5 Benefits Of CRM (And Why To Integrate With Field Service Management)
When talking about field service management software, CRM software is often not far behind. The integration between field service software and CRM systems is so important to field service management and customer experience. It’s in your CRM system where you collect, organize and manage customer information. And that information is so important to the success of your field service management software.
Popular CRM integrations include NetSuite, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics GP and Salesforce. Each of them does exactly what CRM stands for — manages the customer relationship. And that is so important to field service management teams who focus on the customer experience. So, regardless if you are an enterprise level business or a small-to-medium business, having a CRM is important to your business. 75% of sales managers have reported that using a CRM helps increase sales by 29%. And those sales turn into service. For that reason alone, it’s meaningful to have an integrated CRM software with your field service management software.
However, there are benefits to having a CRM system integrated with your field service management software. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Improve Field Service Management Efficiency
Prior to CRM systems, sales teams would manage their sales manually, often using spreadsheets and emails to track sales. With a static tool like Excel spreadsheets, it’s difficult to track success and turn those sales into meaningful service. With the amount of data being collected, it’s a challenge for salespeople to turn leads into sales without a managed system. CRM software gives salespeople a channel to funnel leads through and manage their progress. From initial contact through to quotes and finally providing service, it’s efficiently managed through the CRM system.
But where the real value comes in is through the integration to a field service management software. That’s because those sales can then be turned automatically into installation projects, preventative maintenance plans or work orders. And your sales team won’t have to leave their own system to convert them. However, they will still be able to track the progress, margins and milestones of any service being performed.
Customer Satisfaction Through Integrated Field Service Management
Salespeople want to create a strong connection with their customers, so they need a system that houses all their sales information. First, they need access to contract information and warranties. Second, they need to see all the service that has been completed. It’s hard to gauge what your customer needs if you don’t know what they already have. And if all your service information is only available in a field service management software, it’s difficult for sales to track. That is where integrations between the two systems create a connection between sales and service. And by doing that, it also creates a strong bond between your business and your customers. Sales should never go in blind to the needs of the customers. Salespeople are well aware of any and all service being performed. With an integrated system, they stay in your own portal.
Get Better Insights from Data
How do salespeople turn Big Data into meaningful sales data? With so much data around, it can be a challenge for your sales team to assess your customer’s needs and turn it into sales opportunities. That’s why integrating with your field service management software adds more insight into data. Your sales team can use the data coming from the field service software and use it to upsell items or talk about upgrades. That’s because as your service team completes maintenance, all that information can be turned into useful sales information. It only benefits your sales team to know that equipment is constantly failing, resulting in numerous service calls. Or that the lifecycle of equipment and parts is coming to an end to get ahead of the upgrading process.
Access and Security
As previously mentioned, plenty of data flows through a CRM system. Customer information, contacts, vendors, and product information are just some of the data CRMs hold. And that data needs to be accessed by your field service management software. In fact, that’s how the software gets populated with the list of customers and contacts they use for every service call and work order. Customer data is stored in the CRM and it populates your field service software, ensuring all the information is accurate. This is also a great security feature against incorrect information, as updates to contacts and customers in one system affect the other. A CRM integration reduces data entry time and the chance of errors.
Mobility Field Service Management Software
With field service software going mobile, there is a need to have CRM tools in the hands of technicians. That’s because technicians are now being asked to be the sales team and quote jobs and sell service. They are the frontline of field service, the ones talking with customers every day and who have built a reputation with them. So, they are trusted for the experience and expertise in all things field service. That makes it easier for them to suggest upgrades and services.
But if they are going to be a salesperson, they need access to quoting tools, parts and equipment. And they need it from their mobile device. With a field service mobile app, technicians can access the CRM system to provide clients with accurate information when selling. It only benefits the business to give technicians full access to anything they need in a sales situation if they are being called upon to be a salesperson.
Customer Relationships and Field Service Management
As mentioned, customer relationships and field service management go hand in hand. You need both to succeed in order for your business to succeed. CRM software integrated into your field service management software creates a handshake between your sales and service departments. They share information with each other, rather than mining it all for themselves. Data flows freely between your two systems to create an atmosphere that is focused on customer success. No matter if you use NetSuite, QuickBooks, Microsoft GP, or Salesforce, get a field service management software that comes out-of-the-box ready to integrate to your CRM system. After all, with better managing of your field service and customer relationships comes greater success on the bottom line.