Faced with increasingly fierce competition, every business or corporation must implement current best practices, irrespective of their occupational field. In this regard, there are many attractive arguments for using CRM software for construction. Why choose this type of digital solution if you’re involved with the construction industry? Which features attract numerous professionals every year? We’ll address these questions below, after describing CRMs and their benefits.
What’s a CRM?
Every business, corporation or organization now appreciates the key role that the customer relationship holds in the development of professional activities. While it’s crucial to have productive teams, the use of digital solutions is also recommended for numerous reasons.
A CRM (acronym for Customer Relationship Management) addresses numerous issues related to this invaluable customer relationship.
What are the main functionalities to look for?
CRM software comes with many useful tools. Regardless of the nature of your business, corporation or organization, some functionalities are more helpful than others for properly managing your customer relationship.
Marketing
CRM software allows you to create online campaigns to maximize your return on investment by:
- Identifying the best textual content while analyzing the ideal periods for sending messages
- Integrating sales and analyses to target and convert every prospect
- Assisting in the creation and sending of messages based on specific channels that track target customers
Sales-related functionalities
The centralization of data naturally allows crucial information to be shared. Sales team members can then benefit from a comprehensive overview of the performance of a business, corporation or organization. Additionally, CRM software makes it easier to identify “good buyers” (customer relationship development). Lastly, the integration of artificial intelligence within CRM software allows professionals to identify ideal strategies and to implement them during the sales process.
Optimizing customer service
CRM software also serves to optimize customer service. This is evident in the following characteristics:
- Establishment of contact via your clients’ preferred equipment and channel
- Presentation of detailed analyses where cost reduction and service optimization are visible
- Decisive visibility of the clientele to guide your staff during proposals (personalization of proposals)
Dispatch service
Organizing your technicians and distributing tasks are other sought-after functionalities in CRM software. Once again, the centralization of data in an online storage space allows employees to quickly access critical information. Improving services (deliveries) will inarguably strengthen clients’ trust.
Furthermore, the automation that comes with a CRM allows you to effectively match the skills of each technician depending on your needs. Lastly, geolocalization and live dissemination of information during an intervention strengthen the internal organization of a business, corporation or organization.
Optimal project management
To maximize the results of a business, corporation or organization, it’s essential to choose a CRM that includes project management functionalities. This way, you’ll be able to:
- Efficiently plan your projects and allocate resources
- Determine how time will be managed for each task
- Track billing and spending
- Generate reports
- Access a portal for collaborative purposes
Other equally essential functionalities
Besides the above-mentioned functionalities, CRMs offer other digital tools that are useful for professionals.
The automation of manual and repetitive tasks is a perfect example. This functionality offers convenience while also limiting entry errors and improving the reliability of analyses for each department (this is especially true for the sales team).
Intelligent management of sensitive data is another functionality offered by some CRM software. The identification of critical information allows customized strategies to be reviewed and applied.
Depending on their profile, a business, corporation or organization may prioritize other functionalities. Again, choosing CRM software is a crucial step towards guaranteeing optimal results.
How can I benefit from using a CRM?
What can a CRM bring to my business, corporation or organization? This most pertinent question has many answers. The following is a non-exhaustive list of benefits linked to digital solutions that are now considered essential.
Better client management with CRM software
Your relationships with your prospects and clients are optimized thanks to information provided every time a client is contacted. By displaying complementary data, a CRM allows you to personalize your clientele and gain their trust, all while giving them greater responsibility during buying decisions.
A CRM centralizes your data and makes it easier to access information
The centralization of pertinent data naturally makes it easier to access this information. With a few clicks, each department can quickly find accurate data that’s updated in real-time.
Optimized overall management
Functionalities related to marketing, customer insight, field service and sales, as well as other essential elements for every business, corporation or organization improve your sales and your brand image.
An ideal solution for increasing productivity and agility
Besides the many functionalities previously discussed in this article, you could also ask yourself the following relevant question: What are the concrete benefits of a CRM for my business, corporation or organization? Again, several answers may be noted:
- Better communication between each department and your prospects/clients
- Significant amount of time saved thanks to the automation of repetitive tasks
- More efficient employees
Maximize your sales figures and benefits
As you can see, the many features of CRM software offer significant benefits. Deploying Customer Relationship Management software will quickly boost sales while ensuring that costs are properly managed.
CRM software for construction… For who, and why?
Contrary to what some people think, CRM software for construction is not just meant to be deployed by corporations with many employees. In fact, every business can certainly reap the benefits offered by a CRM. This raises another pertinent issue: why use a CRM if you’re involved in the construction industry?
Obviously, the construction industry makes reference to many tasks that are essential for project development. Likewise, attracting prospects and thoroughly following up with every client are true priorities for every business or corporation. While some professionals go with so-called “traditional” methods, the development of digital tools leads to oft unexpected results…and CRM software for construction is one of these essential solutions.
What are the features of CRM software for construction?
CRM software for construction encompasses CRM applications specifically designed for the construction industry. It allows building professionals to not only store information on clients and potential clients, but also to track projects currently in progress as well as sales efforts. As such, several features attract many professionals every year.
Boost the efficiency of your business or corporation
Deploying CRM software for construction can help you stand out from the competition thanks to optimal work methods and unmatched proactivity. The measures, tasks and activities that are essential for completing a project are all optimized. This strategy includes:
- Project estimation
- Offer validation
- Organization of staff involved
- Project tracking
- Conclusion
Maximize the profitability of every project and calculate its profit
By tracking data in real time and centralizing them on a single server, you’ll boost the profitability of your projects. With detailed, instantaneously displayed data, you’re able to identify the costs incurred by a project. CRM software for construction can also automatically subtract costs to estimate your profits. In addition, clients can be granted secure access to this information by creating an intelligent workflow to give them access to specific folders. Naturally, this real-time tracking is a useful tool for ensuring that every player is satisfied.
Save time on the job
Understandably, the construction industry involves multiple occupational fields (joinery work, plumbing, masonry…). For this reason, managing several teams and contractors takes a lot of organization. CRM software for construction allows you to automatically assign tasks to save time on the job. Similarly, delays, injuries at the worksite and absences can be identified and centralized using this one software program.
Talent (HR management software) is a particularly useful solution for effective employee management. Initially integrated with Microsoft Dynamics, this software is notable for its tools designed for recruiting, training and organizing staff.
Efficiently manage every project to increase your sales
You need to be able to track projects if your business or corporation wants to increase its number of sales. Working in construction means that you’re often on the job site. It comes as no surprise that “oversights” or a lack of energy can affect this follow-up.
The automation that comes with a CRM allows you to program your outgoing emails or SMS to keep your clients satisfied.
Strengthen your relations from anywhere
You can monitor a project’s progress using CRM software for construction without any geographic or temporal restrictions. Indeed, all you need is a smartphone with an Internet connection to access all your relevant data in real time.
How can I choose the best CRM for my business, corporation or organization?
Without any specific knowledge, selecting CRM software that’s customized for a business, corporation or organization can turn into a complex process. Therefore, it’s worth highlighting several characteristics that will help you decide.
Personalization
To achieve the best results, you should have the option of personalizing every “detail” and feature of CRM software. While some solutions come with restrictive limitations, others properly fulfill this requirement (the Microsoft solution offered on our (Gestisoft’s) website is a perfect example).
Choose extensible CRM software
Dealing with deployments via the cloud or on-site can satisfy certain needs that are particular to a given business, corporation or organization. Additionally, a CRM must be compatible with other platforms and software, such as your architecture software, your ERP software, etc.
Set security levels for each user
An effective CRM system allows you to set security levels for each user. By assigning them a specific “role”, you are authorizing the user to access, integrate or modify centralized information, or denying them these permissions.
Choose a scalable solution
Expanding a business, corporation or organization is obviously a major priority for professionals. Your current needs may therefore change. Effective CRM software will assist you as you scale up your professional activities while also allowing you to streamline every process on a daily basis.
The CRM ecosystem
The CRM ecosystem (or stack) consists of the set of tools that are directly (or indirectly) connected. For optimal results, this set-up should evidently be constructed gradually. Safeguarding client data (and prospects’ data) is essential to fully benefit from a CRM stack. Again, a CRM ecosystem will be shaped by your choice of software.
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To conclude
No matter the type of activity of your business, corporation or organization, deploying CRM software is a useful solution for overcoming organizational challenges and for strengthening client relations. Nonetheless, choosing suitable software remains critical for guaranteeing the long-term profitability of your investment.
Gestisoft’s Microsoft Dynamics solution attracts many professionals year after year. As a consulting firm, we offer personalized guidance, adapting our solutions to your needs. Our consultants will be happy to analyze your needs and ensure the deployment of your CRM. Contact us today to learn more—we’ll be sure to get back to you very shortly!
