Sales Force Marketing - Salesforce.com CRM:
Open Source CRM - Your Answer to Improved Customer Service

It is widely known that an effective customer relationship management system builds ultimately leads to higher levels of customer retention and more profit in the long run. There are key elements necessary for a customer relationship management, or CRM, as it is widely known, to work. For example, the CRM system must be carefully planned with processes designed to improve sales, service, accounting, follow-up, and every other facet of the business that touches the customer. It must be accepted and embraced by every member of the organization, from the Chief Executive Officer to the receptionist, and it must be a clear plan, easy to understand and easy to implement.

A key element in this plan is a software system that can store data for each customer, making information easy to reach and use by all departments of the company. Stored information about needs, financials, and conversations that have taken place, can lead to improved cross sale numbers and heightened client satisfaction. However, a powerful software package that can store massive amounts of information in an easy-to-access format is expensive, and costs annual licensing fees on top of the initial cost of purchasing it, learning to use it, and training employees. In addition, most proprietary packages come prefabricated and do not always fit exactly what a given business needs.

An open source CRM system is free of licensing fees; it is developed and supported by volunteer IT professionals, and because it is an open source system, the codes are all made available so that you can change and improve areas to fit your specific business and needs. Before choosing and designing your company's open office CRM, you can meet with your employees, including your sales staff, customer service team, billing and payroll department, and your administrators. Get input about what they feel would be beneficial to have available in a CRM system, and use that input to create a product that is very user-specific and is designed with your business and the needs of your particular customers in mind.

Once you have met, discussed, planned, and implemented your ideas to create a software program that will allow all of your company's departments to share information about your clients, be sure to give an ample amount of time to training. If employees are uncomfortable with the software, they will not use it correctly, and your open source CRM will not be helpful in building and retaining your business. If the software is developed and used correctly, your customers will be able to receive consistent service from all areas of your business because everyone will have access to the customer's complete file.

It is always a little daunting to use a free, or open source, product, because of the potential lack of support for the product. Every customer needs to know there is a help desk to contact when necessary, and that there are updates being provided as they arise. However, a quality product will be developed and supported by developers and professionals who know and believe in their product, and support will be offered as readily as with a licensed system.

Source: Greg V. Soper link

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