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Data entry. A divisive facet of the modern-day workplace, that’s for sure. Some may take pride in the speed at which they can get data from one place to another, while others develop a fever just thinking about it.
Most of the time, data entry is a job that is time-consuming, dull, and in the modern age of CRM solutions, often superfluous. When it comes to Salesforce (being the most popular CRM on the planet right now), integrations with other apps play a huge part in its appeal. Many of these integrations focus on cutting down the time it takes to get data into useable forms, which we can all agree is a pursuit worth investigating.
So just how much time can be saved by using these techniques? There is only one way to find out.
Get those cards converted
Firstly, we need to address a problem that many a sales rep has encountered in his or her working day. That problem is the inevitable and growing collection of business cards that accumulate in the pockets of anyone who has ever attended a networking event. These cards are often pocketed and then forgotten about. A few months later, when you rediscover them in that pocket, you’ll probably throw them into the trash.
Luckily though there is a solution to this problem, in the form of business card scanner apps. The best business card scanner app for Salesforce on the market not only has optical character recognition built-in but also integrates directly with your account to move the data directly into your CRM solution, reducing the risk of losing precious information that could provide a new lead or create a useful business connection.
With that data now in your system, it will be searchable and editable, allowing you to tag and categorize certain contacts as hot leads, or simply add extra information to remind yourself about details of a meeting that would otherwise have been forgotten. Get scanning those cards, and clear out those pockets.
Make social media work for you
In a world that seems to revolve around social media, SMBs will avoid this new area of marketing at their peril. While setting up a business account on all the top social media platforms is a great start, monitoring them all and seeing how useful each one is, can sometimes be confusing and time-consuming. Yet again, integrations with your CRM solution are here to save the day.
Once set up, these integrations can let you track trends and mentions across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and many more. This in turn will allow you to target customers specifically, while also aiding existing customers with any issues they may be having (and talking loudly about) online. The data that can be gleaned from this is extremely powerful – so much so, that you may end up using social media to engage with your customers at a rate that is unrivaled by any other method.
The other option is to leave your social media accounts unlinked, and simply check them at the end of the day, manually transferring any useful information into a separate database. The choice is yours.
Excel in the field of integrations
When it comes to spreadsheets, Excel is still king of the hill.
With around 70% of businesses in the US using the finely-tuned Microsoft product 30 years after its initial creation, other companies have seen an opportunity to aid the vast swathes of Excel users who regularly take information from their spreadsheets and re-input it within their CRM solution.
This, as you can imagine, is a waste of time. Plenty of applications now allow for Salesforce and other CRM integrations, so find the one that suits you and forget about inputting information in two separate places.
Let the data do the talking
CTI, or Computer Telephony Integration, allows you to gain a plethora of information from telephone calls that would otherwise need to be entered manually following a sales call.
For example, if a sales rep is on the phone to a customer, CTI can record the length of the conversation, whether a sale was made, if a ‘call back’ is needed, and which member of staff took the call. All this data can help you route calls to the correct departments – and to see which member of your sales staff perhaps needs a raise.
If your team is spending a minute or two after each call recording details of the conversation, it may be time to look into CTI.
Automate segmented emails
Email campaigns are a staple of many businesses these days. Personalized correspondence with existing and potential customers is a far better approach than a standard, generic email sent out to everyone on your contact list.
With data already held within your CRM, information from specific fields can be used to send different messages to different clients.
Salesforce can help you with this within the platform itself, but some other apps can also integrate with Gmail and Outlook, giving you an even wider scope for your email strategy. Now you don’t need to export lists and import them into your email marketing platform for each send anymore.
Less typing, copying, and pasting
If you truly want to use your CRM to build and maintain the best business relationships possible, then you can’t get bogged down with manually logging everything. Make the most of your CRM’s native tools and available integrations, and you’ll have everything in place to execute better nurture, acquisition, support, and retention programs in the long term.