The goal of utilizing a CRM is to improve relationships with customers to drive sales growth, and businesses of all sizes are reaping the benefits of a CRM that helps them onboard new clients, build engaging relationships, and consistently deliver polished client experiences.

What is CRM?

Customer relationship management (CRM) is technology businesses use to manage their interactions with current and potential customers. Some CRMs are generic while others cater to certain business verticals or even specific sizes of businesses, such as Small Law Firm CRM. The most effective CRMs include powerful tools to help companies:

• Expedite growth. Once a business begins to grow, friction may result, allowing valuable leads to fall through the cracks. But all-in-one CRM platforms enable organizations to track everything in one centralized space, so nobody drops the ball on lead follow-up.

• Keep everyone on the same page. With various natively built tools and integrations, CRMs help businesses align their sales, marketing, and service teams to centralize daily workflows and business goals around clients.

• Share information. No matter who speaks with a potential client – sales, service, or marketing professionals – information is automatically synced and updated in the CRM system, giving a team access to accurate records that can be shared within the platform.

• Gain insight. CRM platforms do more than tell a business where a lead originated. They provide actionable insight into precisely what a potential client clicks on when they receive an email marketing message, how many times a prospect opened an email, how often a lead interacted with a sales team, and more. 

• Make better decisions. The data a CRM provides allows businesses to effectively communicate with their current audience and reach out to those who have shown interest in the past to provide valuable guidance during the decision-making process.

With CRM in place, marketing departments can focus on creating campaigns that resonate with an audience, sales teams can offer more in-demand products and services, and efficient companies can better serve customers. 

What are the benefits of CRM?

CRM software provides numerous benefits to businesses, including law firms, that want to increase efficiency and provide stellar customer service:

• Custom dashboards. When a business uses a spreadsheet, data must be inputted manually, an error-prone and labor-intensive process. However, a CRM does most of the work, and customized dashboards can be set up for every user with login credentials. Intuitive dashboards allow users to see the data that is most important to their unique workflows without having to sift through data or run a report.

• Personalized client outreach. A CRM continually gathers data regarding the audience, market, and industry relevant to a particular business. As a result, users can create more relevant, personalized messaging via a drip campaign – a series of automated emails triggered by specific actions directed to a particular audience.

• Automation potential. CRM platforms offer automation, which reduces the time spent nurturing leads, prioritizes which marketing qualified leads (MQL) will most likely transition into sales qualified leads (SQL), and handles routine customer questions with chatbots or other automated messaging.

• Enhanced collaboration. A cloud-based CRM platform provides an up-to-date, shared record of all customers’ conversations, interactions, and contact information. Some systems also offer built-in collaboration tools that enable multiple users to work on one file simultaneously and follow the progress of individual matters to create a seamless workflow.

• Reliable data and metrics. Data is a valuable resource for businesses; however, it’s not usable until it is organized and converted into an actionable format. A CRM system helps companies see who interacts with the organization and through what channels. It enables the team to run reports to see where opportunities exist, how they communicate with prospective and current customers, and review sales and customer service trends.

Finding clients is challenging, and once you find them, you must establish and maintain strong relationships to keep them. CRM allows businesses to offer high-quality, consistent, and timely customer interactions at all stages within the sales pipeline.

Why Do Law Firms Need CRM?

Strong client relationships are at the foundation of a successful law practice. According to The Client-Centered Law Firm, to thrive in today’s competitive legal environment, law firms need to be client-centered. This means they must provide a positive client experience by building trust, forming a solid working relationship, and leaving clients willing to refer others once their matter has resolved. CRM platforms help lawyers attract and retain clients, grow the firm, and support continued business expansion. 

Jan Hill, a paralegal and freelance copywriter, authored this article.