Amidst a climate of economic insecurity, businesses are wondering how they can trust that their potential or existing CRM software vendor has “staying power”.  Moreover, customers want to be assured that –- in addition to having the fortitude to overcome the national economic downturn — their software provider will maintain quality standards for their products and services. 

How can your company get this reassurance?  With the advice of a few top CRM vendors – including Hoyt Mann of PhaseWare and Kathy Sacks of iLinc – we’ve compiled a list of the “Top 5 Questions to Ask Your CRM Provider”.  For the sake of your company’s well-being – and for your own peace of mind – we encourage you to call your representative and ask the “tough questions” are essential in evaluating the solidity of your vendor and the viability of that vendor’s offering.

1. How many and what types of companies are in your user base? (Fortune 500’s?) 
2. What kind of service guarantee do you provide?
3. How do I protect myself from losing my data due to system failures?
4. What is the company’s long term plan for the financial downturn? 
5. In an SaaS model, ask to see the public Disaster Recovery Action Plan.

When it comes to CRM software, you want to have confidence in your provider’s ability to weather an economic storm.  Won’t you feel better knowing just how secure that software provider is?  Posing the critical questions is not just reassuring, it’s downright critical to ensuring the safety and security of your business’ data.  And remember: you won’t know unless you ask.

Contributors: Hoyt Mann, CEO, PhaseWare; Kathy Sacks, iLinc

Roundtable Topic: CRM and Web 2.0: Leveraging New Technologies to Engage Customers

We asked the top CRM vendors to offer tips to our readers on how they might best leverage new “Web 2.0” CRM technologies to Engage Customers.  Responding to this topic, Hoyt Mann, President of PhaseWare, Inc., emphasizes the use of social media to build customer interaction. 

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Roundtable Topic: CRM and Web 2.0: Leveraging New Technologies to Engage Customers

We asked the top CRM vendors to offer tips to our readers on how they might best leverage new “Web 2.0” CRM technologies to engage customers.  Nitin Badjatia, an Enterprise Solutions Architect at Consona CRM, advises readers on the importance of transparency in the construction of a collaborative CRM environment. 

Customer Participation and CRM 2.0
Contributed by: Nitin Badjatia, Enterprise Solutions Architect, Consona CRM
Forward thinking companies realize that engaging in this new ‘web 2.0′ world requires more than just enabling the new channels of communication, it requires a set of powerful tools to coordinate and manage these interactions, and provide intelligent feedback to all participants.  Architected to enable this new paradigm, the best knowledge management suites can serve as core technologies that drive better interactions with your customer ecosystem by building a collaborative environment that leads to greater satisfaction and loyalty. Read more »

Round Table Topic: Expert Advice on Leveraging Your CRM System to Survive This Economic Crunch

Jason Kort, Director of Marketing, SoftVu

Jason Kort addresses this month’s round table topic: Expert Advice on Leveraging Your CRM System to Survive this Economic Crunch”. Jason points out that aged leads have a lot of value that can be tapped in adverse economic situations.

A recent study of 100,000 aged lead survey responses across 38 different lending clients, reveals that 60-70% of aged leads remain viable after the second contact—some beyond even six months after applying online.  The typical practice of not following up with leads after one or two contacts—not nurturing leads effectively—means you’re throwing away 60-70% of your total investment in leads. Read more »

Round Table Topic: Expert Advice on Leveraging Your CRM System to Survive This Economic Crunch

Hoyt Mann, President of Phaseware, responds to our round table topic “Expert Advice on Leveraging Your CRM System to Survive this Economic Crunch.” Hoyt’s recommendation to focus on retaining existing customers in sage advice for any business.

Contributed by: Hoyt Mann, President, Phaseware, Inc.

Much attention has been given to the ways in which CRM can help generate new customers. In an economic downturn, your company must also focus on retaining existing customers. In the course of retaining these customers by keeping them completely satisfied with their interactions with the company, new customers may emerge through referrals. But those existing customers must be taken care of first. Read more »

Round Table Topic: Expert Advice on Leveraging Your CRM System to Survive This Economic Crunch

Contributed by: Tom Millay, General Manager, Consona CRM

The customer retention component of your CRM system will keep companies competitive during this economic crunch.  Who can afford to lose customers as discernment is exercised when money becomes tight?  Never before is providing the right products/services, to the right customer, at the right time been more important.  

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Round Table Topic: Expert Advice on Leveraging Your CRM System to Survive This Economic Crunch

Ronald Lang, the CEO of Majestic Consulting Group offers our readers simple recommendations for leveraging your CRM system to maximize your client base. His insights help both product and service-based organizations discover new revenue opportunities.

Contributed by: Ronald Lang, CEO, Majestic Consulting Group, Inc.

A critical part of building your CRM strategic plan should be an effective “Customer Profile” to identify up-sell and cross-sell opportunities.  While new customers come at an extreme premium today with longer sales cycles, existing clients would be more receptive to hear your offerings, especially if it can be a positive impact to their business. Read more »