Summary
● User Experience is the most important feature of a CRM
● Are Traditional CRMs worth the price?
● PropFlo - an ICLM built for real estate management companies
Most of the time when companies are shopping for a CRM, they’re looking at things like its app integrations, reporting features, and customization options. While all of these things are important, if figuring out how to use them is too hard or they take too much time and energy to use, what’s the point?
That’s where UX makes all the difference; it lets you put all the features your CRM has to offer to good use (without making you want to throw your whole computer away cause they’re overly complicated).
Oh, and it’ll make your team actually want to use your CRM as well.
In this article, we’ll go over what makes a good user experience in a CRM and how to look out for it when shopping for one.
A good UX starts with the design. A well-designed CRM doesn’t just have all the right fields or features—it also arranges them in a way that makes it easy for the user to learn and use it.
To do this, a CRM designer would need to start by conducting research and gathering data on how people use CRM. What do they want their CRM to do?
Next, they’d create prototypes which they’d have CRM users try and evaluate to help the designers find gaps and areas to improve. Once these improvements are implemented, a basic CRM UX is born.
A CRM with a good UX can give your company immediate financial benefits (and more). Imagine this: a world where onboarding new users on to a CRM doesn’t involve a steep learning curve. Everyone’s able to pick it up with ease and start using it right away to track every interaction that they have with your customers.
Well, that world’s attainable—it’s all in the UX design.
Don’t believe us? Here are some of the benefits that an improved CRM UX can give you:
1. Time is used more productively.
You can spend less time trying to figure out over-complicated workflows and more time focusing on more profitable activities—like analyzing data, identifying new market segments, and building those customer relationships.
2. You’ll spend less money on training and support.
Your team will be able to figure out the majority of your CRM’s functions on their own because they’ll be straightforward. This means more self-service and less time and money spent on initial training costs and troubleshooting with support teams after purchase.
3. Your adoption rate will go up.
People will actually want to use your CRM because it makes their lives easier, not harder. CRM isn’t truly effective unless everyone’s using it.
Otherwise, you’ll be missing key data that wasn’t entered in by certain reps. A CRM with a simplified UX is a great way to boost adoption.
4. Communication among teams will be more consistent.
An effective CRM allows anyone in your organization to have immediate access to all the relevant information about a given lead. And a well-designed UX means they’ll actually know how to find this information.
Understanding a customer’s previous buying history and unique needs empowers everyone on the team to provide a first-class level of customer service.
5. You’ll stop losing leads.
Without an organized CRM, it’s very easy for leads to be lost in the sales funnel. Companies that either don’t use a CRM or use one with a poor UX are often inconsistent in how they follow up with new leads.
What a lot of businesses fail to realize is just how high the cost of not using an effective CRM is (if they realize it’s costing anything at all). In fact, in one study, it was found that if a CRM wasn’t used, 79% of all leads would fail to convert.
And if you have a CRM but its UX sucks—as in your reps are struggling to make it work the way they want it to—you’re not much better off.
A CRM is a helpful sales tool because it gives you a birds-eye view of your customers, from the big picture to the nitty-gritty details.
If no one’s using your CRM, however, it isn’t going to do much for you.
Low adoption happens for a number of reasons. One instance is when it comes to data entry. If your employees are struggling to use your CRM when interacting with a customer, they’re not likely to enter in detailed or complete information.
The ripple effect of this is that any future interactions with that customer by other members of your organization won’t be based on as much information as they could be.
That’s a hole in your client relationship-building efforts.
Aside from low adoption rate, here are other common indicators that your CRM’s UX could be improved:
1. Navigation is hard to use.
CRMs with poor UX design will be hard to navigate. At best, badly designed navigation menus slow down the user. At worst, they make it impossible to find the features or data that they need to effectively do their jobs.
2. Data is presented poorly.
Well-presented data is critical for an organization's business planning. If users are unable to interpret the data in a meaningful way, then growth opportunities will inevitably be missed.
3. Key features are hard to find.
Some CRMs come packed with powerful features but finding them is extremely difficult. If users can’t locate a functionality, it’s useless (no matter how cool it might have sounded in the demo).
4. You can only access it from certain browsers or devices.
Today’s modern workplace isn’t made up of just cubicles in an office. Many people work in different offices in different regions or countries, work remotely, or work on-the-go. Your CRM UX needs to accommodate for this by being accessible from any platform, browser, or device.
5. You’ll be able to automate sales tasks.
Using an effective CRM allows you to automate the tasks required to close a new lead. From sending out sales documents to filling out forms to sending out follow-up emails; each stage in the sales process can be performed more efficiently. No steps missed.
The good news? You could always switch to an ICLM.
Your CRM’s user experience will have a huge impact on the future of your business, especially if you are a real estate management company.
It is undeniable that a CRM's user experience plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of any business. A well-designed CRM not only saves valuable time and resources in the present but also sets the foundation for long-term success.
However, it is essential to acknowledge that not all CRMs are created equal, and many common CRM solutions in the market may fall short in providing the tailored experience that real estate management companies truly need.
This is where PropFlo shines as an Intelligent Customer Lifecycle Management software purposefully designed for real estate management companies.
Unlike traditional CRM tools that have a one-size fits all approach, PropFlo recognizes the unique and crucial needs of the real estate industry and addresses the specific failings that are often encountered with common solutions.
Understanding the complexities of real estate management, PropFlo offers a user experience finely tailored to the real estate industry requirements and, crucially, the daily needs of real estate sales professionals.
Now, real estate management companies can rest assured that their teams will be equipped with an ICLM that streamlines workflows, simplifies data entry, and presents information in a clear and intuitive manner.
By eliminating the frustrations commonly associated with CRM usage, PropFlo ensures higher user adoption rates, leading to increased efficiency and enhanced customer relationships.
PropFlo oversees every step of your business journey, starting with cultivating initial leads and extending to streamlining post-handover operations. This all-encompassing approach ensures that real estate management companies have a tool that meets their present needs while also paving the way for lasting growth and success.
Embrace the power of PropFlo and unlock the full potential of your real estate business.
