Not sure how to swing through your customer relationships with ease? The good news is – you don’t need Tarzan’s liana-swaying skills, just a good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool on hand.
As of today, 91% of companies with over 10 employees are using CRM software. (Grand View Research)
Should you be one of them?
Our answer is – three times yes! The best CRM software can dramatically enhance the way you look after your relationships with clients. And this article will only reassure you that investing in one can be a milestone for your marketing agency.
Table of Contents
What is agency CRM software?
Small business owners are especially busy – from managing executive projects to maintaining contact with clients or determining budgets. They are multitasking experts, but they have no time for other, let’s admit it – more enjoyable aspects of being creative agencies owner. Sound all too familiar to you?
Agency CRM software just might be the holy grail of client relations – it’s a powerful tool that enables agencies to manage multiple accounts and keep up with their customers.
CRM systems can help you manage customer data, control marketing spend, track sales pipeline, or automate scheduling tasks. Whenever the marketing team wants, they get access to all these data easily. And it’s just the beginning of what it has to offer.
When adopting CRM, companies want specific features. (Software Advice)
However, each business requires something different – that’s why CRM software isn’t limited to just one type. There are many, each specialized in a particular daily aspect of the agency workload. Have a quick look at them.
Brief description of CRM software key features
When it comes to choosing the right CRM solution for their business, most marketing teams tend to focus on one of these five choices.
Project management
Get rid of tons of files and manage projects in one place. Having powerful project management capabilities is the number one priority for marketing agencies. Daily workflow simply cannot function without all tasks written down and clearly divided among team members. Being on the same page and knowing where everyone stands makes life easier.
Workflow automation
Automated workflows are something that modern digital agencies strive for (or at least they should). With such features as, e.g., the ability to generate reports automatically, your business can save a lot of time. And as we all know, time is money – so automating repetitive tasks, even some, can be a huge relief for your team.
Data analysis
Having access to reliable data analysis capabilities is a must for any business that wants to stay competitive. The right CRM software should be able to automate data processing and provide actionable insights. It will help optimize campaigns and drive better results in the long run.
Contact management
The bigger advertising agencies have many clients to handle. To make things easier for them, some CRM systems provide a contact database. It’s a convenient way to keep track of all your own clients’ information in one place, simplifying contact management.
Budget tracking
The agency must keep an eye on the budget if they wish to maximize the effectiveness of its customized marketing campaigns. A CRM platform that offers finance tracking features can help you see the gap in spending and make the most of all business opportunities.
However, you don’t have to sacrifice any of the features and create one powerful combo – finance and project management dashboard in one. Allfred is the tool that lets you do that. Book a demo to create a solution tailored to your personalized marketing needs.
Customer relationship management for agency teams: Why do you need it?
What if you are a small agency and have just a couple of clients? Believe us – CRM technology can still be extremely beneficial for your business (and doesn’t have to cost a fortune!).
CRM for a marketing agency can seem like an unnecessary extra layer of complexity. However, this is a far cry from the truth. It’s the solution that allows you to stay organized and have visibility over every step of the customer journey.
What the CRM software can offer to your agency, and why it’s high time to consider one?
#1 Boost in productivity
In the research conducted by some CRM agencies, productivity is rated as a major benefit of CRM systems. (Nucleus Research)
Having all the tasks on one single platform can help improve your team’s efficiency. The fact that most of these solutions provide appealing dashboards with blocks, colors, etc., is not without significance as well.
#2 Every client in a snap
Since most CRM software uses cloud storage, you’ll have access to all your most important client information from anywhere. That way, you’ll be able to keep in touch with them quickly and conveniently. Additionally, it will be easier for your team to find the right contact information or previous interactions in a matter of seconds.
#3 Cost-effectiveness
Considering all the features and benefits offered by CRM solutions, they are relatively inexpensive compared to other management systems. By combining multiple functions on one platform, you can save money that would otherwise have been spent on multiple software subscriptions.
#4 Improved data security
CRM solutions are typically compliant with various regulations and offer improved security protocols. It means that your most sensitive customer information is kept safe from hackers and other malicious moves. It also provides an extra layer of protection for your business from potential liability.
#5 Streamlined internal communication
The ability to communicate more effectively is another benefit of having a complete marketing automation solution. With the right CRM system, your team can communicate more quickly, easily – and reliably. It also makes it easier for teams to collaborate on projects and campaigns.
#6 End of manual data entry
Automating tasks will also allow you to save time on tedious duties, create workflows or even use templates that can be reused. What does it mean for your team? More time to focus on more meaningful and important tasks. It’s the thing that will help you increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
Note: Allfred can even handle your invoices. You can manage and organize all of your invoicing plans in one place. Now you don’t have to worry about this one missed document. You find it there.
#7 Integrated tools stack
CRM platforms that provide open APIs make it easy to integrate your existing toolkit with the new one. Moreover, it facilitates seamless data exchange between them, so launching CRM is quick and easy.
All in all, with a good CRM system in place, your agency can take advantage of an array of features that will optimize your agency’s performance.
How to get started with CRM for digital marketing agencies?
The best way to start with the software for digital marketing agencies is meeting scheduling with the sales rep that will will bring you closer to the operation of a particular tool. As soon as you have chosen the tool that meets your needs best, it’s time to optimize it to suit your agency’s workflow.
Explore the possibilities of Allfred and book a demo.
➡️ Set up your database
Make a list of all your contacts, including customers, prospects, and partners. It will give you a complete view of all existing and potential relationships within the organization.
➡️ Connect the tools
To make the most out of a CRM solution, you have to integrate it with the current tool stack. Allfred team will assist you with a seamless switch.
➡️ Create accounts
Now it’s time to create accounts for your team members. Set them up and send them access information.
➡️ Create projects
The best part is happening now. To ensure smooth team communication, you must establish projects and organize all the content. The more well-planned it is, the better. Keep it simple and short.
➡️ Set milestones
For an agency, time tracking is essential. You can set specific milestones to measure the output and track your team’s performance. Allfred time tracking dashboard is super useful if you want to scale up your team.
➡️ Monitor progress
Once the projects are established and milestones set, you can monitor progress in real-time. This allows you to make sure that everyone is working on the right task at any given time.
➡️ Consider staff training
Consider training the team if you are concerned that they might have some difficulty mastering the tool. It can help them a lot and for sure give them a sense of confidence about using new software.
To sum up
We’re tempted to say that the CRM software is this factor X that you might miss to make your business go from good to great.
One thing is for sure, CRM software will certainly help you streamline and organize the workflow of your marketing agency.
By leveraging all its features and functions, it can improve collaboration among team members, enhance customer relationship management, bring more insight into decision-making, and just make your team more focused on the goals.
Allfred is the ultimate solution for agency teams that are ready to hit the ground running. Get your projects started today with finance and project management tools designed for creative agencies. Kickstart success now – Allfred has got you covered.
