Page 1

Depending on the way in which these products are implemented and, of course, your type of business, these "off the shelf" products can revolutionise your organisation, (as long as the implementation is well thought out), change the landscape of your operation and put £'000's in your bank account.

Having used GoldMine since 1994, we can speak from firsthand experience that this type of software is essential to long-term efficiency, productivity and profitability.

The key to understanding contact management databases is to simply understand that businesses need to share information. Once the information is held centrally, certain positive things begin to happen;

• Productivity improves.
• Response time to customers increases.
• Market awareness improves.
• More accurate income forecasting is achievable due to accessibility of data.
• The sales force’s attitude changes.

Page 2

Part of the implementation of contact management software can include the following:

• A link to a word processing package for single or multiple merged documents.
• Connection to fax software for desktop faxing.
• Connection to a telephone system.
• Outbound dialling via mouse or short keystrokes.
• Inbound Call Notification (change the screen to the record of the caller).
• Web Integration to automatically receive emails from your website to create new records and automatically respond and inform sales/support staff to telephone your new prospect.
• Automated processes that are activated upon completion of certain functions, such as sending out literature or confirmation of an appointment.

Business Process for Sales

The first element of Business Process for Sales begins with prospect information being held in a central database.

The speed at which sales are made will depend on the accuracy of the data, the effectiveness of your team and their understanding of the tools they are presented with. It is a business imperative therefore to:

• Train staff to understand and "work" your business process.
• Prepare structured training manuals that cover all aspects of your organisation (not just the standard literature that comes with a product).
• Review how word processing, fax, telephone and email are used and create a standard for all.
• Plan the training process.
• Establish a method to gauge the results.

Page 3

How to approach the new process

Whilst a consultant’s approach can sometimes be construed as "taking your watch and telling you the time", it is important to understand the role that the consultant can play. The consultant could be the catalyst that gets your business process on paper.

In the first instance a workflow analysis will need to be carried out that will eventually map to your contact manager software. It is important to understand that you would not get a consultant involved if you had the time and the inclination to do the job yourself. Whilst the consultancy is chargeable, it will probably be the most informative and objective view of your business you will ever have.

The analysis will cover the following (not necessarily in order):

• Standard documents
• The market(s) you are addressing & how
• Fax requirements
• Structure of existing data
• Telecommunications structure
• Accounting package & structure
• Network structure
• Telesales requirements
• Sales, Marketing and PR Processes
• Remote access requirements
• Website structure
• Existing training processes
• Office layout

Page 4

If a daily rate is being charged, you must ensure that you are getting value for money, therefore put in place milestones that will be acceptable to both parties as a good indicator that progress is being made.

Once the workflow is complete, the following areas need to be addressed:

• The data to be used. Either you can buy it in or create it yourselves.
• Database structure.
• Training implementation structure.
• Identify staff members who can be trained as supervisors.
• Ensure that the training sessions have been "tested" prior to rolling out to all other members of staff.
• Prepare a training manual to enable staff to "Get Started" (again, manufacturers' manuals can be far too daunting).

"Off-the-shelf" products like GoldMine, Act! and Microsoft CRM provide the following advantages over bespoke systems:

• Trial structures
• Faster deployment
• Quicker staff ownership
• Lower costs all round

Page 5

They provide the tools businesses need to gather, store and analyze customer information in order to win - and more importantly - retain customers. Designed for the workgroup, they can collect and centralise all information flowing through an organization. The result is an internal organisational structure that has every employee working at maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

With the CRM software’s ability to manage prospect and client information, teams can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time realising results. These packages bridge the gap between complex, expensive Sales Force Automation software and lower-end Contact Managers to give you high-end results at an affordable price.

Focus more time on sales tasks

Complete Contact History Tracking: Have instant access to everything that has happened to an account. Know who said what and when it was said. Reduce the time needed to research issues that may arise such as multiple additional contacts with associated information.

Document Management: Keep track of your frequently used letters and e-mail templates and spend less time trying to find the right information to send to prospects and customers.

Opportunity Management: Benefit from viewing the combined status of all your pending sales. View a graphical representation of the stages, close dates and potential revenue of your entire pipeline, then use that information to determine where your time is best spent.

Page 6

Distribute marketing messages and manage leads

Automated Processes: Send marketing messages 24-hours a day, 365-days a year to keep your name in front of your prospects and customers. CRM packages will even automatically send out notices reminding customers of expiring contracts or regularly scheduled maintenance.

Literature Fulfillment: Schedule literature requests to individuals or groups of contacts complete with the appropriate cover letter or other pertinent documentation. You can also keep track of your list of literature, what has been sent to whom, what has been printed and what is ready to go.

Lead Analysis: Once the information has been received and/or a message has gone out, you can track responses and know what campaigns were effective to ensure that your marketing spend is delivering the right return on investment. Also, analyse customer demographics to ensure accurate deployment of sales teams.

Analyse your team’s efforts.

Sales and Quota Analyses: View forecasted and closed sales and comparisons between sales and quota with the click of a button. Instant access to sales information empowers you to make decisions faster and have a more immediate impact on your revenue.

Custom Reports: Create reports that give you the information you need, whether it’s an account’s history or the closed sales over that customer’s lifetime.

Statistical Analysis: Quickly and easily view closed and lost sales, total calls and number of completed activities for a user or group of users.

Page 7

Leverage the Internet

Web Data Capture: Collect leads and requests for information from your website any time, day or night. Use with Automated Processes to reduce the need for manual follow up and deliver pre-qualified leads to the sales team.

E-mail Centre: Send and receive messages, for example from GoldMine and ACT! and automatically link them to a contact’s record. The E-mail Centre includes support for e-mail rules (i.e. Out of Office AutoReply), enhanced searching capabilities, merge code support and e-mail templates for frequently used messages and mass mailings.

Outlook E-mail Integration: Even if your company has adopted Microsoft Outlook, products like GoldMine can integrate with the existing e-mail standard. The software works hand-in-hand with Microsoft Outlook to manage e-mail messages from your Outlook Inbox and synchronize not only e-mail messages but contacts, tasks and calendar activities as well.

Action

If you are considering a CRM package or have already implemented a solution, but you are not using it to its fullest potential and you require some assistance please contact us on 0800 970 9751 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it