By Jessica Marshall on Wed 28 February 2018 in SME
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CRM and eCommerce can work hand in hand for SMEs - here's why...
CRM
As an SME, you may be under the illusion that the investment in CRM outweighs the benefits. But this just isn’t the case. In fact, statistics show that 72% of SME decision makers say software solutions can help them significantly improve business outcomes and help run their businesses better. This figure shows that those SMEs who’ve adopted a solution already see a significant improvement in business efficiency since deployment. Not only that, but 53% of SMEs are planning to increase their technology investment. The question is, are you part of this stat, or are your competitors doing it first?
Recent studies have shown that SMEs are becoming more aware of technology and how it can play an important part in their success. However, SMEs may lack the confidence or even the knowledge to invest in the right solutions for their business. When researching into CRM and eCommerce solutions, it can be daunting, so you should be equipped with the right questions which will help you understand if the solution is right for the context of your business, and ensure you take a free trial of the software to see your data in action.
Although the benefits linked to cloud-based CRM solutions benefit large companies, SMEs win too. We’ve outline 3 key benefits that you’ll likely see from implementing such a solution:
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1. Flexibility: A cloud-based CRM enables all employees to access data from any location on any device that has an internet connection. Just log in and away you go! This allows smaller companies to be able to access information whilst they’re out of the office – whether they’re visiting customers out in the field or working from home.
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2. Speed: As a smaller company, you want to keep up to speed like other bigger competitors, so having 24/7 access to data is critical. Cloud-based solutions enable your company to access data quickly and efficiently, helping you just get the job done.
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3. Ease of deployment: Cloud-based CRM solutions are fairly simple to deploy into your organisation. Typically, online solutions are easier to learn and have a more user-friendly interface. This makes it easier for your whole team to adopt the new solution with enthusiasm!
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eCommerce
Nowadays, you can buy most things online with ease – 24/7. SMEs need to embrace the ability to trade online too, and put the convenience of their customers first. By trading online, you’re instantly broadening your sales reach as well. The rise of mobile apps and accessibility on mobile devices show the need for an eCommerce platform in the B2B world, and by trading online, you’ll actually build up long term relationships with your customers as they’ll be able to buy your products/services around the clock.
eCommerce for SMEs can significantly fuel productivity and efficiency gains. Sales resources in your business can be used elsewhere more effectively as eCommerce typically reduces the admin burden of things like order processing. But it’s not just the qualitative benefits you’ll see from trading online, you’ll be able to quantify them too. In fact, research shows that SMEs who invest in eCommerce anticipate faster growth than those businesses that don’t. Plus, studies predict that compared to SMEs that don’t use eCommerce, those who do actually anticipate than triple the revenue growth. So, if you sell products from stock, are you trading online? Because you really should be!
To sum up – cloud-based solutions promise to even out the playing field for all companies, big or small, and it delivers!