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 .

Every month , we pose industry experts a question pertinent to the issues of the day . This month . . . .

The lifestyle changes driven by the lockdown have prompted more small businesses to radically transform their business processes and they are increasingly looking to technology to assist .

According to a survey from Workbooks , the number of SMEs looking to adopt a CRM system rose by 16 % from the previous year and a 30 % 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 radically changed their priorities – the survey found that nearly 60 % 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 % of the respondents had worked from home . Indeed , most continued to do so – only 16 % 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 , said there was a paradox at play . He said : “ 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 .

Cheney added that , such was the demand for this type of analysis , there was little surprise in the uptick in CRM deployment .

He said : “ 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 % of respondents reported higher productivity and 32 % of them did not want to go back to their previous office-based life .

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