Customizing user experiences: How your CRM adapts to every role in your organization

Best Practices | Customer

by   Val Riley

One of the most enlightening questions you can ask a person in business is ‘what’s in your tech stack?’ First, people tend to be happy to answer that question and forthcoming with the information. Second, it can give you an idea of what their priorities are. And third, you can typically find apps in common with most orgs.

The big debates are usually Google workspace vs. Microsoft, and subsequently Slack vs. Teams. You can get a pretty lively discussion going quickly on those hot buttons alone.

You’ll also hear almost any professional is willing to share what CRM or customer relationship management software they are using, since the CRM is a must-have, and is typically the lifeblood of a business. (Although research shows that around 79% of people have some dissatisfaction with their CRM.) When you ask about CRM, you’ll hear a lot of differing perspectives based on the team of the person you are speaking with. 

CRM means different things to different roles, but with the right CRM (one that’s easy to customize), your CRM can look a lot different to each role, but still serve the entire company with efficiency and precision. 

Let’s explore the different roles in an organization and how CRM looks to each. We’ll start with the obvious ones – the go-to-market teams, and then move into others who you may not think can benefit from CRM, but surely can.

Sales teams and CRM

This one is easy, because sales teams are typically closest to the CRM. Every day, the sales team leaders rely heavily on the CRM system to streamline their processes, organize their workflow, and ultimately drive sales success. The CRM serves as the central hub for all customer-related information, acting as a repository for contact details, communication history, sales opportunities, and more.

To begin their day, sales representatives log into the CRM platform, where they can immediately access their task list and prioritize their activities. They start by reviewing any new leads or prospects that have been assigned to them, along with any ongoing opportunities they are currently managing. The CRM provides a comprehensive view of each customer’s journey, allowing salespeople to tailor their interactions based on past engagements and preferences.

As the day progresses, the CRM facilitates communication and collaboration within the sales team. Sales representatives can record notes from client meetings, log emails and phone calls, and schedule follow-up tasks directly within the CRM interface. This ensures that everyone on the team is kept up-to-date on the latest developments and can coordinate their efforts effectively.

Moreover, the CRM system serves as a powerful analytics tool, providing insights into sales performance and trends. Sales managers can generate reports to track key metrics such as conversion rates, pipeline health, and revenue projections. These analytics help identify areas for improvement and inform strategic decision-making, such as adjusting sales strategies or reallocating resources.

Overall, the CRM is an indispensable tool for the modern sales team, providing a centralized platform for managing customer interactions, fostering collaboration, and driving revenue growth. By harnessing the power of technology, sales professionals can work smarter, not harder, to achieve their goals and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Marketing teams and CRM

The marketing team relies on the CRM system as a cornerstone of their operations, leveraging its functionalities to measure effectiveness, analyze data, and see progress on revenue goals. While marketers may work more often in their marketing automation platform to execute on day to day activities, they’ll use the CRM that integrates with their marketing platform to see how leads that are passed to sales are progressing through the pipeline. 

By harnessing the CRM’s comprehensive view of existing customer interactions and preferences, marketers can create highly targeted and personalized marketing campaigns that will resonate with prospects. They can see how quickly leads from certain campaigns progress and then put more effort into those campaigns. They can also see which leads types stall and reconsider messaging to those audiences. 

Furthermore, the CRM provides valuable insights into customer lifetime value. By analyzing these metrics, marketers can double down on leads and profiles that not only become customers, but stay with the organization for long periods of time. Having a high customer lifetime value translates improves metrics on customer acquisition cost. This data-driven approach empowers marketers to make informed decisions and continuously improve their marketing efforts.

Customer success teams and CRM

The CRM system is an indispensable tool for the customer service team, serving as an important business information repository. The team members may spend their days in a customer service and ticketing tool, but it’s vital for that app to integrate with the CRM. Customer service representatives log into the CRM platform to access a wealth of customer data, including past interactions, purchase history, and preferences. This comprehensive view of each customer allows representatives to provide personalized support, anticipate needs, and resolve issues more effectively.

The CRM also plays a crucial role in managing customer relationships and fostering loyalty. By reading detailed notes and interactions within the CRM that the sales team provides during the sales process, representatives can better understand the customer journey, specific outcomes they may be seeking, and the very features that drove the customer to select your product or service. Additionally, the CRM’s analytics capabilities provide valuable insights into customer satisfaction levels, allowing the team to identify trends, pinpoint areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance the overall customer experience.

Furthermore, the CRM serves as a central repository for customer feedback and sentiment analysis. Representatives can capture customer feedback directly within the CRM platform, whether through surveys, reviews, or social media interactions. This feedback is then analyzed to identify patterns, trends, and areas where the team can make improvements to better meet customer needs and expectations.

Product teams and CRM

While it may not seem obvious, effective use of the CRM is paramount for the product development team. Members of the product development team can log into the CRM platform to access a comprehensive repository of customer insights, feedback, and preferences. This invaluable data serves as a guiding compass for the team, allowing them to align product development efforts with customer needs and market demands.

The CRM facilitates seamless communication and collaboration among team members involved in product development and creates a reliable feedback loop. Product leaders can access customer feedback, track product implementation progress, and see pertinent information in real-time. This ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding project status, requirements, and objectives, fostering a cohesive and efficient workflow.

The CRM also plays a pivotal role in prioritizing product features and enhancements based on customer feedback and market trends. By analyzing data within the CRM, the product development team can identify patterns, pain points, and emerging opportunities, enabling them to make informed decisions about which features to prioritize in the development pipeline. This data-driven approach ensures that resources are allocated effectively and that the team is focused on delivering value to customers.

Furthermore, the CRM serves as a central repository for customer-centric innovation and ideation. Members of the product development team can capture ideas, suggestions, and feedback from customers directly within the CRM platform, ensuring that no valuable insights are overlooked. These insights then inform the ideation process, guiding the creation of new products and features that address genuine customer needs and pain points.

CEO + CRM

Has there ever been a CEO who feels they know too much about their business? Not likely! You will hear a CEO say they are pressed for time, which is why a great CRM system can be a lifesaver for this role.

A CRM system as a strategic tool to gain insights into the company’s overall performance, customer interactions, and market trends. Firstly, the CRM provides the CEO with a bird’s-eye view of the customer base, including key accounts, sales pipelines, and customer demographics. This allows the CEO to understand customer acquisition trends, retention rates, and overall customer satisfaction levels.

Additionally, the CRM serves as a central repository for critical business data, enabling the CEO to track key performance metrics, such as revenue growth, sales conversion rates, and customer lifetime value. By analyzing this data, the CEO can identify areas of strength and weakness within the organization, as well as opportunities for improvement and growth.

Furthermore, the CRM enables the CEO to monitor sales and marketing activities in real-time, providing visibility into ongoing campaigns, lead generation efforts, and customer engagement metrics. This real-time visibility allows the CEO to make informed decisions about resource allocation, marketing strategies, and sales initiatives, ensuring that the company remains agile and responsive to market dynamics.

Moreover, the CRM facilitates communication and collaboration across departments, allowing the CEO to stay informed about cross-functional initiatives, product development efforts, and customer service initiatives all in one place. By fostering collaboration and transparency, the CRM helps align the organization towards common goals and objectives, driving efficiency and effectiveness across the business.

Frank Gray III, CEO of NeuLine Health talks about how he uses Insightly CRM every day to keep tabs on three businesses he runs using the platform. Since Mr. Gray’s businesses are in the healthcare industry, HIPAA compliance was a key factor in choosing Insightly CRM. 

Operations teams and CRM

Operations teams are charged with streamlining internal processes, improving efficiency, and enhancing customer satisfaction. The CRM, therefore, is highly valuable to operations teams.

One of the primary ways operations teams use CRM is for monitoring customer communications to ensure that issues that are cross-departmental are elevated properly.

CRM systems often include features for task management and workflow automation, which operations teams leverage to streamline their daily tasks and to seek efficiencies across an organization. For example, operations managers can use the CRM to assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and track progress in real-time. Automation features can also be used to streamline repetitive processes, such as sending out automated emails or generating reports, freeing up time for operations teams to focus on higher-value activities.

CRM systems also play a crucial role in inventory management and order processing for operations teams. By integrating with inventory management systems and e-commerce platforms, the CRM allows operations teams to track inventory levels, manage orders, and process shipments more efficiently. This ensures that customers receive their orders accurately and on time, leading to improved satisfaction and loyalty.

Moreover, CRM systems provide operations teams with valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, which can inform decision-making and strategy development. By analyzing data within the CRM, operations teams can identify trends, anticipate demand, and make informed decisions about inventory levels, pricing, and product offerings.

Engineering teams and CRM

You may think that an engineering team is pretty far from a CRM, but that would be a mistake. 

Engineering teams can utilize a CRM system in several ways to enhance their workflow, collaborate effectively, and deliver high-quality products. One primary function is to gather feedback and requests directly from customers. By viewing logged customer inquiries, feature requests, and bug reports in the CRM, engineering teams can prioritize their development efforts based on customer needs and preferences.

CRM systems also serve as a centralized repository for customer data, enabling engineering teams to access relevant information about customer preferences, behavior, and interactions. This data can inform the design and development process, helping engineers create products that align with customer expectations and market demands.

Moreover, CRM systems often integrate with project management tools and version control systems, providing engineering teams with a seamless workflow for tracking tasks, managing deadlines, and collaborating on projects. Engineers can log their progress, update project statuses, and communicate with team members directly within the CRM platform, fostering collaboration and transparency.

Additionally, CRM systems can facilitate communication between engineering teams and other departments, such as sales, marketing, and customer support. For example, engineers can receive insights from sales teams about customer pain points or feature requests, allowing them to prioritize development efforts accordingly. Likewise, engineers can provide updates on product development progress to other departments, ensuring that everyone is aligned and informed.

Furthermore, CRM systems often include analytics and reporting capabilities, which engineering teams can use to track product performance, identify issues, and measure the impact of their work. By analyzing data within the CRM, engineers can gain insights into product usage, user engagement, and customer satisfaction, helping them make data-driven decisions to improve product quality and performance.

Insightly CRM: a powerful tool for all teams

The best CRMs serve all of these teams, but allow each team to have customized views of the information they require and is unique to their role. Insightly is an affordable, modern CRM that is easy to customize. Legacy CRMs (like Salesforce) have a high total cost of ownership because they are expensive to license and then even more expensive to customize and maintain. Learn how to switch from Salesforce and choose a modern, affordable and customizable CRM that all of your teams will love.

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