Modern technology enables an incredible amount of valuable data. Like many businesses we spend a lot of time looking at what the data tells us to figure out where we can improve. Numbers can tell you what is happening but they don’t always tell you why. Giving the customer a voice and taking the time to listen is the essential context that gives meaning to the numbers.
Over the years we’ve collected a stack of valuable feedback from customer requests. We track this on a Trello board, bringing different themes together to help us understand the level of interest in different ideas. This guides our product teams in deciding what we build next, but we also take care not to compromise on our founding philosophy which is to make CRM easy to use and accessible to all businesses. Every project we start begins with real customer feedback and the problem a customer is trying to solve.
As we look to the future, we wanted to step back from our Trello board of requests and come back to a simple question - what are the key expectations of CRM? In addition to our ongoing feedback processes, we’ve invested in getting to know more about our customers. Not least because we’re promoting a platform that allows businesses to do just that - to get to know their customers better.
So what do the results of our research reveal? Well, for anyone that’s felt baffled by too many bells and whistles in a CRM or frustrated by lack of buy-in across a team, it should be a reassuring read as participants reported similar pain points across the board.
Here’s what you told us takes precedence when considering a CRM platform:
1. Ease of use ranks top in decision making
The events of the past 18 months have significantly changed working practices across all industries. In fact, 78% of respondents said they’ve changed the way they work because of Covid.
It’s clear that increased visibility is needed to unify teams spread across home and office. What does this mean for CRM? Customers need a tool that will capture a complete record of interaction. A single version of the truth from which to make decisions. As one user put it: “Visibility on every account. That’s how it helps. When people were contacted last, what happened, why the numbers were reported this way.”
What this boils down to is ease of use. If a CRM is intuitive, easy to use and get started with, the full range of benefits will follow. Capsule prides itself on this and it’s great to see our customers agree too. 92% rated Capsule as easy to use and 93% think it is easy for beginners.
2. Important integrations can be a dealbreaker
As well as unifying teams, a CRM should offer the most important integrations to capture any and all information which may provide additional customer insights. Bringing together data from other systems that are linked with the CRM, allows teams to not only save time by avoiding unnecessary manual data input but to also better see opportunities - capturing what’s going on across all business areas, at a glance.
Helping customers achieve an improved level of visibility without compromising ease of use is a core consideration at Capsule. When the research revealed that around a third of our prospect base use Office 365 and Outlook, Capsule synchronised in real time with Outlooks’ email and calendar functions to power the customer experience. Capable of seamlessly working alongside software, businesses can get set-up and ready to work quickly. Key integrations also include Xero, Gmail and QuickBooks.
Our customers think our commitment to considered integrations that stay true to ease of use pays off too. Zigger Web Design says the integration with QuickBooks was “very easy to set up, very easy to link to QuickBooks. If you have to look up what you have to do to do a particular thing then it has already failed to an extent. I found Capsule really good at being blindingly obvious about how to do things. The integration with QuickBooks is very simple and straightforward.”
3. Scalability is a must
Selecting and deciding your chosen CRM tool can be a time consuming process that shouldn’t have to be replicated often. Businesses want scalability and a solution that grows with them - over half (58%) said so. That’s why Capsule offers a range of plans including Free, Starter, Growth, Advanced and Ultimate. With multiple options to choose from, these CRM plans are designed to help your business shine whatever stage you’re at. Capable of growing alongside your business, Capsule’s CRM offerings are perfect for growing businesses.
One of our Team's customers says, “In a nutshell, I love it! Everything I need in a CRM is included for an outstanding price per user… Capsule CRM allows me to be more of an expert in my customers rather than an expert in CRM software.”
To conclude, tech can be powerful but what makes it truly valuable is the approach towards its development. Focusing too much on technology for technology’s sake results in over-engineered, under-used solutions. Zoning in on the human element helps focus the product development track in ways that truly benefit the customer - rather than providing category bragging rights. That’s how Capsule has built trust with thousands of businesses worldwide.
Why not explore our Customer Stories to find out the types of businesses we help and how we help them overcome their business hurdles.
