As we noted in the first piece of this three-part blog, all companies should look to digitize their front office, particularly in challenging times where discretionary spending is decreasing for many customers.

I was re-reading an earlier article and it seems that "everything old" is just as relevant in today's market. When different indicators suggest different economic outcomes, it is tempting to do nothing: often a company's reaction may be to continue in a defensive mode, cutting all strategic projects and then wait until things improve. I would suggest that these times of uncertainty could actually present new opportunities for companies to double-down on programs to digitize their front office data & processes.

Why now and why CRM?
Investing in CRM programs & tools helps protect revenue from current customers. It helps a company focus on delivering exceptional service necessary to safeguard customer loyalty.

Your customers are facing identical cost pressures. In many cases, they will be spending less than before. But they will be looking for greater value for money and will be more discerning about their potential suppliers.

The ‘cost of doing nothing’, in respect of addressing your internal processes, is significant. Just think about not improving your own front office processes (e.g., releasing high-cost staff from unnecessary administration, increasing service contract renewals by X% a year, etc.) and you will soon see the real cost.

We, at Sage CRM, recognise that the world you do business is constantly changing as is how you interact with customers & grow your business. Strategic CRM programs can help your business drive out costs, improve customer experiences & uncover revenue opportunities.

In the next piece, we talk about why "CRM failure" is not about the software but the implementation project that fails to deliver.