The world of CRM (Contact Relationship Management) software is complex and can be daunting for the average user. What is a CRM and why is it different from an address book?
CRMs track all types of contacts – vendors, staff, donors and everyone, quite frankly, that you come into contact with. A CRM can help you cultivate your relationships by adding descriptive notes each time you meet, talk or email. Since a CRM system is a true database and not simply an Excel spreadsheet, you can search and sort by all types of criteria.
Every email you send, every phone call you make – every contact of any kind gets dated and noted. You can also combine all of your current contact lists from Outlook, spreadsheets and LinkedIn into one database and categorize them for easy searchability.
The difficulty lies in choosing the right CRM for your organization. Each differs slightly and it’s important to make a list of features you would like and recognize how you want to use the data, whether it is cultivating community activities, thanking donors or anything else.
Bottom line – a CRM can save hours of time, keep you on top of follow up tasks, and unveil data about your contacts that you never knew.
Call us today to discuss which CRM might be the best for you. 914.428.3900. Or email us at techhelp@imc-ny.com.