Looking for a way to make your business close more deals? Get repeat customers? Improve sales team productivity?
Ideal scenario: everyone has full visibility into the customer relationship. The sales process is lean and systematic, but flexible enough to adapt to different types of customers. Customer data is shared freely across the organization because everyone is working from the same source of truth. The sales team has access to all the information they need whenever they need it – even on the go.
The reality is that most businesses struggle to manage customer relationships while also trying to maintain control of finance, operations, inventory, and so on. It’s a balancing act. Let’s face it – adding a solid CRM solution on top of your other business challenges can be overwhelming.
The good news?
CRM doesn’t have to be another chore that you need to shoehorn into an already packed to-do list.
If you build your CRM the right way, it can revolutionize the way your business interacts with its customers.
In this post, we’re going to cover:
- Why CRM is more important than ever
- How business central manages customers
- 7 huge benefits that you’ll notice right away
- Easy tips to get the most out of your system
The CRM Revolution Is Here
Customer relationship management is no longer a luxury – it’s a business critical function.
Sure, when times are good everyone has CRM on their radar. But the reality is that the companies who see the true value in CRM are the ones who weather downturns, emerge from recessions stronger, and adapt quickly to change.
The data backs this up. 45% of surveyed businesses said their sales revenue increased after implementing a CRM solution. And the global CRM software market size? It’s set to reach $163.16 billion by 2030.
Why is CRM growing so quickly?
Simple – word is getting out that if you don’t have solid processes and systems in place to manage your customer relationships, you’re missing out on opportunities and revenue.
What Makes Business Central Different?
One of the most frustrating things that businesses experience is that they use one system for accounting, another system for inventory management, and a third app for CRM.
It’s maddening. When a salesperson needs to check customer data, they are asked to log into yet another system. Even if you can technically find everything in one place, the information is probably old or out of date.
This lack of integration and data sharing adds friction to every part of the business. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central solves that problem by uniting all business functions under one ERP umbrella. This means you have powerful CRM capabilities built right into your ERP system, so your sales team, finance group, and operations staff are all working from the same centralized data.
End of data silos. End of fighting over who has the latest version of an opportunity.
Call a customer and your sales rep sees the whole history of their interactions with your company in real time. They can see past orders, any outstanding invoices, service requests and current opportunities. There’s nothing more frustrating than talking to a customer who switches between reps and gets different information. Business Central eliminates that problem.
The Hidden Benefits You Haven’t Considered
We all know the basics. CRM systems help you keep track of leads and close more deals. But what if we told you that CRM integration could transform your entire business?
You’ve got a sales rep, for example, who opens a quote in Business Central. As they do so, the system automatically checks current inventory levels to confirm stock availability. It also applies dynamic pricing based on historical purchase data for that customer, and can factor in any relevant promotional codes.
They click approve and the quote instantly becomes a sales order without anyone needing to re-enter information.
At the same time, your finance team has visibility into a new opportunity in the pipeline. Procurement knows to set aside inventory. Customer service has full visibility into what was promised.
Mobile CRM: Your Secret Weapon
Here’s something to think about…
Sales reps who use mobile CRM solutions are more likely to meet their quotas than those who don’t. That’s a huge competitive advantage just waiting for you to take it.
Business Central’s mobile functionality means your sales team can access customer data from anywhere, update opportunities while out of the office, and even check inventory during customer meetings. No more “I’ll get back to you when I’m at my desk” excuses.
Real-Time Insights That Actually Matter
Look, data is only useful if you can actually do something with it.
Business Central integrates easily with Power BI, so you can build dashboards to show what’s actually happening in your business. What products and services are generating the most repeat business? Where is your sales pipeline slowing down? Which opportunities should you focus on right now?
You get immediate, real-time insights that everyone can access. No more “this report isn’t updated, but my report is” debates.
The AI Advantage
AI is changing the CRM game, and the early adopters will be the ones who dominate.
The next generation of Business Central deployments will be using AI to work smarter. You’ll be able to leverage the system to suggest the next best action, predict which leads are most likely to convert, and automate routine follow-up tasks. Early adopters of these AI features are seeing major improvements in sales performance.
Getting Your Team On Board
It’s important to be honest about one thing…
Technology is only useful if the people who use it understand how it works.
One of the beauties of Business Central’s CRM feature set is that it just feels natural for teams already using Microsoft software. If you have staff using Outlook, Teams, or Excel, they’ll find Business Central intuitive.
They can keep track of emails right from Outlook. Collaborate on opportunities in Teams. Export data to Excel when they need to.
Making Customer Service Shine
Customer relationship management isn’t just a sales function.
Customer service reps also benefit when they have the ability to see exactly what a customer purchased and when, previous service requests, current warranty status, and all the documentation associated with that product or service.
When you can solve a problem quickly and demonstrate a real understanding of your customer’s business, you turn frustrated customers into loyal advocates.
Integration: Where The Magic Happens
Here’s one thing that most people miss about Business Central…
Integration is where the real magic happens. The data that you collect in your CRM flows into financial reporting. Sales forecasts inform buying decisions in the warehouse. Customer feedback is captured and used to improve product development.
Your whole business begins to work as a cohesive, integrated unit when you have all this data in one place.
Scaling Without The Growing Pains
Small business owners face a difficult conundrum. You need enterprise class tools but don’t have enterprise class budgets.
Business Central is one of the few systems that can give you sophisticated features with relatively simple management and administration. You can start with the basic CRM features and add new tools as your business grows. You pay only for what you use and can scale up without having to migrate to a different platform later.
The Bottom Line on ROI
Look, we know what you’re really interested in – your ROI.
Businesses that make the investment to implement a comprehensive CRM software system report an average increase of 29% in sales revenue and a 34% increase in sales productivity. That’s not chump change. For most businesses, that kind of improvement pays for the system over and over again.
But it’s not just about closing more deals either. You’ll also find you spend less time on admin, have fewer errors due to manual data entry, improve your customer retention rates, and more accurately forecast sales.
Bringing It All Together
Effective customer relationship management is no longer optional. It’s table stakes for business success.
Business Central has all the features you need and more, all in one place. No more juggling multiple systems. No more half-baked integrations that only work about half the time. No more compromise between CRM capabilities and ERP functionality.
You get everything you need for your sales team to succeed. You give your customers the attention they deserve. And your business gets the competitive edge it needs to thrive.