CRM platforms have revolutionized the way consulting firms manage workflows, engage with clients and analyze data. The right CRM doesn’t just house client details; it makes your business more efficient and effective throughout the client journey.
Read on to discover:
As the consulting market continues to grow and evolve, there’s an ever-present need to adapt. CRM tools have emerged as a cornerstone for successful service businesses because they offer an organized, systematic and tech-driven solution for managing client relationships and data.
Gone are the days of managing contacts and client communications through the limited capabilities of Microsoft Excel! Cloud-based CRM systems are more accessible, secure and scalable.
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If you haven’t yet committed and migrated your consulting firm’s data to a CRM, here are the top reasons you should.
The advantages of clean customer relationship management can’t be overstated. An organized system helps you keep track of every interaction with leads, prospects and current clients, as well as referrals. A centralized and structured approach is the best way to ensure no data is lost and give your team the information they need to personalize each client call, email and proposal.
Generating new business is an ongoing goal that you may not have connected to the quality and depth of your client data. But if you manage marketing in-house, think about how much easier it is for your team to execute on targeted strategies when they have segmented customer data. Some CRMs, like HubSpot, offer email templates and marketing automation features to help you distribute your message more quickly and efficiently.
There’s also a significant impact on your sales process. A robust CRM enhances lead generation efforts and gives your sales team everything they need to engage in effective follow-up. Platforms like Pipedrive and Accelo can streamline lead tracking, help you forecast revenue and shorten your sales cycle.
Though it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the impact of a CRM, better customer support is a big benefit. You can use your CRM to track the customer lifecycle and even apply workflow automation to make onboarding, billing and other key client touchpoints more seamless. Because of the boost to your internal operations, your clients will feel valued and understood.
The right CRM platform gives your consulting team members the time and mental energy to work on the things that truly drive your consulting business forward: strategic advisory, market analysis and dedicated client service.
Ultimately, choosing the best CRM for your consulting firm helps you pivot toward a more streamlined operational model. As a result of the improved visibility, you could experience:
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The above positive outcomes will always be true for consulting firms, but there’s an even more urgent reason to implement an effective CRM today. Consulting is moving faster than ever. A recent Grist survey showed that the C-suite is, on average, less patient than in the past, considering only the next three months.
Given the uncertainty about many other parts of life and business, your potential clients want results now. Their results will be driven by your ability to access a 360-degree view of the data they care about and apply it to the deliverables that only your unique team can create.
Set your firm apart by fostering transparency and trust first and backing it up with innovative project proposals — made possible by steady and reliable operational processes.
Related: Learn How to Start a Consulting Business
A good CRM solution transcends the role of a mere client database and becomes part of every step of the client journey. But many CRMs promise to be what your firm needs.
Before you sign up for demos and get distracted by pricing, we’re sharing what you should look for in an integrated CRM that’s built for client work.
By automating routine business processes and sales activities, your CRM should give you the ability to focus on high-value tasks. Automation also ensures consistency in service delivery, the client experience and employee training.
Managing your sales pipeline intentionally is crucial to anticipating revenue and allocating resources properly. Get your lead management and forecasting under control with a platform that gives you clear oversight of bottlenecks and opportunities.
Task management tools built into a CRM enable your project management team to streamline everything from task assignments to scheduling to progress monitoring. Consulting is all about timely and consistent delivery, and organizing tasks well is how you’ll get there.
Handling tasks isn’t fully effective unless it’s tied to your billable time. You need a platform that makes it possible to see how much time is spent across various projects and clients so you can assess team productivity and project profitability. Modern CRM solutions will automate time tracking and present insights via dashboards.
A shared inbox isn’t just for businesses with a traditional help desk. If you receive client queries and ad-hoc requests, you need a collaborative approach to responding. Maintain consistency and meet SLAs by exploring the various ways to use a ticketing platform that’s built into your CRM.
You can’t make proactive decisions to drive your business forward without knowing what’s going on with it today. Data optimization is not just something you can achieve with a business intelligence platform — it’s also possible to use a powerful CRM to generate essential real-time metrics such as average project profitability.
While most modern applications have a mobile app, don’t underestimate how important a good one is for your CRM. What kind of user experience will your consultants have on the go? Can you quickly check the status of projects or track an emergency request from your phone? Discover what a great client work-focused mobile app looks like.
Some consulting businesses start using a CRM right away. Others, especially independent consultants and boutique firms, decide to adopt a CRM solution as specific needs arise or when they reach a certain client volume. Recognizing where your business may be experiencing operational inefficiency and quantifying the impact of that can help you determine how robust of a platform you need and when it’s time to make the move.
Finding the ideal CRM means feeling out how each platform’s strengths align with your business goals. There are many to choose from, so we’re helping you reduce overwhelm and simplify your search. Below are six of the top CRM systems.
Accelo is an end-to-end cloud-based platform built to help consultants automate tasks, improve visibility and increase profits. Accelo goes beyond customer relationship management and offers solutions for all aspects of client work, including sales and quoting, project management, client support and tickets, billing and retainer management.
See how Accelo can generate results for your consulting business: Book a demo.
HubSpot CRM is a pipeline management tool that provides real-time visibility into your firm’s sales pipeline. Their free option offers additional tools to assist sales, marketing, customer service, operations and business owners nurture existing client relationships.
Keap combines CRM, sales and marketing automation, contact management and eCommerce capabilities with the primary focus of helping small businesses manage client relationships.
NetSuite CRM, a cloud-based solution that integrates into the robust NetSuite ERP platform, brings customer data, sales and marketing automation and support together to help businesses gain visibility into their work and continue to grow.
Salesforce is a web-based CRM solution that helps companies manage their customers, partners and employees. The platform has multiple pricing levels and features that can scale with your business, making it a great choice for rapidly growing consulting firms who need a solution that can expand to meet their needs.
Zoho CRM is built to help businesses of all sizes manage their customer relationships. They work with a global network of more than 250,000 businesses and help companies engage with customers and build revenue.
Finding the ideal CRM means feeling out how each platform’s strengths align with your business goals. Read how other consulting leaders decided on a CRM and the stories of increased profitability, efficiency, revenue and more they now tell after implementing a client work management platform instead of a limited client database.
