Quality Customer Relationship Management Brings Better Results

Changes are occurring worldwide that require adjustments to business models. Such changes are now largely based on the application of digital technologies, automation, and digitization. It is known that automation brings time savings and greater efficiency if well conceived. This is also true in sales, but here we do not mean sending identical messages to all potential customers, but rather careful personalization. How to combine these two assumptions? Through CRM, that is, customer relationship management. Krešimir Jurić, sales director from the domestic ICT company Setcor, is well aware of the advantages of CRM and confirms from experience that today selling without the use of modern technologies is much harder and slower.

– When we talk about the use of technology in sales, many primarily think of using social networks, that is, placing ads on those platforms or web portals, but they overlook the need to integrate all sales channels into one system, which CRM does. Through it, for example, you can quickly respond to a message from your Facebook page, see if that same person has already contacted you on Twitter or sent an inquiry via email, and when responding, already know what kind of offer you can give them based on some of their specifics, without having to ask the same questions that your colleagues asked elsewhere. Setcor is a leader in the application of new cloud technologies in the business models of its clients, and such a CRM is a good example – explains Jurić.

Of course, this is just one of thousands of possible examples of the advantages of CRM. Jurić adds that such a system is easiest to imagine as a huge cabinet from which you can pull out a binder about any person who is in some way connected to your company and, depending on the data you have collected about them so far, read everything that can help you close the sale. Also, if you opt for a cloud CRM, such as the one offered by Setcor, you can access that data at any time, wherever you are, and it remains completely secure from all attempts at theft or attacks.

– Most people, when they see the word CRM, think it is some Excel spreadsheet that they will waste time entering data into, while in fact, the setup does not take relatively long, while later it saves a lot of time. Therefore, I believe it is necessary to explain the advantages to the relevant people in companies with concrete examples, to avoid the stigma of paperwork and complicated software. For example, employee A needs the contact of customer X because employee B is responsible for that client and is on annual leave. Where will they find their number? Keeping such data on papers, USBs, or any similar media that are easy to destroy, steal, or lose is truly outdated. If you have a large amount of data, it is irrational to keep it on a laptop or in unmanageable emails. You simply log into the CRM and find the number in a few clicks – and that’s it – adds Jurić.

Sales managers for key accounts (KAM) especially need such systems. With a sales force that has territorial dispersion and more than 10 KAMs, and which has meetings with thousands of companies throughout the year, it is extremely important to monitor the efficiency of the sales process, from establishing contact, creating interest, generating sales opportunities, conversion into sales, and more.

– For monitoring the sales funnel, managing the efficiency of individual KAMs and teams, managing the profitability of individual and total sales, ensuring resources for the realization of sold services, and other key activities, a tool that enables accessibility, efficiency, and transparency is needed. Sales processes based on notebooks or .xls simply can no longer function in today’s economy – emphasizes Krešimir Jurić and continues that Setcor has implemented a CRM that results not only in increased sales efficiency but also has a positive impact on reducing costs and improving cash flow.

– The efficiency of KAMs has increased by about 20 percent, and the time from initial contact to acceptance of the offer has been reduced by 33 percent. The application of modern technologies, based on cloud solutions, has applications in all business functions, including sales – says Jurić.

The sales director of Setcor also emphasizes that such databases can be an excellent source for various analytics.

– Such a system will not only notify you when your contract with someone is about to expire, but it can also find a pattern in, for example, the reasons for not renewing contracts. Let’s take as an example that 40 percent of clients do not want to continue working with you after a year, CRM could give you answers as to what the causes are. It may turn out, for example, that those who renew their contracts have been communicated with more proactively or that the first 40 percent who dropped out often had problems with the delivery of purchased goods or something else. Of course, correcting such mistakes will launch you on the path to success – comments Jurić.

Of course, implementing CRM initially requires certain adjustments, the sales process itself undergoes a noticeable change, and it is to be expected that there will be some resistance from employees until they develop a habit, which is one of the few complaints Krešimir Jurić has about CRM. However, once a company commits to teaching new skills and work patterns, using CRM becomes routine, and employees quickly become aware of the advantages of the tool. Work becomes easier, and results improve.

– Yes, it is possible for the human factor to make a mistake, whether it is accidentally entering incorrect data or reluctance to enter into the new system. But if you explain well to employees, for example, that less money will go to organization, and thus more to some purposes that are more useful to them, most will ultimately accept the change. But this is more a field of change management that all serious companies should engage in during these unstable times – concludes Krešimir Jurić.

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