We have all read articles, and received emails, talking of 'Substantial return on investment' and 'Dramatically improved sales processes and figures', but such measures, whilst highly desirable in any corporate environment, are difficult to quantify, and make justifying the cost of a CRM implementation difficult. Perhaps just as critically, it does not serve as a strong motivator to encourage your staff to adopt the new system.

Perhaps there are more tangible ways of measuring success? A well-implemented CRM system designed to fit your needs solves a multitude of problems that can irritate staff, demotivate, and indeed affect the bottom line.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you?

1. Turning up to a meeting, you find your agenda hijacked by problems and complaints you didnt even know existed. A CRM system gives you a simple structure to capture such critical information before you step through the door.


2. You call a prospect and, annoyed, they inform you that one of your colleagues called them only last week. To the prospect it appears your right hand is out of touch with your left hand. A CRM system will ensure that sales staff will know who has been in touch and when, so that their activities are well targeted and the company operates as a whole.
3. Another user, or another department, cannot find the last document sent to a client. Emails and phone calls are exchanged just to locate the document. Meanwhile, the client is waiting. The core function of a CRM system is to ensure that all information is available to anyone that needs it, in real time.


4. Remote sales staff have no real-time access to their own calendars and task lists. They maintain they own systems, which are completely distinct from those in the office. There is the potential for double bookings, overlap of effort and confused messages going out to clients. A well-implemented CRM system solves this issue completely, with all calendars and task lists being available to anyone in real-time.
5. You want to write to a client, but are not sure which address to use. Different people use differing systems, and duplicates exist in each. The fundamental principle of a CRM system is that there should be one source of all information; available to everyone that needs it. Duplicate checking is then simple.

The end result of these five tangible benefits and others is the 'Substantial return on investment' and 'Dramatically improved sales figures' we hear about all the time. Your sales process will speed up and your relationships with clients and prospects will dramatically improve. As we all know, this can only lead to increased sales and a boosted morale within the company. Which, at the end of the day, is what we are all here for.