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CRM Key Features
Now that more businesses are opening it’s time to look at your business tools. Are they meeting your needs? Do they keep your sales teams in front of customers rather than doing administrative work? One critical tool is your CRM, make sure you are set up with a good CRM system that helps you work smarter, not harder. Make sure you know what functions a powerful CRM system should have. Here are a few to keep in mind:
- Access anytime, anywhere: A system that is available for you in your email, on the web, on your phone and on your computer. Work in your CRM system whether you are on WIFI or not.
- Analytics: You want to Analyze the data that has been entered into your CRM system. For example, with Empowering Systems CRM system, you can review your data with our dashboards and visuals or create your own custom analytics. You can filter on many fields such as territory, state, category and so much more.
- Mobile App: Be able to grab the data when it’s needed most. Walk into your customer’s office with the confidence that nothing will be missed. With our mobile app, you can review your sales numbers, look at past call reports and check on the opportunities so you can get a status update. This will make your customer feel valued and that you are on top of and understand their situation.
- Reminders: Your CRM should have a reminder system in place. Our CRM sends an email out every day to remind you regarding quotes, call reports or opportunities. And let me tell you, they don’t go away until you update them. LOL
Doors are opening, These tips will get you back to business
Life is starting to get back to normal, well at least a new normal. Now is a great time to do a check in. Do you have all the tools you need to hit the ground running and be more successful than ever before?
Customers are slowly starting to open their doors again. Get prepared and ready to get back on the road… here are few tips that can help.
- Review your sales numbers. Look at trends to see where you should start. What product line, which customers or which territory has the most potential?
- Review your analytics, notes and sales data from your CRM system. Brush up on these details and wow your customers with your knowledge.
- Let your customers know the safety procedures you have put in place to ensure their health is your number one priority.
- Now is the time to think outside of the box. Look at the products you sell and see how each one can benefit your customer.
- Review the current systems that you have in place to run your business. Do you have the tools to track meeting details, get reminded of project deadlines and analytics to see historical and future trends for your business?
It can seem over whelming but keep in mind that Empowering Systems + dynaMACS are here to help you through the transition…
Working From Home, 3 of 3: Routine
We hope by now you are getting used to working from home. This is the last post of our three Work From Home: Tips & Tricks blogs. This post will touch on why a routine is important and how to create one.
Your routine:
Try to stick to the same work routine Monday – Friday, decide a hard start time and end time. Set a reminder on your phone to take a few 10min breaks throughout the day, as well as your lunch break. If you can’t step away when the reminder pops up, “snooze” it a few minutes. Don’t “dismiss” it, or you’ll never get away. When you do take a break, leave your work area. Go outside and toss a ball with the dog if you can, refill your water bottle, grab a handful of almonds or other small snack.
Be clear to your colleagues about your work hours and stick to them. If you choose to work late, consider at least setting yourself to “away” to discourage interruptions from others that think your green dot is an invitation to discuss something outside work hours. If they chat you up anyway, you’re not obligated to answer if you’re set to “away.”
Try to avoid snacking. It’s hard with your whole kitchen right there. Schedule out what you’re eating for lunch for the week and stick to it. Try not to eat lunch while working. Take a real break. Keep healthier snacks on hand. Make sure you get up to refill your water bottle when it gets empty. Stick to your work hours. Close your laptop lid and walk away. Just like when you’re in the office, the work will still be there tomorrow.
If you are a current customer and want to join one of our Microsoft Teams Tutorials please sign up at this link. This is a great introduction on how to have face to face meetings with your customers and teammates. We hope these tips and tricks have been helpful in this new work from home world.
Working From Home, 2 of 3: Pets, Family & Co-Workers
Now that you have worked out where your office space will be at home, let’s work on tips to manage the relationships with your new and old co-workers.
Co-workers:
Keep social interactions as normal, just make them virtual. Ensure to find ways to still be social. WFH is extremely isolating so keep in contact with your co-workers just like you would in the office. Discuss last night’s TV shows, share a meme, etc. Check in on your co-workers via face to face video chat.
Have team happy hours over face to face video (Microsoft Teams) calling – make each one a theme, wear your favorite hat or everyone introduces their pet.
Pets:
Shoo the pets from the room and close the door when you’re on calls. Even better, hang something on the doorknob telling the other people in your house to not open the door to avoid them barging in while you frantically wave at them to be quiet. Make it clear when they can pop in and say hello vs when you need quiet.
Family:
Have lunch with your family, this is a great opportunity to get some extra family time in. Why not take your lunch break and catch up with your kids? Everyone in your family will know between noon – 1:00pm mom or dad will be around.
We hope these tips were helpful! Let us know in the comments below how you are staying in touch with your co-workers and adjusting to having new WFH co-workers. Keep an eye out for one more work from home blog-post regarding your routine.
Working From Home: Tips and Tricks
Was working from home something you used to look forward to on the occasional Friday, but now it has turned into an everyday reoccurrence?
The work world has shifted quite a bit over the past month with some states even issuing a mandatory order to work from home. We are here to give you some tips and tricks on how to seamlessly transition into a work from home atmosphere. Or as a lot of people refer to it as, WFH. We have tested out many of these tips and tricks as a lot of our employees worked from home quite often before it was mandatory.
We split WFH into three parts, 1) Your Office Space, 2) Your Co-workers, and 3) Your Routine.
Your Office Space (Part 1 of 3)
- Creating an at-home office space can be tricky, in an ideal world everyone would have an extra room in their house with a desk and a personal library. But that is just not reality. Try to get creative, is there an old playroom that isn’t used anymore or an extra nook in the upstairs hallway? Ideally, this office space would not be in your bedroom. It is too easy to carry the stress of the workday to bed if you are working and sleeping in the same room.
- If possible, in a room with a door you can shut, but only shut the door if you feel you really need to focus or are getting on a call. WFH can feel very lonely when the rest of your family is on the other side of a closed door.
- If you must work in a common area, like the kitchen table, clear one end off for your workspace every morning, don’t let the placemats, yesterday’s mail, the kids’ schoolwork, or the cat encroach into your workspace.
We hope these tips on how to make your office space the most productive helped. Be on the lookout for two more work from home blog posts touching on co-workers and your routine. Comment below with any tips you have on how you’re adjusting to your new WFH workspace.