Business models change from generation to generation and decade to decade. Have you ever watched Mad Men? I’m often so mesmerized to learn how business was conducted in the 1960s before the advancement of computers and software. Mocks weren’t created in InDesign; they were sketched. Copy wasn’t drafted in a Word document; it was scribbled with pencil. Taking your work home meant simply brainstorming in your home office; it didn’t mean you brought your laptop home.
Technology has brought us a long way and has shown us the benefits of implementing it into our business models. It seems that it’s advancing at record speed, making it feel as though it’s impossible to keep up. There are always new programs, new methods of communication, new ways to store material and reach out to potential clients.
The marketplace now offers an impressive variety of CRM software programs now, which only further complicates the process of trying to decide on one. Zoho is one of the most reliable and competitive choices due to its impressive pricing scale and variety of offerings. It’s multilingual platform and B2B integrations further confirms its legitimacy for process implementation and streamlining.
Some other advantages that Zoho offers is its extension into mobile apps; you can streamline your regular business processes by having the same programs on your phone so you won’t have to hold up integral steps along the way. Additionally, Zoho offers consultation services for onboarding and implementation so you can rest assured that you won’t be taking on this new chapter all by yourself!
So what does the world look like without Zoho? What would a business look like without a CRM software program?
1. Reliance on other programs
In this world, there would most likely be a lot of sales and lead tracking via Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, of which are probably kept in personal hard drives, prohibiting access to other team members. Microsoft Word documents may keep track of proposal copy or record communication with former or current partners. These programs are great, and there’s no doubt about that, but relying on these documents for historical or current information on internal hard drives could heed risk for future business. In the event that that employee is out sick or leaves the company, this information is no longer accessible, which also leads to the possibility of missed opportunities.
2. Reliance on email
There’s no denying that email is most likely your primary source of communication within your company as well as externally. Email has replaced the phone in today’s world because of the natural transcript it creates for future reference, and with people being in constant meetings, it preserves the time otherwise wasted playing phone tag. Relying on the additional capabilities of any kind of email suite for calendar and contact information is also helpful and reliable, but as business grows, so does that bubble of communication. It can be easy to lose information, find information, and even update details as you receive them. Plus, there are many email suites and meeting systems that exist, and aligning them all can be difficult when dealing with outside parties.
3. Lack of team structure
Sometimes a literal map helps in conducting project management. Without a CRM in place, delegating roles and tasks to larger inter-department projects might be murky or slightly unclear. At previous companies, we would delegate and call out responsibilities within a group email and ensure that if there were any questions, the project leader would be happy to address them.
The problem I discovered with this was that many individuals simply put the project on their personal list of to-do’s but didn’t follow the proper timing structure or otherwise missed the deadline overall. Getting in contact with certain members was often difficult, and uncovering a replacement when a person was out of the office was twice as difficult. Following up via email is hard to do without sound overbearing, and frankly, it gave me enhanced lack of confidence in my team.
Without a formal system in place that holds each party accountable, projects were often lackluster, late, or missed the mark completely from the client ask. Zoho CRM alerts every participant of any new update, requirement, or person involved so that there’s 100% transparency with all parties.
4. Delay in Business
There’s nothing worse than having to come into the office early the next day because a ton came in the night before but you couldn’t do anything about it because you had no access to the resources you usually use. So you then spend the first half of that day catering to this late night request, which then pushes the business back that you had to address that morning. Zoho CRM offers applications to your mobile device so that you can maintain the flow of your business and not miss out on any new potential business opportunities.
I am not implying that not having a CRM software puts you at a disadvantage or even puts you in the company of Don Draper. There’s a natural apprehension towards moving to a system that automates a lot of your workflow, and with the continuing advancement of technology, it can possibly feel a bit like you’re losing touch with your consumers or buyers. It’s actually just the opposite.
Chances are, your partners and clients are also using some form of a CRM software that helps them organize and take control of their business needs. They’re in tune with new applications because their CRM tells them about them; they’re also aware of emerging products or markets due to the CRM’s integration with third-party vendors. Plus, your clients will appreciate that your company uses this kind of software because they know that it is designed to expedite, streamline, and organize processes, which means that they feel better taken care of.
Don Draper was an incredibly smart guy with tons of creative genius, but he was just born in the wrong decade. Make sure your company keeps up.
