The most successful companies focus on retaining their clients.  Because it costs more to gain new clients than to retain current ones, successful businesses also tailor products and services to customer needs in order to help with retention.

Recognizing the need for customer retention, ZipBooks’ free accounting software helps small businesses meet this goal. This cloud-based software can store client information, record quotes you’ve made for clients, and set up automated invoicing.  Other software programs specifically geared to help with customer relationship management (CRM) can also be useful.

What can CRM software do?

✓ Log calls, schedule meetings



✓ Store client contacts



✓ Track and store customer invoices



✓ Handle issues and complaints



✓ Schedule client contact



✓ Track campaigns (including cross-selling opportunities and potential new leads)


✓ Manage sales team performance


✓ Create special offers (to increase customer retention)

What CRM functions can ZipBooks perform?

✓ ZipBooks can store an unlimited number of client contacts.


✓ ZipBooks can generate and store invoices to send clients.


✓ You can use ZipBooks to store quotes you have made for clients.


✓ ZipBooks can set up automated invoicing for regular clients.


✓ ZipBooks creates customizable, professional invoices.


✓ A “Pay now” option is provided on invoices emailed to a client.


✓ You can allow WePay to process credit card payments quickly and securely.

Choosing a CRM that is right for you

See what other small businesses are buying. Then get the features you need for now and the foreseeable future. And don’t overwhelm your team with a complicated software.

Competitive pricing

Use good-quality accounting software to make a few forecasts about how much revenue you might gain with a CRM software. Then shop around.

Scalable

Choose a software that can grow with you. Or see if data can be exported in a useful format, so you can import it into a newer, more robust application at a later date.

Useful support

Read the software provider’s forums for negative feedback. See how a company’s support deals with these matters. If they really understand CRM, then they take care of their customers.

Cloud software

Cloud-based applications like ZipBooks are popular for their “anytime, anywhere” accessibility.

Take advantage of your CRM software integration

See if you can find a product that can integrate with email and scheduling, accounting software, or other cloud apps. ZipBooks has a developer’s site that allows you to integrate the software to fit specific company needs.

Up-to-date data

What’s the point of a CRM software if it’s bringing up outdated or incorrect data? Stay on top of your client information to keep your CRM at optimum efficiency.

Reports

Consider running reports to help you effectively manage your business. A pipeline report will show you how potential sales are and aren’t progressing. An activities report will show you calls, emails, meetings and other activities the sales team is making. And finally, an issues report will alert you to problems, cases, and open tickets.

Consider whether the CRM also has these features:

• Automating of repeated processes
• Quote reminders
• Sign-up notifications (for newsletters, product updates, etc.)
• Customer contact reminders
• Follow-up tracking

Happy CRM hunting!