CRM is a digital solution that promises to revolutionize Customer Relationship Management in the era of digital transformation. Customer experience since 2020 is more virtually connected than ever thanks to increasing remote work and work from home. As a result, CRMs have become indispensable tools for companies. However, the success of a CRM project depends on addressing several key questions:
- What is the purpose of your CRM in concrete terms?
- How do you choose the right CRM and effectively compare different CRM software options?
- What are the main CRM solutions available, and what are their unique characteristics?
In the article, we break down these questions and answers to help you select the right CRM.
What is a CRM used for?
Customer Relationship Management, is primarily designed for marketing and sales teams, serving as a powerful tool for managing customer relationships. Here are some of the key benefits and functions that CRM solutions offer:
- Centralize CRM data (prospect data, customer data, marketing campaigns, analytics etc.) for better monitoring of the sales cycle and customer loyalty.
- Enhance the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and sales actions thanks to personalization features.
- Improve the quality of the customer experience with better visibility into customer interactions.
- Improve the performance of sales and marketing teams by automating redundant tasks.
- Optimize customer relationship management long-term with analytics tools.
But to achieve the holy grail of marketing and sales performance, it is first essential to select the right tool and receive the support of its users. So, what criteria should you consider when choosing the most suitable CRM solution for your organization?
How do you choose the right CRM and effectively compare different CRM software options?
The first thing to remember… There’s no such thing as the, “perfect CRM”. Every company faces its own challenges in terms of marketing efficiency and sales management. In other words:
🍋 The best CRM for your organization, best meets your business challenges.
The best CRM allows you to reach your company’s marketing and sales objectives. To make a good comparison of CRM software, you must first establish selection criteria. Ask yourself the right questions, starting with:
- What is your budget for the CRM solution and CRM project management?
- What are the short and long-term business challenges of your marketing and sales teams?
- What are your must-have features and functionalities?
- What types and how many resources will you need to mobilize for this project?
Once you’ve clearly identified your needs, use them in the decision-making process to select the best CRM for you; that is, the CRM system that best suits your needs.
What CRM solutions are available in the market? We selected 3 CRM solutions in SaaS mode to discuss their characteristics: Salesforce, Oracle, and Dynamics 365. Let’s explore each of them in detail.
Salesforce: the well-known CRM
Salesforce is a world-renowned CRM tool in the cloud market. It is the market leader in SaaS CRM solutions because of its 360° customer relationship management offering, innovative solutions, and abundant range of integrations (2500+). Salesforce’s solutions include:
- Sales Cloud: The solution allows you to have a better commercial follow-up thanks to the management of contacts and opportunities, as well as reports and integrated dashboards.
- Service Cloud: A powerful tool designed to enhance customer satisfaction by efficiently managing support requests and utilizing the Lightning service console. With Service Cloud, businesses can streamline their customer service operations, ensure timely resolution of issues, and provide a seamless and personalized support experience.
- Marketing Cloud: A solution to help personalize your customer journeys (multichannel) with the Journey Builder, Social Studio, and Audience Studio.
But how do you effectively implement Salesforce in your organization?
Accelerate Salesforce CRM adoption with a digital adoption platform
To accelerate the adoption of Salesforce CRM within your organization, Lemon Learning offers personalized 2.0 coaching. How does it work? Our solution integrates directly with Salesforce and guides your marketing and sales teams step-by-step through the CRM process with interactive onboarding guides. Thanks to this GPS application, your employees can train in just a few clicks, in real-time!
Oracle: the complete CRM solution
Considered one of the most complete CRM software on the market, Oracle offers B2B and B2C management. This CRM system is particularly well known for its analytical assets. Oracle solutions include:
- Enterprise Resource Planning Cloud: ERP Cloud is a suite of cloud applications dedicated to finance, project management, or risk management.
- Human Capital Management Cloud (HCM Cloud): This solution enables the management of candidate and employee experience for better employee engagement.
- Supply Chain Management Cloud: This tool is designed to manage the supply chain.
- Enterprise Resource Planning Cloud: This suite of cloud applications enables financial, project, and risk management.
Want to maximize the performance of your Oracle CRM? Follow these best practices:
- Communicate with end-users to facilitate the change (e.g a new tool or new CRM functionalities are significant changes!)
- Train your users on Oracle with quick, personalized, and adaptable CRM training.
- Accompany your users over time with your IT support.
Need concrete examples?
Boost Oracle CRM adoption with interactive guides
With Lemon Learning, getting started with CRM software has never been easier. Your employees can begin using the Oracle CRM in just a few clicks. With interactive on-demand guides, your employees learn in real-time how and when to use Oracle (sending emails, customizing marketing campaigns, billing, etc.). But that’s not all. With tooltips and push notifications, you can also communicate with your employees directly inside their Oracle solutions! All without ever leaving your CRM!
Dynamics 365: a CRM integrated with Microsoft 365
Do you want to set up a Digital Workplace in your company? Dynamics 365 could be one of the best options for you. Straight out of the Microsoft 365 suite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM allows you to manage your customer relationships from your centralized digital workspace thanks to various solutions:
- Dynamics 365 for Sales: Improve your customer relationships and personalize your customer experience and gain visibility into the buyer’s journey.
- Dynamics 365 for Customer Service: This solution allows you to build lasting customer loyalty, with the help of AI and IoT. Features include integrated incident management, customer support timelines, and sentiment analysis.
- Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations: Manage and optimize your financial operations. Features include automated dunning and credit, intelligent budgeting and forecasting, and compliance support.
Looking to deploy Dynamics 365 in your organization? Find out how to maximize user adoption now!
Optimize Dynamics 365 adoption with embedded training
With Lemon Learning, you can facilitate faster and more long term adoption of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, thanks to interactive embedded guides. Employees can get up to speed on any Dynamics 365 feature in just a few clicks. All they have to do is follow the step-by-step guides in real-time!
Whether you choose Salesforce, Oracle, Dynamics 365, or another CRM tool, it’s essential that your solution meets the needs of your end-users, and your company. And because software is nothing without user adoption, it’s essential to support your employees through the learning process. When it comes to onboarding, training and user support, Lemon Learning offers you tailor-made support to accelerate, sustain your CRM project long-term.
