3 Areas Where Distributors Should Leverage Cloud CRM

Cloud CRM systems allow distributors to capitalize on customer information and manage transactions more efficiently.

The more you know about your customers, the better you can serve them. CRM not only makes it easier to leverage customer data, but also provides automated processes that allow businesses to achieve the best results.

Here are three areas in particular where distributors should take advantage of CRM to better manage operations.

1. Customer accounts and business activity: Cloud CRM accelerates the customer lifecycle. It provides an automated way to move a client from the beginning of the cycle to the end. A quality CRM solution will deliver “a real-time 360-degree view of your customer experience, from lead and opportunity through to sales order management, upsell, renewals and service,” as NetSuite explains.
   It also provides deeper insights into business activities and performance with real-time dashboards. Monitoring your business in real time makes it easier to improve profitability because you can make better decisions when timely information is right in front of you.

2. Customer relationships: The high visibility afforded by cloud CRM allows distributors to see information about customers from all different angles, including sales, support and financial transactions. The more visibility you have into customers, the better position you’ll be in to market and sell to them. The ability to respond to a customer’s specific needs allows you to make the most of your relationship.
   Salespeople are able to use cloud CRM to gain access to detailed commission reports, billing forecasts and earnings, which can be integrated into a dashboard with sales activity. As such, CRM provides a one-stop shop with all of the necessary information about a contact. Salespeople can leverage that information to more effectively interact with customers and tailor their message to an individual customer’s needs.
   For example, you would want to avoid a situation in which a sales rep makes a call to pitch a product or service to a customer who has an unresolved problem. In that case, all of a sudden the salesperson would be blindsided with an unhappy customer who’s not in the mood to discuss making a purchase.
   If the salesperson has access to customer data in a CRM system, he or she can avoid the confrontation altogether, or even call to offer assistance. Leveraging CRM data helps to cement relationships with customers rather than create friction.
   In fact, a key benefit of CRM systems is their potential to help increase customer loyalty and retention. When you’re attuned to customers’ needs, they’re far less likely to look elsewhere for their business needs. It’s up to distributors to be invaluable to customers, and CRM helps to support that effort.

3. Sales processing: Another area where distributors should leverage CRM is with automated sales processing, which saves time and reduces manual processes. That in turn makes for more efficient workflows and accurate data.
   CRM can easily generate a quote and convert it to a sales order. With customer information passing through the system automatically, there are fewer opportunities for errors to be introduced, and the entire process moves more quickly and efficiently.
   Also, CRM provides real-time visibility into forecasts, allowing distributors to access critical information quickly and make adjustments as necessary. It’s much more efficient than entering data manually.

Leveraging cloud CRM is all about capitalizing on customer information and automated processes. The better you manage customer relationships and transactions, the more successful you’ll be in attracting and retaining business.