From the desk of Fred Varin, President, TopLine Results:

When I first started this company in 1999, we were an Act! Partner specializing in their products and services. Since then, we have grown to provide the best service possible in CRM technology, analytics, and marketing solutions that help businesses meet and exceed their goals.

I used my first "CRM" in 1990; it was a DOS version of Act! At the time we called it a contact manager. I picked it up because a friend spoke highly of it, so I got my own copy and loaded the program on my PC. I made that choice, and it was clearly my friend.

Business intelligence (BI) reporting tools refer to platforms that are designed to collect, analyze, transform, and report data from various sources. They present the data in a visual manner, often using interactive dashboards that provide actional insights.

It is widely known that there are three primary learning styles for adults: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners tend to learn by looking, seeing, and watching. Auditory learners tend to learn by listening, hearing, and speaking. Kinesthetic learners tend to learn by experience, doing, and moving.

At TopLine Results, we work hard to advise our customers on the best solution to address their needs. Because we are not limited to one product line, we take a client centric approach to problem-solving. Here are some tips based on our experience. They are the five “As” to consider when selecting and implementing a successful CRM.

Appropriate

CRM platforms come in many shapes and sizes with a wide range of price points.

What does success look like when you implement a CRM?

Many companies know that a system is needed to keep track of the important information they gather about their prospects, their leads and their current customers. Yet when it comes to defining what success looks like, there are many measurable outcomes.

Since April 1999, I have been involved with CRM implementations. As I reflect on what’s changed over the years, the reason for success or failure has shifted.

Back in the day, databases had to be synced back and forth. That was a fragile process, which has now been virtually eliminated with the advent of web-based CRMs, such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. We now have real-time access to our accounts, contacts, opportunities, and activities.

How do you mitigate CRM Storage overages?

Do you have CRM database storage issues? Great! That means your team is using your CRM. They are engaging prospects and clients and have embraced the platform to record their activities and outcomes.

The bad news is that a large CRM database can have issues.

Are you an Act! user on an older version, specifically one developed from 2004 to 2015 (Act! 2005 to v17)? If so, you need to take immediate action to preserve your access to your Act! database. You will need to upgrade to a newer version of Act! or convert to another CRM. Otherwise you are at risk of losing access to your data on January 1, 2019!

Why is this happening?
You may or may not know this, but most software relies on third-party components to add functionality.

This month I was asked to give an inspirational talk at a company that has been using CRM for the last few years. They migrated to Dynamics 365 from Dynamics CRM 2011 several months ago, and the objective of the speech was to re-engage the sales force with CRM. The hope was that managers and sales team members would use CRM in a more integrated way throughout their work day.