subject: CRM SOFTWARE versus Excel [print this page] CRM SOFTWARE versus Excel CRM SOFTWARE versus Excel
A significant percentage of the sales people view CRM systems as a waste of time.
It's a valid complaint, especially to the top performers who spend their time dialing, smiling and closing deals. Sitting idle and waiting for a screen to load is definitely not where they want to be but where the money is at.
Excel Versus CRM Software. The pain of having to wait for a screen to load to access a telephone number so a phone call can be made, so a deal can be closed shouldn't be underestimated. Productivity can be crippled when the typical wait for a screen to load is 4 plus seconds. Add to that the frustration of trying to find key data and the difficulty in entering new information and you can understand why many sales people choose to rely on Excel.
Now Excel is fast - but that is really all there is to it. It's hard to organize data, hard to share and unreliable.
Here are some of the usual complaints and limitations most notable of Excel as a customer relationship management tool:
-No File Storage. In Excel, what you see is what you get, you can't attach invoices, emails, letters, quotes or any other important files relevant to that record. Documents need a proper storage where they cannot be forgotten, corrupted or completely lost.
-No Sharing. Multiple people can't read and write in Excel at the same time. For businesses with one sales person, this isn't a problem. A nightmare indeed, if you are in a team.
-Limited Field Control. Creation and organisation of the fields in an Excel spreadsheet can be done only manually. The number of fields you can use comfortably has some limitations due to the layout of Excel. For example; it's not easy to put together all in one row-first name, last name, phone number, email, last call date, call related notes, address, notes, invoices, quotes, lead categorization etc, etc.
If speed is the reason why you use Excel, what if a CRM system can provide all the speed of Excel plus all the benefits of a genuine CRM system?
With a proper CRM you have:
- The ability to schedule tasks
- Set reminders
- Chart call outcomes
- Track Campaigns
- Attach all important files (invoices, quotes, emails, letters etc) to the client record
- Manage your email
- Instantly assess your sales pipeline
- Much, much more.
Bulky, slow and holds up work flow - these are what traditional CRM systems were way back then. Speed has been built as well for the newer CRM systems. Pi in particular, uses a new framework our team spent 5 years perfecting, in order to give the fastest user experience possible.
