These days marketing automation goals are to shift as much of the routine work from sales or marketing to the CRM system. This is an area where CRM systems are improving at a fast pace and it can save your effort and hassle since marketing automation aims at resolving one of the major pain points that slows down CRM. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/easing-the-pain-of-crm-with-marketing-automation-79032

There are many CRM systems in the market. Each one of them are unique and have minor differences with each other. So, take time to carefully evaluate prospective systems when are choosing any CRM systems and choose a system that is the right size for your business and has the capacity to grow with you.  Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/mistakes-to-avoid-with-crm-78709

Data driven marketing strategies are focused on closing sales, customer retention and building loyalty. The key marketing strategies should be focused around the customer and CRM helps in the tracking customer’s movement through the sales cycle based on specific marketing campaigns and CRM systems also can give marketing exceptional access to this type of individual transaction-level data, which  allow marketers to create high-tech campaigns. This article explores the ways in which marketers are using CRM to strengthen their marketing strategy. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/4-ways-to-use-crm-to-strengthen-your-marketing-strategy-74702

Content marketing when synced with CRM (customer relationship management) system increases profit throughout each phase of the sales cycle. There are 3 ways in which, uniting content marketing and CRM systems can generate higher sales.

1.       The case studies, applications and the customer testimonies provided by content marketing pieces bridges the gap between indecisions and confirmation of the customers.

2.       It is also important to keep updating the customers through recent customer successes, trade articles, new customer wins, product innovations, and the latest research. This results in portraying the company in front of the customer in a passive and informative way.

3.       The CRM systems should be used to let the sales department know when a new piece of content marketing is published. This closes down the gap between sales and marketing.

Thus content marketing plays a crucial role that helps to generate insight of a customer and ultimately creating a valuable partnership with the business. To read more follow:- http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/3-ways-crm-can-help-you-close-sales-with-content-marketing-74186

Today’s customers hunt information about a product in their own way and decide which product will satisfy their needs. So, an organization needs to know about their customers before they create content. This is where CRM comes into the picture. A CRM solution can help to build marketing strategies tailored to a prospect’s specific needs. Susan J. Owens (An analyst with Studio B), writes in her article about some ways a CRM system can help you understand the prospective sales, in turn making content marketing creation more accurate and targeted. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/crm-helps-you-build-a-content-marketing-program-that-works-73916

Customer database stores information about your clients which helps to retrieve the information easily. When you convert to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, it will take the database to a new level. CRM software offers a range of capabilities designed to manage customer data and interaction, and to automate sales, marketing, and customer support. This article explains some of the things CRM systems can do for you. Read more at:  http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/teach-your-client-database-to-think-with-crm-70912

David Gillman (Analyst with Studio B), writes in his article, about five cost points most SMBs evaluate when looking at CRM systems and also companies need their own numbers in the return-on-investment equations. They are – Lost Sales, More Accounts per Salesperson, Reduction in Marketing Time, and Faster and More Accurate Reporting and Forecasting, and Reduced Salesperson On-Boarding Time. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/5-cost-justifications-for-crm-in-small-and-mediumsized-businesses-70452

According to a study, 63% of CRM initiatives fail, costing companies thousands of dollars in out of pocket expenses, which negatively impacts future revenue due to missed sales and opportunities. CRM is effective for those who manage several sides of business, which includes sales, marketing, customer relations, and product updates. There are three reasons for these failures – flawed communication of goals for the CRM system by company leaders, lack of organization-wide use, and inability to integrate with existing tools and applications. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/3-reasons-crm-implementations-fail-70341

In cloud based CRM, vendor handles everything from hardware maintenance to software upgrades. But, when the vendor overhauls their system which in turn forces your business to change the whole system. So, a change management plan is necessary. Business must have alternative plans in place for other CRM systems. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/how-to-handle-change-management-when-your-cloudbased-crm-gets-overhauled-69801

Gartner predicts that by 2025 up to 85 percent of all CRM systems will be in the cloud and CRM market is expected to grow by 14.8 percent annually through 2017. Cloud computing helps CRM software with better and faster data, ease of access, and is simple to deploy and use.  Mae Kowalke (journalist and communications professional) writes in her article link about some major changes in CRM systems. To know more, follow: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/six-ways-that-crm-has-changed-since-the-cloud-66116

Choosing the right CRM System is very important, especially for small businesses. When one selects a CRM system, it is important to decide what features are needed, which ones would be nice to have and which ones are not needed. CRM systems need to be realistic and easy to use. Vendor stability is important while choosing a CRM system of any size. CRM systems should help a company to grow, get you closer to your customers and increase the bottom line. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/rightsize-your-crm-65250

Big Data is everywhere. Big Data also includes data from sources like radio-frequency identification tags, machine sensor data, and other continuous streams. Flow of data is affecting all areas of distribution, including sales and marketing through the customer relationship management (CRM) system. Companies are facing problems while storing large amount of information for their operations and make that information accessible in real time for users. The impact of big data is in improving business operations. So to overcome this problem, predictive models are being embedded in CRM systems. For example, telemarketers use predictive dialing systems to maximize their potential. CRM vendors are also integrating predictive models into their CRM systems. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/how-will-big-data-affect-distribution-crm-64820

The best way to know a customer is by looking into customer profile. But what is a customer profile. A customer profile is a picture of your ideal customer, the one you want to target your marketing and sales.  CRM system helps to keep track of customers' characteristics. An organization must consider some points in order to visualize an ideal customer. To know more, follow: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/profiling-the-ideal-customer-64693

An organization can convert information into customer intelligence to strengthen relationships and maximize profits by integrating Knowledge management (KM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Knowledge management (KM) is the practice of identifying, capturing, distributing, and using information for a company’s benefit and CRM is all about data. The more information a CRM system receives, the better it performs. When a CRM system is integrated with the KM system, it creates an environment in which employees can share insights for the benefit of the company and the customer and customer knowledge remains with the company regardless of turnover or job changes. KM integration helps only if the database is properly maintained and employees actually use the application. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/knowledge-management-can-make-your-crm-project-a-success-64662

CRM software is used in many organizations. But first, we need to know what a CRM Software is? CRM software helps to keep track of an organization’s current and future client interactions. There are many CRM solutions available in the market, and choosing the right one is critical. The right CRM solution should be used fully and should not hinder business processes or operations. Some CRM systems have extra features that may not be used to their full potential and therefore is a waste of money. Coordination across each department is another aspect while choosing a good CRM. But we have to remember that successful CRM is not limited to the functionality and capability of the system itself; it relies on employees making successful contact with customers also. Read more at: : http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/the-secret-to-crm-success-what-your-competition-doesnt-want-you-to-know-63230