Why you should swap your spreadsheet for a CRM system

When doing any job, you should always think about what your ultimate goal is – what are you actually wanting to achieve? Once you know this, you can then consider the different tools that you could use and choose the best ones for the job. 

So, when it comes to storing details of business contacts, what are you wanting to achieve? Do you just want to have someone’s email address at your fingertips? Or perhaps you would like to be able to cleverly use the data, gain clients and grow your business? I think I know which you would prefer!

Your trusty spreadsheets are fine for storing contact details but the tool that will really help you use your data to grow your business is a CRM system. 

So, why is a CRM system so much better than a good old spreadsheet?

Building relationships is really important

Probably the main difference between a spreadsheet and a CRM system is that it will help you to build fantastic relationships with clients or prospective clients. This is ultimately the name of the game as good working relationships result in more clients and then growth in your business. 

Yes, you can store lots of important information within a spreadsheet but it is then all about what you do with the information – a spreadsheet won’t facilitate the development of business relationships.

Categorise your contacts 

A CRM system allows you to categorise your contacts quickly and easily. This is a great way of making your data much more manageable. It is important to remember that not all contacts are the same and therefore your communications need to be tailored and personalised. For example, it is great to keep in regular contact with your current clients – this can help you secure further work. If you haven’t worked with someone for some time, you may prefer to touch base with them every few months – a lighter touch approach. Time is precious so it is important to use it wisely. 

You can also then set reminders so that you know exactly when and how you need to be contacting people – let the technology help you – a CRM system will help you to build your task list so you will feel really in control. 

Have your data in a user-friendly format 

Lots of data can be stored within a spreadsheet – no problem at all. It can be pretty overwhelming though when you want to view and analyse the data. There is no point in having lots of useful data if you can’t easily work out what to do with it. This is where a CRM system comes into its own. Within a CRM system, data is displayed in a much more user-friendly way – it can be viewed in lots of different ways and you can generate really useful reports which will then help you gain sales.

Have a clear record of interactions

When you are trying to develop relationships, having regular interactions is essential. It is important to keep an accurate record of these, e.g. emails sent/received, phone calls, face-to-face meetings etc. It is not easy to have a clear timeline of these communications within a spreadsheet, however a CRM is perfect for this job. You can quickly and easily record details of your contact with people, particularly as the system can integrate with other software, like your email client. A CRM will give you a really nice clear chronological timeline so you can see when you have been in touch with people and this will allow you to set yourself reminders for future interactions.

Streamline your processes 

You are looking to gain customers and close deals in an efficient way – for this you need your processes to be as streamlined as possible. A CRM system supports this well and this will see a boost in profitability. In terms of being productive and making the best use of your time, it is great to have standardised processes around how you will communicate with your clients and a CRM system facilitates this, for example you may have standard communications that you will send out to different categories of contacts – the system helps you to automate your processes. 

Sharing information between colleagues

When working within a team, you need to choose systems that allow for collaborative working. A CRM system can be accessed and updated by different people at the same time. This means that you are always accessing data which is totally up-to-date and you don’t have different versions going on, something which can frequently happen when you use spreadsheets. You are trying to win clients; you really don’t want to fumbling around with inaccurate data or not be able to access the data because someone else is. Teamwork is really important, so your systems and tools have to be fit for purpose and facilitate a collaborative approach.

So, whilst you may be really familiar with spreadsheets, it just might not be the right solution when it comes to storing details of your business contacts. At the end of the day, you are storing the information with the view to developing valuable relationships with people – you need to be able to bring the data to life. With this in mind, the solution has to be a CRM system – a powerful supercharged system that will ultimately help you to grow your business – now who doesn’t want that?

Author : Mary Mason
Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash