5 warning signs that it's time for a new CRM

How efficient is your CRM? While this may not be a question that you ask often, it is an important one. An outdated, unused CRM doesn’t just slow down productivity, but can impact every aspect of your business, causing miscommunication, breakdowns between departments, and the loss of important deals. We’ve put together five warning signs to help you evaluate how your CRM is performing, and identify when it is time for an upgrade. 

1. You're drowning in spreadsheets

It’s a complaint that we’ve heard all too often - you’re looking for information about a prospect, and are directed to a spreadsheet. The information that you need isn’t on the spreadsheet, so you check a different one. It isn’t there either - and so on.

Having contact information saved in separate places not only slows productivity, but can also be extremely frustrating for your sales team. Databases and spreadsheets are not kept up to date, or become lost in the system, causing issues with efficiency, usability, and communication between teams. A good CRM should be a central point of truth, holding all of the data that you need, but many B2B companies are working with outdated systems, or aren’t utilising the potential of their software. Using the right CRM can increase your team’s productivity by 50%, and can help you ditch the spreadsheets once and for all! 

2. You made a follow-up call to a prospect, only to find out that someone else from your company has already called them.

The ultimate sales no-no - this kind of mess-up makes your company look disorganised, unprofessional, and annoys potential customers. Your current CRM may have the option of logging calls and emails with prospects, but are your sales team actually using this? 

It can be easy for this type of slip up to happen, but a good CRM means that this is much less likely. 25% of the average B2B database is inaccurate, and when you’re contacting prospects, accuracy is key. CRMs such as HubSpot or ActiveCampaign offer a contact timeline of sorts, so that each member of your sales team can view when prospects have been contacted and how, all in real time. 

3. Your team are treating all prospects the same way 

In the new buying landscape, you need to make sure that you are communicating with your prospects in the right way, at the right time, and through the right channels. This can be tricky without a centralised database, but it can be even more difficult when your database isn’t working hard enough. Sales teams can easily slip into treating all prospects in the exact same way - but as the buying process is increasingly leaning towards a more holistic, personal approach, it is vital to reconsider your sales process. 

A new CRM can help you to understand buyer behaviours, information about your potential customers, and personalise your communication for each one. More advanced CRMs can also offer personalisation opportunities on your website and in emails - HubSpot, for example, has the functionality to show different content to site visitors, based on their previous behaviour, location, or which stage of the buyer’s journey they are at. Personalisation can be the difference between closing deals and losing them - don’t waste your time with a CRM that doesn’t allow for this in 2020. 

4. You can’t get the reporting data that you need 

Trying to get accurate, useful data from your marketing or sales efforts can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. If you’re having to get data from separate locations within your CRM, or are having to check it against one of your many spreadsheets, it may be time to consider a new CRM. 

Ideally, you should be able to see data at a glance, and be able to customise what you see based on your needs. We’re a big fan of HubSpot’s dashboard feature, but you can also create custom reports in Salesforce too. 

5. Your sales staff can’t close deals on the move 

This is an issue that may be affecting your business more than you think! If your CRM isn’t available on mobile, you may be missing out on key sales opportunities. The ability to check contact information instantly is vital for your sales team - it means that if they are making calls outside of normal working hours, then the information they need is right at their fingertips. 

Plenty of CRM systems now offer mobile apps, and some offer integration with a variety of different programmes so that you can make the most of the software. This means that your sales team can keep the data fresh, with real-time updates no matter where they are. If your sales team regularly work from home, or are attending events, they can keep up with prospects on the go. 

If some of these warning signs sound familiar, it might be time to look for a new CRM. As a HubSpot Diamond Partner, we’re a little biased, but we’ve put together some comparison blogs for ActiveCampaign, SharpSpring and Salesforce to help you decide. If you want a system that can offer accurate data in real time, that can also work as a central point of truth across your whole business, then HubSpot may be the best choice for you. Book a free demo below to find out more about the features it can provide for you.