CPM system: what is it, job description and choice

Automation of various processes has become commonplace in the modern world, and it has not bypassed the scope of business. Today it is almost impossible to imagine accounting without the use of special programs. Even sales representatives cannot work without the appropriate apps for tablets and smartphones. And since progress does not stand still, we must already begin to introduce a customer relationship management system in small and medium-sized businesses. What kind of system it is and why it is needed, we will consider in the publication.

Introduction

Despite the global automation of work processes in small and medium-sized businesses, customer relations are still being established using “grandfather” methods, that is, without using an automated accounting system. What happens then in the sales departments? Each manager works with clients in a way convenient for him, captures calls and other information about the client at his discretion (and someone does not record at all). As a result, real reporting is carried out only at the level of payment for the order, since it is impossible to determine the effectiveness of the sales department by some other method.

In addition, if an employee quits or falls ill, all of his clients will be forgotten and the company will lose revenue. To prevent this from happening, many companies manage customer relationships using the CPM system for the sales department. Thanks to her, the company receives the following "buns":

• Standardizes a common contact base.
• Increases the effectiveness of control over the sales department.
• Gets performance statistics.
• From the obtained data, he develops a business development strategy.

CPM system: what is it?

The CRM system stands for Customer Relationship Management, which means “Customer Relationship Management”. This is a special software that automates the strategy of interacting with customers of the company in order to increase sales, improve service and optimize the marketing strategy of the company by organizing customer information.

You can also say that the CPM system is any type of control and accounting that allows you to improve customer relationships. Even if the company keeps records of calls and contacts in Excel documents, they can also be considered a CRM system, if this allows you to control all possible options for interacting with customers. Of course, now such methods are already massively a thing of the past. Since the modern world requires complete automation from the business, the CPM system is something that implies special software.

Your gaze

Now you can often encounter a situation where software developers are trying to impose on the client their vision of what is called a CRM system. Usually, artists offer the option that they implemented in their software product.

But in this matter you need to understand that there are no specific standards for a customer relationship management system, it must be developed based on what goals the business is pursuing. For example, some firms only need to keep track of contacts and interactions with them. They consider the other proposed functions optional, and even if they are introduced into the development of the CPM system, employees simply will not use them due to the lack of need. In a small trading company, the CRM system will simply consist of telephones, addresses, and customer mailboxes.For a beauty salon, variables like the frequency of visits and the average bill will also be added to this list.

And to be honest, a CRM system is any software that helps a successful business.

Need

Before implementing the CPM system for the sales department, you need to understand whether it is needed for a particular business in principle. This software is necessary only for those companies that work directly with customers and plan to expand their flow.

Such a system is necessary if incoming calls and requests from new customers are important in the business, and the main goal of the marketing campaign is to keep new customers or suppliers. Without CRM systems, online stores, wholesale companies, beauty salons, etc. cannot work effectively. After all, for each such enterprise it is important that all incoming orders are completed on time and customers are satisfied.

But if the company is not interested in increasing the number of customers, regular customers have concluded long-term contracts with it, and new customers appear only after a personal meeting and negotiations, then this kind of software will not work.

Benefit

Often you may encounter a situation where the head of the company knows about the CPM system, what it is, and how to interact with it, but I’m sure that he doesn’t need it. After all, he does not have many customers, the sales department consists of two or three people, and it seems simple to control their work. But only after the introduction of the CPM system, the manager reveals a large number of shortcomings and the quality of work with clients grows several times. What is the use of such programs?

1. They help not to lose a potential client, since they record all incoming calls and requests.
2. They provide an opportunity to control the work of employees and standardize the process of attracting customers. If there are no common standards, then each employee will work as he is used to, and contacts with customers will be established in a chaotic manner.
3. Allow you to create your own customer base. On its basis, the leader can analyze the work of the company and understand in which direction to move on.
4. Each software development has a large number of ready-made tools to bring the business to a whole new level.

Difficult choice

So, if it is decided that the business needs customer service software, it remains to answer the question of which CPM system to choose. First you need to make sure that the system proposed by the developer has all the functions necessary for a particular business. If incoming requests and calls are important for the company, you need to check whether the CRM system supports communication with telephony, if the company receives orders via the Internet, you should pay attention to the possibility of integrating software with the installed CMS system.

The rest will already depend on the tastes and requirements of the leader, as well as on the advice of a specialist. If the product of the developer has the necessary functions for doing business, then it is worth agreeing with his opinion. Such people usually advise a product that they are familiar with.

It is worth recalling in advance that it is very difficult to study the operation of the CRM system in test mode, all its pros and cons will be clearly visible only during operation.

Cloud or your server?

In general, there are two types of CPM systems for business:

• Service system. In this case, all the software is located on the server of the service provider, the client gets access to the system via the Internet online.
• Own service or Standalone. The user receives a license to install and use the program, places it on his server and, if desired (or necessary), modifies it according to his requests.

When comparing CPM systems of these two types, we can say that both have their pros and cons.If the user selects a server system, then he will have to face some restrictions. He will not be able to make changes to the program code, since it is located on the provider's server. Such systems allow you to configure employee access rights, integrate online resources, change the design, but all this will be located on the supplier’s server.

Even when using such a system, it is important to have uninterrupted access to the Internet; in its absence, many processes will stop. Also, you will have to pay extra for creating a backup copy of the database.

But as for the positive aspects, the user does not need to have his own server in order to host the software, and he will not be independently involved in updates.

By purchasing the program for himself, the user can change the program code and implement atypical solutions. But most often for small and medium-sized businesses the need for such functionality does not arise.

Functions

Software developers are constantly updating CRM systems, adding more and more goodies for use. But for most consumers, the variety of such options is not always necessary, and if the user does not understand what exactly he needs, he will definitely overpay for high-end software. Each CRM system should perform the following functions:

1. Possess a customer accounting module where customer information will be stored.
2. Sales management module, showing at what stage the deal is.
3. Have a system of automated business processes.
4. Analyze and report in real time in the form of charts, graphs, and tables.
5. Integrate with mail, website and telephony.
6. Have an API programming interface.

Principle of operation

In general, CRM systems work according to one standard. You can see how the program works on the example of a regular online store selling windows where the user leaves a request for the purchase of goods.

First, when the buyer leaves a request in the system, a contact card appears and the program reminds the manager that it is necessary to contact the customer to clarify the order within a certain period of time (15, 20, 30 minutes). If the manager expires the task, the system will immediately notify the department head about this.

If the manager called and filled out all the necessary data, the system automatically creates a task for another employee to “Take measurements”. In this case, the date and time of departure are indicated. When the measurement specialist has completed his task, he enters the results into the system, the program creates a task for another manager, who calculates the order value and coordinates it with the client. If the client agrees with the terms of the purchase, the manager creates a document (using the program template), which indicates all the data of the buyer, measurements and the amount.

After the payment is made by the client, the transaction is transferred to the “Installation” status. The installation specialist receives automatic notification of upcoming work and the timing of its execution. After the transaction is completed, the sales manager receives a report.

The CPM system for production is an indispensable assistant, because each employee is busy with his task, and the program helps to mobilize their efforts and save time. And time, as you know, is money.

CPM systems rating

At the end of 2017, the top ten CRM systems were determined. The leaderboard includes:

1. StorVerk. Experts say that, finally, the program developed on the 1C platform has become convenient, and not just smart. It is worth noting that this product corresponds to several trends: it takes into account all types of client requests, has automated business processes, and makes end-to-end sales performance analytics. This product can be fully adapted to your business, it is recommended for use by large trading companies and manufacturing enterprises.
2. Terrasoft bpm'online. This system is recognized as a leader in medium-sized businesses, suitable for companies that are ready to seriously invest in their IT infrastructure, because it combines innovative BPM and CRM technologies.
3. Dynamics 365. This client software package was developed by Microsoft. In general, it is focused on organizing a marketing system and provides support services. The user interface is simple and intuitive, which reduces the cost of training employees. To optimize the work, the user can connect functions that correspond to the level of business development.
4. Bitrix 24 In fourth place is a full-fledged corporate portal, consisting of an internal social network and the functions of a CRM system. In addition, the developers have created a special mobile application and now access to the system can be obtained from anywhere in the world. The program exists in SaaS and Stand Alone versions.
5. 1C: CRM. This is a line of solutions designed to automate customer service processes at enterprises of different levels. The program will be useful for firms working in the field of trade and services. True, a somewhat overloaded interface spoils a good impression of the program, and analytics happens through the paid CoMagic service.
6. SAP CRM. This product is able to perform not only short-term tasks, but also to build strategies for the company in the long term. It is considered the best solution for conducting electronic business, because it allows you to connect all parties to the transaction and processes in a holistic information environment.
7. ELMA BPM. This is a platform with a set of standard functions and on its basis is built a line of all ELMA products: document management, metrics, projects, customer base, business processes, etc.
8. ASoft CRM. It affects three main areas of the company: sale, service and marketing. Different tasks have their own CRM solutions. It is also worth noting that the company has developed industry-specific versions of the CPM system for tourism, realtors, banks and transport enterprises. This product is available only in cloud mode and is not sold as licensed.
9. Amo CRM. This system, which has an intuitive interface, is considered the most common in the environment of small and medium-sized businesses. With its help, a company can increase its revenues several times. The product makes it possible to fully manage relationships not only with existing, but also with potential customers at all stages of transactions. Amo CRM allows you to plan future tasks, make calls directly from the program interface, send email newsletters and monitor the work of managers. The product does not require installation and quickly integrates with the application form. This is the most attractive program in terms of price and quality.
10. Megaplan. It is a joint project management system. The program stores complete information about customers, the head can monitor events and tasks. As a bonus, the customer receives a billing module, the ability to organize a forum and a module for working with employees.

Cost

The total cost of the product consists of several parts:

• License or payment for access (depending on the type of system).
• Transfer data to the system.
• Development. Regardless of which system is purchased, you still have to carry out a number of improvements to make it fit the business.
• Escort.

It is also worth considering that during the transition to the CRM-system, the company will suffer losses until a new workflow is established. The cost of the product and license for each developer is different, so it’s impossible to talk about some kind of average. However, it is possible to please novice entrepreneurs - there are free CPM systems for small businesses.

For example, not so long ago, Sberbank decided to encourage small businesses and created a popular product in the public domain.Of course, it is made on the Fresh Office engine and is characterized by primitive simplicity, but still there are all the necessary basic functions, you can even receive messages from social networks and messengers.

You can also take advantage of the free tariff from Megaplan. The user receives a full-fledged cloud system, can create 10 user accounts and store a database of 100 people. Other free versions are similarly arranged, such as Smarty CRM, FreeCRM, basoCRM, “Things are going,” etc. All of them are limited by the number of users, but in order to clean up the small business and start making money, these functions are quite enough. In addition, if the number of customers increases, free versions can be made paid at any time without losing the accumulated base.

Separately, I want to note the free version of OptimaCRM. Its developers offer this system for free for download and installation on a local server. It has a multi-functional admin panel, has no restrictions on the number of clients, users and time of use.

The CRM-system makes the process of successful business is much easier, and if the company wants to compete and make good profits, it is vital to keep up with the times.