.

In our ongoing goal of simplicity and reducing stress, we understand that most small businesses, especially within the construction sphere, don’t need an all-encompassing system, which is why we aren’t one. We know that sounds weird; flaunting something that we aren’t, especially in comparison to our competition. We also know that you need a system that is going to work for your needs, so why pretend?

Scoperite is unique in that we are a claims management software, and nothing more. We know that most companies already have a system in place for emails and budgets and whatever else, but that what most companies need, especially in the construction sector, is a system to manage claims and projects. Between Google, Microsoft, and Amazon there are enough free and affordable services for all your other business needs, so why uproot that just to use the parts of a software system that you need. Scoperite allows users to input email addresses into the system so that messages can be sent and seen both on the platform and from within your email system, eliminating the need to get a whole new email system set-up within the CRM. It also let’s you store documents and track payments within each claim, so it is easy to get a quick picture of where each project is at. Do you need more than that? Probably not if you are already operating successfully. Adding Scoperite will simply continue to make your life easier, and your business more effective at what you do. If you are interested in learning more about Scoperite’s features and functions, please sign-up for a demo at www.scoperite.com!

As is the case with any type of advertisement, CRM companies typically spend their time telling you what you need and why you need it. Rather than trying to address the problems you have and find what works for you, they tell you your problems (and then explain how their system can fix it). At Scoperite, we don’t believe to know what is best for you, which is why we invite you to sign-up for a demo and see what we are all about, but we understand that it isn’t for everyone and we won’t push our typical customers needs onto you. In doing our best to continue that trend, we want to talk about finding the right CRM for your company, because there are a lot of them out there that can address almost any problems or needs that you may have. Below we will dive into strategies on finding the best CRM for you company.

Look At What Your Business Needs

Every business is different, even within industries. They all have different cultures, different paces, and different ways of doing things. So CRM systems that say they specialize in X industry are just trying to hoodwink you into thinking they understand what your business needs. The only people who can properly identify what your business needs are you and your employees. Identifying what your business needs doesn’t mean looking for areas where a CRM might help, it means looking at your business as a whole and seeing what needs fixed. It could be the way the phones get answered, the time between follow-up calls, different people working on the same client, or anything! Take a hard look at what you think you need, and then ask your employees, or even ask clients for feedback; take all of that information and use it to see it to see what you need, because in the end it might not be a CRM.

Identify How You Will Use A CRM

Once you know your needs and/or problems, take a look at a few different CRM systems that you think might be good, and identify exactly what features will be helpful to you in regards to the specific needs you have already identified. If most of the features aren’t directly applicable to what you need, move on to another system. Do this for the systems you think might be good; if there are at least 3 or 4 features that you think will directly apply to your needs, make a note of it. Once you have a few different systems narrowed down, sign-up for demos. Take that time to really dig into what the software can do, and if it is worth adding to your company.

Evaluate Other Options

In addition to demo a few different CRMs and seeing if they are what you are looking for, also take the time to look at other available options as well. The Google Business system and Microsoft Office 365 are other great avenues to solving certain problems, and can cheaper and easier to implement as well.

When it really comes down to deciding to add a CRM or not, make sure you are taking the time and effort to research what you need and how it will help you be better, not just jumping in because other companies in your industry have it and you think it might help you too. Your needs are what need to be answered to, and it may not be a CRM that is going to do that.

Raise your hand if you know what a KPI is! I’m going to take a wild guess and say that if you never took a business class, you don’t know what I’m talking about, at least not the specific terminology.  A KPI is a key performance indicator, or said more simply, it is a measure of success. KPIs can be used in every facet of a business to determine how well it is doing. From marketing to finances to employee satisfaction, KPIs are in place so that you know how well everything is going. As simple as that sounds, KPIs can get confusing in a hurry, especially if other people are telling you what they are (or should be). The only people who can truly know what the KPIs are for your company are you and your employees because you know the business better than anyone else.

Identifying Your KPIs

No matter the type of business you run, there will always be business to business connections and outside people giving you advice. They can be financial advisers who help you keep the money flowing, accountants who can tell where you to look for explanations of losses, or marketing agencies swaying you in the direction of trends. All of these people mean well, but they can make determining success more difficult for you. They are experts in the broad spectrum; they know finance, or they know marketing, or they know employee management, but they don’t know your company. While they can lead you in the right direction, the accountant’s numbers might not be the most accurate way to measure success because of the time-frame your projects take. The marketing agency might know the best way to get your name out on Google, but does it line up with your goals?

You and your employees know the everyday ins-and-outs of your company, and you know best what marks your success. So take the time to take note of those things. Employee satisfaction may be determined by benefits or fun activities rather than base pay. Sales might not be measured by quarterly numbers. Marketing success may still be in the paper realm, not online. Look at how you currently measure your successes, those are your KPIs. Find ways to measure them more consistently (if need be) and share them with everyone you work with, both inside the company and out.

The Value of Knowing Your KPIs

Why is it important to know what you KPIs are? If you have measures of success that work for you, why re-name them and clarify them? So that you can share them, and do what is best for your company. Earlier we talked about working with businesses outside your company, and how they will have their own KPIs for your business, those companies are why you need to identify your own KPIs. You know what works and what doesn’t for your specific company, so share that with the other businesses you work with so that what they do for you can be more effective. If they are working to meet your standards of success, then you will likely see more of it. It makes everyone more productive when they know what the goals are, what aspects of the business are being looked at most closely, and where improvements can be made. Knowing and identifying your own KPIs gives you full control even when you are working with other businesses; allowing you to create and maintain higher levels of understanding, control, and, of course, success.

Gone are the days of documents being printed and filed by hand, and it seems that soon, the days of filling up your computer storage with those same files will be gone as well. More and more companies are moving document storage to the cloud, along with many of their other operations. With programs like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Mail becoming more user friendly and easier to manage, many companies are moving all of their online operations to cloud-based sites.

Moving operations to the cloud can be a big change, and take some time to transfer and adjust when it is done, but in the long run it can make a big difference for companies. When email, documents, and software programs are all on the cloud it allows your company to expand its capabilities and reap the benefits of doing so. Keep reading to check out the biggest benefits of being cloud-based.

Mobility

Any more it is unlikely that someone has to sit in an office all day to get their work done. With smart phones basically turning into small computers and flexible schedules becoming more popular, people can work from anywhere. The cloud is doing its part to make that even more possible. When all of a company’s work is in the cloud it can be accessed from anywhere; so beyond being able to respond to emails and stay connected, people can actually solve problems and finish work while they are working at home, from a coffee shop, or their kid’s baseball game. Mobility means that people can get more done, and be more efficient even when they can’t be in the office, but also get to maintain a work life balance a little easier. When work can be done anywhere, it makes it possible for people to be a part of events and work their day around kid’s activities and other obligations outside of work.

Accessibility

You know that feeling when you’re traveling for work and someone needs something that is done but it’s on your computer in another state? Or you took a few days off, but something big comes up and you don’t have access to jump on and help really quick? The cloud can help fix that. When everything is stored and organized on the cloud, no matter where you are you will have access to your email and all your files so that you can help solve problems or put in work if you have a little extra time. Having access to everything whenever you need it gives you the opportunity to be more efficient with your work and more effective in helping your coworkers and clients whenever they need it.

Organization

No matter your job, you always have stuff. Paperwork, office supplies, files, folders, the list goes on and on of the stuff that sits in your office that you have to spend time trying to keep organized. Again, this is where the cloud comes to save the day. When your whole operation is stored in the cloud, it means all the paperwork and files and folders are too. It takes a lot less time to scan in documents and organize them in folders on the computer than it does when everything is physically in your hand. It also makes it a lot easier to find files when you need them, because you know exactly where they are. Using a cloud-based system can help keep you more organized in a more efficient matter; you don’t have to routinely destroy your office to get it organized again and it is easy to make changes to your filing system when you need to.

Picking a CRM system for your company is big choice. This system is going to change how your company operates and does business, from tracking leads to filing final invoices it is going to be relevant.

We have already talked about the process of how to choose the right CRM for your business (check that out here!), but today we are going to go in depth on the value of doing demos and free trials before you pick out a CRM.

It can be easy to pick a CRM based on the industry you are in and what your competitors use; and there is nothing wrong with using a CRM designed for your industry! But there, typically, are more than one CRM option for you to choose from, and that is where you need to take the time to try out the different options.

Most CRMs give a description of overall functions and the best features and, usually, they are detailed. It can be easy to see the list of features and think, “Yeah, I need those specific ones” and feel like you have a grasp on what you are going to be getting. However, features and functions can vary widely from system to system, even if they are labeled as the same thing. Sales tracking and customer/claim/project information can look vastly different and have different functions depending on the CRM; which is why it is essential to take the time to do demos and free trials.

When you take the time to demo a system, you get to actually see, fiddle with, and understand the interface and all of its features, and decide if it is actually what you are looking for. From the pictures and short videos posted on CRM websites, it can be hard to see the layout of the system; you don’t get a good feel for the landing pages, the navigation, or the ease of use. By doing a demo you have the opportunity to click through every page, test out features, see how easy it is to navigate, and decide if the learning curve will work for your company. CRMs may seem simple and easy to navigate based the photos and marketing material on the website, but the only way to know for sure is by trying it out yourself.

Demos and trials also give you the opportunity to see the features first hand and take note of if they are actually what you are looking for or not. CRMs tout all different kinds of features from tracking, to storage, to calendars, and on and on the list goes, but most of the time you only need a few specific features to work in a certain kind of way. If a CRM says it has a calendar that can mean a lot of different things; it could be a general calendar that can’t be edited, it could be a calendar for each user that doesn’t integrate with others, it could be for production tracking, or it could be your email calendar imported into the software itself. Depending on what your company needs, that calendar could be a waste of a feature, and more or less a waste of your money. Being able to actually mess around with and see the functionality of certain features is invaluable when picking out a system; it allows you to ensure that you pick a system with the features that are going to be the most effective and most useful for your company and your employees.

Though it may seem tedious and time-consuming, taking the time to test out a CRM before you purchase it helps you to pick the exact right system for your company, saving you time, money, and more stress down the road.

Adding a CRM system to your business is an investment in more ways than one. There is the financial investment, obviously, that comes with adding new technology to your workplace. There is also an investment of your time, and taking it away from certain projects and tasks to learn how to use your new system. And finally, you invest yourself in this new system; putting your businesses goals and your livelihood on the line so to speak.

So how do you make sure you are investing in the right CRM? There are hundreds of them out there, and they all have different features, different operating systems, different reports, different everything more or less, and you want to make sure you choose the one that is going to be the most effective for your business.

To pick the right one, you need to invest a little more time and energy to find out what your business needs, do your research, and experiment a little.

1) Look Closely At What Your Business Needs

Every business operates differently and has different needs based on what they do, whatever CRM you decide to use should address the needs your business has. The first step to picking the right CRM is to look, closely, at what your business needs out of the system.

Do you need lead management? Production or scheduling capabilities? Unique document creation? Full-sales pipeline? Knowing exactly the kind of features you need your CRM to have will help you narrow down the options, and ensure that you get a CRM that fits to your needs, instead of having to fit your business to the CRM.

2) Do Your Research

Once you have narrowed down the features and functions that you need your CRM to have, take the time and do some research! See if there are CRMs that are specific to your industry, like Scoperite and Claim Wizard are for construction, or SalesForce is for high-volume sales industries; industry specific CRMs are more likely to have more of the features you are looking for, and be easier to adapt into your business.

A good place to start researching is to look at industry blogs and Facebook pages, see if other people are talking about useful systems. If you can find contact information, it couldn’t hurt to even reach out to people who have left reviews or comments about certain CRMs so you can pick their brain.  It’s also a great idea to look to your peers, even if they are technically your competition; ask them if they have a system they like, or if they have tried one of your potential options. People like to talk about things that went poorly, so if one of the CRMs you are considering is a bad choice, your peers will definitely let you know.

3) Experiment

Once you find a few CRMs you think might be right for you, experiment with them! A lot of CRM companies offer a demo of some sort for their systems, do them. The demos may range from a screen share showing you how the system works, to a full two weeks that you can use the system in your company to see if it is a fit.

The demos give you the opportunity to ask questions, see features in action, and get a good feel about the CRM. Employees of the CRM companies are typically very helpful as well, because they want you to buy their product, so don’t be afraid to inundate them questions, see if you can a free or discounted trial run, and really work to learn the system before committing to purchasing it. Testing out the CRMs, however you can, before you buy it can help ensure you get the absolute right system for your company, and save you the headache of getting the wrong one.

CRM’s are fantastic. They can help keep your office more organized, allow you to manage your employees on a closer scale, and improve overall efficiency by cutting out unnecessary steps, but more than almost anything else, using a CRM can help your business improve its customer service.

Customer service is an essential part of every business, whether it is one that is emphasized or not. How helpful and effective you are for your customers determines whether or not they will repeat business with you, refer their friends and family to you, and leave good reviews to help you gain more business. Below we dive into a few of the ways using a CRM system can improve your customer service.

Have you ever had a customer call in needing a copy of a warranty or an estimate? Are you able to quickly find it and send it over, or do you need to make a note and remember to search around for it later? With a CRM, the files for all customers are stored together in one easy to access location. When a customer calls in needing a file or document, you can quickly pull it up while you are on the phone with them and, in some cases, send the file directly from the software.

Using a CRM also makes it easier to contact customers with answers to questions or updates about their projects. Unlike paper filing systems, the customer information is always easily accessible within their claim, so finding an email address or phone number is as easy as typing a last name into the CRM. This allows you to stay in contact with your customers as their claim progresses, making them feel more comfortable and making your company very reliable to them.

When it comes to customer service, being a one-man show is hard; if you have employees, implementing a CRM makes it possible for everyone to help resolve customer service issues.  Rather than each individual person being the sole responsible party for their customers, all employees can help ensure all customers have a positive experience. If one of your salesmen is spending the day in the field, or on a vacation, other employees can help his customers if they call needing something, instead of having to wait for that specific salesman to be back in the office to find the needed information.

Current customers aren’t the only ones who can be benefitted from your company switching to a CRM.  Returning customers who’s information you already have will be pleased when they don’t have to repeat paperwork when they come back to your company, and you will be able to quickly remind yourself what work you did for them previously with a just a glance at their file.  It also isn’t uncommon for former customers to misplace or lose documents like warranty paperwork, and when all files are organized in a CRM, it is easy to locate and re-send the documents to the customer.

While some of these benefits may seem small, in the long run they can change how your company helps its customers, making them more likely to give you return business and refer business to you!