CRM (customer relationship management) has evolved a lot over the years — from a basic contact management tool into sophisticated, data-driven platforms that empower businesses to forge meaningful relationships with their customers.
At every stage, CRM has taken advantage of new technologies, incorporating them into their toolsets and adapting them to facilitate better sales and marketing processes.
First came automation. CRM systems used automation technology to create features that assisted sales and marketing teams in managing leads, opportunities, and pipeline.
Next came the rise of mobility and the cloud. The rapid growth in the popularity of smartphones and mobile devices changed the way people did business, and CRM adapted accordingly.
Using cloud technology and steadily improving mobile functionality, CRM became accessible from anywhere.
What can the continued advancements in mobility and cloud functionality bring that we have not yet taken full advantage of?
We will explore that questions and more in this article.
What is CRM?
CRM is a software toolset that assists businesses with the day-to-day management of their people (customers and employees), work processes, products, and projects.
Once thought of primarily as a sales tool, CRM has evolved to address the needs of many different business aspects, including marketing, customer service, and HR.
Through the use of advanced automations tools and data centralization, CRM software can help businesses improve communication (both internal and external), work more efficiently, and track performance.
A CRM system also keeps teams connected in real-time from anywhere, improving collaboration and increasing reach while allowing businesses to take advantage of top talent no matter where they are found.
The rise of cloud CRM
There may be no technology that has impacted CRM capability as significantly as the cloud.
- Remote accessibility- Cloud-based CRMs enable employees to access the CRM platform from anywhere with an internet connection, regardless of physical location.
This makes it easier for remote teams, or teams in different countries or regions, to access customer information and collaborate across different time zones and locations.
This allows companies to access talent wherever they find it and maintain operations all over the world.
- Real-time updates- With a cloud-based CRM, all activities, communications, and data updates are captured in real-time.
This means that sales and marketing teams, customer service agents, and other stakeholders are all working from up-to-date information, creating a consistent customer experience across departments.
- Seamless integration- A cloud CRM tool can integrate with other cloud tools and applications to provide seamless, real-time data sharing.
This facilitates streamlined work processes and optimizes automated workflow potential.
For more on unlocking the power of CRM workflow automation, check out our article, CRM Workflow Management 101: How to Design CRM Workflow Automations for Business Process Optimization.
The future of cloud CRM
As cloud-based technology evolves, so too does its potential to enhance the capability of CRM.
- Remote workspaces- Remote work capability has evolved considerably over the last few years, with advancements in video conferencing tools (Zoom, Google Meet) and chat communication software (Slack) providing collaboration potential far beyond what was possible before.
As virtual workspace technology continues to advance, cloud-based CRM platforms will serve as the central hub that connects all these tools and brings remote teams together.
- Environmental sustainability- As the focus on sustainable and energy-efficient business practices continues to gain priority, cloud-based software tools like CRM that have the potential to greatly reduce the carbon footprint associated with data storage and processing will become even more important.
FreeAgent is the future of CRM
FreeAgent CRM is designed for today’s world of work and our robust toolset is ideally suited to supporting the varied work processes of modern businesses. FreeAgent is:
- Easy to use: FreeAgent works like you expect modern apps to work, providing a user experience that feels fresh and familiar. Teams love working in FreeAgent, leading to high adoption and greater ROI.
- User-configurable: FreeAgent can be configured by you to work the way you do. This means you don’t need outside support to add a form field, adjust a CRM automated workflow, or try out a new process.
- Customizable: With FreeAgent, apps, forms, and configurations are all completely customizable, allowing you to capture and connect your data in any way you like.
To see FreeAgent in action, get a demo, and discover for yourself how FreeAgent can help you have workdays full of impact.
