What’s the value of a CRM? We’ve written in the past about the different integrated systems that companies use and how marketing automation can eliminate the gaps between them, but one area that we haven’t previously delved into is the business side of using a CRM and how it relates to your selected MAP.
For several years, we used the Salesforce CRM to manage data about our leads and customers, but we eventually found that it was not the best choice for an organization of our size. Rather than focusing on helping our customers solve their problems, we were spending more and more time managing the data stored in the system. What’s more, we found that since the process of logging calls and leaving notes after talking to clients was cumbersome, our salespeople weren’t sharing this valuable information. The opportunity cost of using this platform in a meaningful way had become too large, and we needed to find another solution.
When HubSpot announced their sales platform, which includes a free CRM, our interest was piqued. We were already using HubSpot’s MAP and loved the value that it brought to our sales and marketing strategies, and after investigation we decided to switch to the HubSpot CRM. Here are 5 of the reasons we did so:
1. A Shared Database
Since we use HubSpot for both MAP and CRM, our sales and marketing teams are now able to utilize a shared database, without any duplication of data or issues with synchronizing between two systems. This not only streamlines our data, it also allows our teams to see what each other are doing and gives them new ways to collaborate and work together toward the success of our digital strategy.
2. Automation of Processes
HubSpot’s sales platform makes the process of managing lead and customer records much easier by automating the process of creating records. Company records are automatically created when leads are created, and new leads are automatically assigned to the correct company. By eliminating the need to manually manage this information, we are able to focus on our sales and marketing tasks and work more efficiently.
3. Streamlined Customer Records
In addition to the automation of processes, HubSpot’s CRM allows sales opportunities to be created from either lead or customer records, reducing confusion about the status of a record and where a contact is in the sales funnel. This also allows for much more accurate forecasting of sales information.
4. Easy-to-Use Email Templates
HubSpot’s MAP provides marketers with great tools for communicating with contacts via email, including automatic responses, mailing lists, and workflows, and these same tools are available in the CRM, allowing our sales team to communicate with contacts and track metrics like opens, conversions, follow-ups, and engagement with campaigns. This easy-to-use capability provides a great deal of power to our sales team, and it lets us track a customer throughout their entire lifecycle.
5. Calls from HubSpot
One recent exciting addition to HubSpot’s CRM is HubSpot Talk, which allows users to make phone calls directly from the CRM, log notes about the call, and even record the call (with the customer’s permission). This greatly streamlines the sales process by eliminating the need to log calls after they are finished, and capturing detailed information about the call provides a great deal of value for anyone who views the customer’s record in the future.
All in all, we’ve found that HubSpot’s CRM makes everything faster and easier, requiring fewer clicks to accomplish our tasks and allowing us to track both our tasks and our clients’ activities in order to get a complete picture of our processes and provide everyone on the team with the knowledge they need to provide value to our clients. Since switching, we’ve seen a definite increase in the quality of our sales processes, and we’re excited to find new ways to use the HubSpot CRM to work together toward the success of our digital strategy.
Do you have any questions about HubSpot’s CRM or MAP? Do you need help determining how to eliminate data silos and bring success to your digital strategy? Please contact us to speak to a HubSpot expert, or feel free to share in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
