A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a vital tool for businesses to manage customer interactions, improve customer relationships, and grow their customer base. With a good CRM system, businesses can monitor customer data, manage leads and sales opportunities, and provide excellent customer service. However, many businesses face common issues that can hinder their CRM system and stop businesses from achieving their objectives. 

In this blog, we will explore the common CRM challenges and provide solutions to overcome them. 

Adoption/Usage Low

A CRM system is a powerful asset to your business, but are your employees making the most out of your system? 

One of the most common issues businesses face is low adoption and usage of their CRM. Many employees do not use a system to its full potential because they do not know how to use it properly due to having not received the adequate training, or do not understand the importance of using the CRM application.  

In order for a CRM system to be a successful tool within an organisation, businesses must provide the correct training and support for their employees. 

Working with a CRM partner can help facilitate training sessions that are tailored to the business’ needs. Such training can educate employees on the functionalities and benefits of the CRM system and how to use it to its full potential. 

As well as proper training, senior management should also communicate the significance of a CRM system and how it aligns with the business’ goals. 

With proper training and support, and an emphasis on the importance of a CRM, businesses can increase adoption rates and improve overall usage to achieve business objectives. 

Data Quality Issues

Maintaining accurate, up-to-date data is crucial for the success of any CRM system.  

However, businesses often face challenges with data quality, such as duplicates, outdated information, or incomplete and missing data. Having low quality data can impact your business by limiting productivity, wasting time and can be the cause for mistakes. It could also potentially impact your organisation’s credibility. 

To address this issue, businesses must establish data management processes and policies. 

Businesses should regularly clean their data by removing duplicates, updating outdated information, and validating the accuracy of the data entered. 

Implementing data validation rules and establishing data entry guidelines can also help ensure data quality. 

In addition, conducting regular CRM audits and providing data maintenance training to employees can further improve the overall quality of data in the CRM system – leading to improved decision making and ROI. 

System is Dated or Slow

Another common issue businesses face is having a dated or slow CRM system. 

As technology advances, it is essential to keep the CRM system up-to-date to take advantage of new features and improvements, and more importantly – security updates you cannot afford to dismiss. 

Updating your CRM system can not only enhance performance but also provides additional functionality that can increase efficiency. 

Businesses should regularly evaluate their CRM system and consider upgrading to the latest version or exploring alternative CRM solutions if needed. 

Engaging with a CRM partner can help assess the current system and provide guidance on the best course of action for updating the CRM system. Upgrading the CRM system will not only improve user experience but also ensure compatibility with other integrated tools and technologies. 

Difficulties with Reporting and Analytics.

Efficient reporting and analytics are vital for businesses to make data-driven decisions. However, many businesses face challenges with generating meaningful reports, or analysing data effectively within their system due to long-winded processes or dashboards that can be difficult to understand. 

To tackle this problem, it is necessary to invest in CRM tools or plugins that provide advanced and easy-to-use reporting and analytics capabilities. 

By leveraging CRM tools that offer sophisticated reporting features, businesses can easily generate reports that provide valuable insights into customer behaviour, sales trends, and overall business performance. 

A CRM partner can also be beneficial to help you with your CRM reporting and analytics, as they will help businesses to automate reporting processes and improve the way analytics are utilised, as well as helping a business to set up workflows and dashboards that are specifically designed for the organisation’s needs. 

Additionally, businesses should consider providing training to staff on how to effectively use these reporting tools and interpret the data. 

Want to get more out of your CRM System?

A CRM system is a valuable tool for businesses, but it can also pose challenges if it’s not well managed. By addressing these issues head-on and implementing the solutions mentioned above, businesses can maximise their CRM’s potential, improve productivity, and achieve long-term success. 

If you feel as if your CRM system is struggling with the above challenges, and you’re not sure where to start about moving forward, or would like some assistance in identifying your CRM issues, the 848 Group has a dedicated business applications practice, with a team of consultants specialising in the design, delivery, and optimisation of CRM and ERP systems. 

Contact one of our experts today to book in for a no obligation CRM audit consultation. 

Our experienced CRM specialists have helped various businesses to get more value from their systems, enabling them to automate processes, integrate with other applications, save money and more. 

You can contact our team on [email protected] 

Find out more about the benefits of a CRM audit.