Typically CRM is used for sales activities. But there are also great applications for customer service, technical support, and for the companies marketing efforts. Any company that wants to find, entice, and get new clients, then cultivate and retain those clients, should consider a CRM software system for a small business. And if you have former clients who are unsatisfied or just drifted away, a CRM system will help you come up with a plan to bring them back through the doors.

Small businesses today are utilizing customer relationship management software as the visible face of their company-wide business strategy. Owners will implement CRM as a critical part of their overall approach. CRM will also allow all departments within the organization to log their experiences and plans to interface with the customer or potential customer.

What Can CRM Software Do For Your Business?

Basically CRM software is used to gather and organize information. It will allow your business and all the employees to view all customer interactions and the results of those actions. If problems arise, for instance, customer service will see all the customer’s product orders and any communication concerning those orders. This allows the service rep to respond faster, and in a knowledgeable manner. The same with technical support, the tech would know what the customer bought, would see if there had been any earlier complaints or attempts at solution, so they wouldn’t have to cover old ground.

The sales staff would know if there had been any shipping or service issues before they attempted to make another sale. This would allow them to ask first if the issue had been resolved successfully and to clear up any concerns before they asked for more business. Hopefully preventing an upset customer that the sales person didn’t even know they’d had a problem. The sales person would know the customer’s history, and be better able to know what the client might need and the approach to take with the sale.

The CRM software will also provide data to be analyzed, flagging specific opportunities and warnings. For instance if all eighty percent of the customers who bought widget A, came back to buy attachment C, then you should be calling the twenty percent of widget A purchasers who hadn’t yet purchased attachment C. You might also consider bundling widget A with attachment C for the next promotion.

Owners will be able to see what marketing strategies are working, and which should be discarded. They can offer more training to unproductive employees, and warn departments when they might be receiving more calls about a common service issue.

CRM Software and Small Businesses

Often small businesses make the mistake of thinking they aren’t big enough for Customer Relationship Management Software, when this is the perfect time to implement and start using it. Small businesses need every customer the can get and keep. There is CRM software perfect for small businesses, in fact small businesses can often better utilize this software as the information input into the system and the resulting analysis is less complex than it would be for a larger company.

In a small business CRM software is typically easier to implement throughout the organization, instead of just concentrating on the sales group. There are even online CRM options that would allow very small companies to take advantage of the software’s insights, even if you work at home. Some simple contact managements systems are offered free, or free for a specified trial period. Contact Management software is like a light version of Customer Relationship Management Software.

Summary

Customer Relationship Management Software or CRM can help not only your sales force, but the rest of your business, in focusing their efforts on the customer. Small business owners can device a company-wide strategy that will allow all departments to focus their efforts on understanding the customer, knowing the history of sales and contacts before they try to help, and in treating the customer as if he is your company’s number one priority.

The sales force can prepare for each call, knowing that if the customer had had service or technical issues it would be in the CRM system, and he could call to check to see if the issues were resolved before he tried to sell the customer something else. The CRM software will also allow owners to gather information that could result in more sales or help the companies marketing efforts.

The first step is to make a detailed list of what you need the accounting software to do. Start with the most important function, and move down the list for the one that is least important for your accounting needs. Make sure you understand your hardware, for instance that you know how much memory you have available and what operating system you run.

Know What You Need

If you have some specific requirements, say for a type of report, it is better to find a business account software package that does the needed report as a standard item, as customizing will typically cost more. If there are accounting software programs specifically tailored for your industry, they may provide the best fit. While industry-specific software may be more expensive than generic options in the beginning, this type of small business software may save you time and money in the long run.

Once you have created your list of needed functions, you can use it to compare the accounting software that you are interested in buying. Make sure you also compare the cost of training, maintenance and upgrades, as well as if there is a charge for customer support. Once you’ve compared pricing you will know how much to budget for the first year based on what you can afford.

At the low end of the scale will be the generic small business accounting packages like QuickBooks  or Peachtree. At the mid range you will find small business accounting packages such as Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) which also offers some business management options.

Often the small business accounting package that you need will be dictated by how many employees that you have. Some of the programs will handle tax reporting, payroll, supply chain management, project management, and more.

The more functionality the small business accounting program has, the more it will cost. But if it handles 90% of the items on your list versus 50%, it may be worth buying one that you don’t have to customize or that will force you to do many of the reports or activities by hand.

Some software has to be downloaded to your computer, and some accounting programs are available in online versions, that you need use of the internet to access. Think how this might affect the business in either way. The online version can be accessed at home, while one loaded on a computer requires access to that one machine or the network. But the online variety means you need an internet connection to get to it.

Online Comparisons

Compare small business accounting software online. Check out reviews on accounting society websites or industry specific professional associations. If you have questions about the software you can also post those in these locations.

There are also websites like PC Magazine or CNet that will also have comparisons. Check several websites to make sure you have an unbiased overview.

Typically accounting software will offer a free trial of their online program for a month or more. This will give you a chance to compare and play with several programs that you are interested in. You can check out how easy the accounting program is to use, and count and compare the steps to perform each function on different programs. Pay the bills and get samples of reports during your trial period to see if this software works for you.

Tips for Selecting the Best Small Business Accounting Software

Invariably you will have questions, so buy something well known and from a reputable, known firm. Otherwise you may not be able to find help when the time comes. It will also make it easier to find a bookkeeper or accountant who already knows the program.

You may want to hire an accountant for the first month or so to set up your business accounting system. Or set it up yourself and have an accountant review what you’ve done.

Learn to Use the Accounting Software

Once you’ve made the choice, make sure you learn how the program works and all its capabilities. Make sure you take the time to get trained, taking an online class, going to a training held by the store you bought it from, or see if the community college has a class you can take. The more you know, the more the best small business accounting software will do for your business.

It’s also a good idea to join an online or local users group that will give you an opportunity to ask questions and learn new applications and different ways of doing things.

CRM software helps a business keep track of sales, creates a client database and allows the business to offer more of what the customer wants due the built-in tracking programs. However, many small businesses put off purchasing a CRM program because they don’t know if they have reached the point in their business that they need to have this tool. The following information should help the small business determine when they need a CRM program and other information concerning the CRM.

Lower Cost Software

Today, the cost of purchasing CRM software has become much more affordable and so the decision to purchase CRM software isn’t usually about the cost. There are software programs that are as inexpensive and can be purchased on a monthly basis. This type of CRM software is typically not outright purchased, but is instead used for as long as the business needs it. The cost of this is much less than outright purchasing and allows for a more robust CRM program to be implemented for less money.

Businesses should consider implementing this lower cost software in the early stages of their business regardless of the number of employees. This early implementation allows for tracking of the business sales and clients to start early in the business and thus provide more accurate historical data later in the life of the business. The CRM will also be important in satisfying customers and ensuring that employees and customers alike are receiving the best the company has to offer.

Is CRM Worth Cost, Time and Effort?

Many small business owners ponder over CRM software because of the time that it takes to implement it and get employees trained on how to use it. This is another reason that implementing the software early in the business will pay off in the long run. It is easier to train someone on something when that is how they see the business being handled than it is to have them learn the business one way and then spring a new method on them.

Today’s CRM are so low-cost that it simply doesn’t make good business sense not to have one in place.

What Can CRM Offer

In order to justify adding CRM to a business, most business owners want to know what it will do for the business, some of those reasons are outlined below.
• Increase value provided to customers: CRM will assist the business owner by preventing the quality of the product or service that the customers receives from being compromised while at the same time simplifying the costs involved with the business practices. This could include organizing and reducing costs of travelling, reducing budgets for supplies or seeking better pricing for healthcare and other employee perks.

• Marketing: CRM is crucial in creating marketing strategies that are more effective. This means that the marketing programs that are in place will have to be examined to determine if they are effective or not. The only time that marketing budgets should ever be cut is when they are not working. Marketing is the last place that a budget should be cut as this is the area that is bringing in money to for the business.

• Contact Management: This is an important aspect of CRM in that it allows the business to keep track of all clients and what they have spent or done with the company over time. Many of the CRM programs will also integrate with other software such as email clients like Outlook. This type of management allows the clients who visit the business online to contact the business anytime and feel assured that their message will be sent to the company because of the CRM software that is in place.

Once the CRM recognizes that the client has placed a request, it goes into action and alerts the business owner via built-in tools. Most CRM software can be set up to reply to the client with a ‘thank you’ or other message that is customized by the business.

CRM software can save a business thousands of dollars in lost revenue simply because of clients not receiving an answer or ‘second touch’ from the business after they send in a request.

CRM has much more to offer a business than what is stated herein. The business owner should research and explore options in CRM that will benefit their business and choose the one they feel fits their clients and employees.

What is CMS?

A content management system, or CMS, is essentially a program that manages the HTML content of your website, creating, editing and storing the content in a manner that is available to be accessed and manipulated by the owner or administrator of the site. The content of your site is uploaded or created in the backend portion of the program. Once it’s been approved for public consumption, the content is then available to be viewed by visitors to your site on the front end.

The great thing about CMS programs are that they allow users with little familiarity with web programming or markup languages to manage content on their sites. While a web developer may be necessary to set up the CMS program, once it’s up and running, non-technical users can easily create, add and delete content from your business’ web page. This is good for small business owners who may not have the resources to employ full-time web developers or other technicians to manage their sites.

What Options Does A CMS Provide?

A content management system typically provides all or most of the following features for web site owners:

Automated templates – Instead of requiring the user to start from scratch each time he or she wants to add a page or a feature to the website, CMS programs create templates in HTML or XML that can be used to quickly and easily post content to your page.

Access Control – Content management systems typically divide visitors to your site into user groups.  This allows the site administrator to require users to register to gain access to certain segments of the site, and gives the administrator the ability to block certain users or user groups from areas of the site.

Expansion options – Most content management systems allow administrators to expand the site over many domains and can also allow them to create web portals and mini-sites on the business’ main page.

Quick and easy editing – Perhaps the most popular feature of CMS programs is their ease of use for editing content. Using a CMS program, business owners can quickly and easily change the content of their sites. This allows them to quickly correct mistakes and avoid the costs of having a full-time web developer.

Add-ons: For business owners who feel their CMS program needs a little more horsepower, most CMS programs accept plug-ins which expand the functionality of the program.

Upgrades – Most CMS program receive regular updates from their manufacturers that help work out bugs in the system and also expand the functionality of the program.

Managing workflow and collaboration – Using a CMS program helps you guide new content through an editing process. By adjusting your settings, you can require that an employee submit a story through the system and then require an editor to sign off on it before it publishes. The program can also allow content contributors and managers to kick content back and forth to one another and other employees, allowing for easier collaboration.

Syndication – A good CMS program can help distribute material by posting to RSS and Atom feeds and automatically submitting content to other sites.

Preview – Most good CMS programs have an option that will allow you to see how the new content you’re posting will look on your site before you post it.

What To Look For in A CMS

When selecting a CMS, the key thing to look for is accessibility. Picking a content management system that has a clunky user interface, or that is slow to work or requires an excessive amount of steps to perform simple tasks kills the efficiency you can enjoy by using a CMS. Your CMS should be intuitive and easy to learn, should work at a decent rate of speed and should not frustrate users with excessive steps or a user interface that’s unforgiving of slight misteps.

Appropriateness is another key factor to consider when buying a CMS. If your site will only need a few basic features, you may not need to purchase a top-shelf CMS. In fact, some small businesses with only basic website needs may be able to use open-source, free CMS programs. However, if your site will offer a variety of complicated graphics, charts, games or other options, you may need a more upscale choice.

Reliability is another important factor to consider. If your content management system is frequently buggy, it won’t be of much use to you. Check out consumer ratings and talk to other business owners before committing to purchasing a CMS.

Here’s a final tip: Don’t let your IT guy pick your CMS program. Instead, let the employees who will actually be using the system to post content have input on the choice. The users will have a better perspective on what they need and don’t need from a CMS. Also, an IT professional will have much more technical knowledge than your average employee, so a system that seems easy to your IT guy may be a labrynth to a less tech-saavy employee.

Once You Buy It

Once you purchase a content management program, the most important thing to do is get your staff trained on the new system. By adequately training your staff, you’ll ensure that they can quickly and efficiently create, manage, add and delete content from your site. You’ll also need to establish policies concerning who is responsible for content and an editing process. An editing process is recommended as a firewall to prote

In today’s highly competitive business environment, you need to be able to focus your attention on the big picture, and not get bogged down in minute details. Human resources software allows you this freedom, dramatically reducing the amount of time you must spend on keeping track of employee information.

Here are some of the functions human resource software can help you manage:

Time and attendance: You can replace the traditional timeclock and time sheets with human resource software that has your employees log in and log out when they come to work. This software can help you easily keep track of whether employees are coming in on time and the hours they are working. The data from these software applications can also be transferred to payroll programs, making processing your employees’ paychecks a lot easier.

Scheduling: A simple Excel spreadsheet can help you schedule your employees’ time, but more elaborate programs are also out there that can help you review past schedules to get a good estimate on the labor needed on a given week and help better ensure that you’re giving hours to your employees fairly over time.

Performance review: Larger small businesses may want to adopt an employee evaluation software application that can guide managers and employees through their yearly performance evaluation.

Task tracking: HR applications can help you track employees’ progress on assigned jobs, helping you get a better feel for the resources needed to accomplish tasks and the abilities and effectiveness of your employees.

Training: Some HR applications allow employees to log in and undergo training modules. This can reduce the time you or your managers must spend training employees in some of the more basic aspects of their jobs. While hands-on training will likely be necessary for more complicated job functions, simple tasks or routines can be effectively learned in this manner.

According to a recent small business guide published by CNN, the following software applications are recommended for small businesses:

SimpleHR – An inexpensive and effective HR program, SimpleHR allows businesses to manage salary, performance, vacation time, safety incidents and other information. SimpleHR comes in a variety of product packs and is gradually more expensive based on the number of employees being managed with the program.

OrangeHRM – This is a free, open-source application that’s great for businesses with only a handful of employees. Larger businesses can upgrade to a professional support package, and, for a fee, a Web-based version of the program is available, allowing business owners to manage HR from the comfort of their homes or on the road.

EmpXTrack Starter Edition – This program lets employers keep track of payroll and other employee information and allows employees to log in and record their time. Upgraded editions provide more options, such as performance reviews.

People-Trak HR – This program offers a wide variety of options for small businesses and costs $20 per employee.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV and GP – This HR program allows small business owners a wide variety of HR management options. For many smaller businesses, the program is inappropriate as it offers too many options, but for mid-size to large small businesses, the program offers a comprehensive series of applications likely to cover all possible HR needs.

When choosing HR software, it’s important to pick a program that’s affordable, reliable and user friendly. If you know other small business owners, you may want to ask their advice before purchasing a HR software application. Also insist on demoing a program before making a purchase.

After selecting an HR program, the important thing is to make sure you implement it properly at your business. Adequately train yourself and your managers and employees on how to properly use it, and insist on the software being used. If the software is not used, or not used properly, you won’t be getting the most out of your investment.

When most people think of hackers, they typically think of someone trying to hack into a big government or large corporation’s computer systems. However, the truth is that many hackers working toward criminal purposes target personal computers or small businesses, as their online security is likely much less developed than that of a large organization, making them an easier target. Hackers may target small business’ computer systems to gain customer credit card information and information about business accounts that they may use for illicit gain.

Small business owners must also be wary of threats posed by computer viruses and other malicious software that can disrupt their businesses by corrupting files and causing damage to computer software and hardware.

The truth is that 45 percent of all businesses reported being the victim of some type of cyber crime in 2001, up nine percent from the previous year’s figure. Online fraud and cyber crime is clearly a growing problem for both small and large businesses.

There are a number of steps small businesses can take to prevent fraud or online vandalism.

1. Purchase anti-virus software and keep it updated. A surprising number of computer users fail to protect their technology assets with even the most basic computer anti-virus software. To safeguard your system from malicious software that may harm the functionality of your computers or, worse yet, steal sensitive business information such as your customers’ credit card numbers, make sure you buy anti-virus software and keep it updated. A good anti-virus program can ward off the majority of malicious software out there.

2. If you have an online store, use secure programs to facilitate transactions. Chances are you already are doing this, as most credit card companies require businesses to take steps to protect credit card information, including using data encryption.

For small businesses, securing online financial data is as simple as using PayPal, which has become an industry standard for secure transactions online. It’s an inexpensive and safe means of processing payments online.

3. Encrypt sensitive internal information. You may want to contract with an online security expert to help protect information such as product details, personnel files, legal files, etc. to keep hackers from accessing this sensitive information.

4. Regularly change passwords and account names on computers. Frequent changes can confound hackers and may also prevent former employees or unscrupulous visitors to your business who may have memorized passwords from using this knowledge for an ill purpose. It’s very important for owners of new computers to quickly change the default security settings on the computer.

5. Regularly update your operating system and anti-virus programs. Makers of operating systems and anti-virus programs frequently release updates and patches to respond to current or anticipated problems, including security threats. By installing the latest updates, you can help your computer system stay secure.

6. Curtail access to company computers. If possible limit employee access to information through the use of password protection. Not every employee in your business needs access to your financial data. Keep your information compartmentalized and allow employees to access only the data they need for the performance of their duties.

By following these steps, you can improve the online security of your small business and protect your financial information and that of your customers from fraud and abuse. Cyber crime is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses each year, and for small businesses, the threat to their livelihood is severe as only a few instances of fraud could wipe out their assets.