We have entered the era of startups. Due to the rapid spread of
digital tools, it has become easier to turn an idea into a tangible project.
However, the challenge of competing with the big players remains. IPC (IP
Converge Data Services, Inc.), a local cloud services and data center pioneer,
believes that by enhancing flexibility and mobility through a Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) system a startup can overcome this hurdle.
According to a January 2015 report by Socialbakers, a global
social media analytics company, 66% percent of user generated tweets mentioning
brands are now executed through mobile devices. In a June 2016 study made by
the social media site, half of their 12,000 respondents took action immediately
after seeing a brand tweet. This included visiting the brand’s site or Twitter
page. Also, the study revealed that almost 1 in 5 Twitter users will eagerly
retweet a tweet that mentions a brand and is contemplating to make a purchase
after being exposed to a brand-related tweet, proof that brand-based social
engagement does drive consumer behavior.
“Because digital tools such as social media and cloud are more
cost-efficient compared to the traditional ways of managing and promoting one’s
business, it is usually the route taken by budding businesses. As such, we can
consider most startups digital natives. With digital now considered the norm,
startups are at an advantage,” said Dave de Leon, Chief Financial Officer and
Head of Business Solutions Group of IPC.
However, de Leon notes that the true challenge lies in effectively
generating, winning, and keeping business leads. “Here’s where an effective
customer relationship management (CRM) tool comes in. It affords a startup's
sales team access to crucial real-time information, thereby empowering them to
make better business decisions,” said de Leon.
Challenged with a limited budget and a leaner workforce, startups
can utilize CRM tools that can help them understand who has bought what, how
much they spent, and help predict demand for future product offerings or market
expansion.
A Forrester Research study says companies that excel at lead
nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost. Furthermore, a
report by Bain and Company shows that just a 5% increase in customer retention
boosts lifetime customer profits by 50% on average across multiple industries,
as well as a boost of up to 90% within specific industries such as insurance.
Salesforce, one of the largest cloud computing companies in the
world that provide CRM solutions, also adds that a good CRM can increase sales
up 29%, sales productivity up to 35%, and forecast accuracy by 42%. Primarily
known as a company that aids large enterprises with its software and
development platform, Salesforce also helps startups with its “Salesforce for
startups” initiative where new businesses are provided access to the technology,
tools, and expertise needed to become a customer and community-focused company.
Currently, IPC holds the distinction of being Salesforce’s only partner in the
Philippines.
“Whoever can understand the customer better, wins the competition.
So that’s why you have to have CRM to manage and analyze customer information
which helps businesses to understand them even before they look for a product,”
said Brian
Dizon, Director for Sales – Business Solutions Group of IPC. “When you
empower your sales reps with the right tools, they can focus more on hitting
their quotas instead of working on reports that can otherwise be automated or
simplified.”
On November 22, 2016, IPC will be hosting a morning workshop that
focuses on the importance of equipping sales teams with the latest CRM
solutions and methods that can help maximize overall efficiency. Titled
“Salesforce: Find, Win & Keep,” the workshop, which will be handled by
Salesforce certified administrators, will talk about redefining the role of CRM
in a company. Registration is free of charge and done online at
www.ipc.ph/findwinkeep.
“Sales teams need a highly accessible tool that will help them
gather up-to-date insights about their clients in order to make swift decisions
that could potentially close a sale,” said de Leon. “Without a clear CRM
strategy, sales opportunity tracking becomes cumbersome and a sales pipeline
takes longer to build. A cloud-based CRM application allows sales reps to get
more done, while providing real time feedback to management.”
With its clear benefits, it’s no surprise that businesses of all
kinds are utilizing CRM. “It is a vendor-agnostic solution. Any company that
sells will definitely gain from using CRM as it provides them critical insight
into the behavior of their consumers, thereby building and help maintain
relationships which is critical for startups.”
Dizon also notes that a Cloud-based CRM solution is an ideal
platform for startups since most solutions are offered with a promo, thereby
costing less. “Many cloud service companies provide extremely flexible and
adaptive solutions that are usually on a pay-per-use model.”
IPC provides consulting and implementation services for
Salesforce, bringing together solutions across sales, service, marketing,
communities, analytics, apps and the Internet of Things. By continuing to
innovate and embrace technologies like mobile, relationship intelligence, and
collaboration, IPC is helping sales reps to become more productive while at the
same time making the entire process easier and quicker for the customer. To
know more about how to get started with Salesforce CRM from IPC, visit
http://ipc.ph/salesforce/.
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About
IPC®
IPC®
(IP Converge Data Services, Inc.) is an Internet data center,
telecommunications and cloud services company, providing local and regional
enterprises with managed data services and business solutions at international
standards. Certified with ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems and ISO
27001:2013 Information Security Management Systems, the foundation of IPC's
business is customer satisfaction, ensured through high-quality on-time service
delivery, best practices, and a personalized, "boutique" approach to
clients. IPC is an ePLDT company.
Press
Contact:
Mika
Calixterio
Marketing
Communications Manager, IPC
