In this day and age, technology has become an essential part of our lives. We have become accustomed to things like shopping with the click of a button, omnichannel customer service lines, and instant social engagement online to the point where nothing short of the same experience will satisfy us.
In this digital age, where the consumer has the power, it is imperative to stay up to date with the best technology to serve your customers in a manner that they expect. Have you updated your technology to serve your customers best? If not, you might lose your competitive edge and lose your customers with the next service/ product delivery hiccup you face.
To ensure that they can navigate the changing technological landscape, many organizations have turned to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software that helps them better understand and communicate with their customer base. However, many companies and CIOs view CRM not as a ‘must-have’, but as a ‘good-to-have’. These companies would much rather invest in a system which is seen as more crucial to their survival like an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite.
Why Do Many Companies Put Off investing in CRM Software?
Many companies face a difficult decision when deciding where to allocate their It budget. Should they update, deploy or upgrade to a new ERP system, or should they invest in a separate system for CRM? Often, SMEs don’t have the budget for both. Even if they do have the budget, they may think that maintaining and using two separate applications in separate databases is a lot of hassle or too complicated. They may even feel that it will result in an inconsistent user experience. These are all legitimate concerns.
IFS aims to meet these challenges through its enterprise application that combines both ERP and CRM into a single product.
How Is IFS CRM Different?
IFS Applications is a modular, component-based system, thus IFS ERP and CRM can both be a part of a solution that provides a single user interface for managing all aspects of your customer relationships. IFS Applications is as robust, if not more so than standalone CRM systems and can manage your customers from the first POC to support services and re-engaging.
A unified UI for CRM and ERP systems greatly increases the visibility of your processes and helps you to streamline and optimize them. There is no need for separate integrations or synchronization activities. IFS Applications also provides real-time data that helps managers make better decisions. An organization’s sales team can also get a boost from having access to a unified hub with all the customer data available.
The combination of all these functions makes it easier for you to manage customer relationships, manage leads better, schedule detailed calendars with foresight, and optimize day-to-day operations for best results. IFS can also help you set up and manage multiple customer and opportunity pipelines efficiently.
In a survey conducted by American Express in 2017, 33% of customers in the US said that they would consider switching companies after just ONE instance of poor service. Can you really afford for that to happen? Technology is necessary for providing the best customer service possible. However, not all technological solutions are created equally. You need technology that can grow and scale with you and be flexible when needed.
IFS Applications is incredibly versatile and can scale to fit the needs of almost every company. Its flexibility will allow it to evolve with your company for many years to come. Ready to learn more about IFS Applications? Request a FREE Consultation today!