CRM and SFA are also frequently compared with MA. MA stands for "Marketing Automation," and as the name implies, it is a tool specialized in automating marketing tasks. While MA can also handle customer acquisition and information management like CRM and SFA, its strength lies in the discovery, nurturing, and conversion of leads (prospective customers). In other words, following the progression of the customer journey, the optimal tool changes in the order of "MA → SFA → CRM."
Benefits of Utilizing CRM and SFA
By utilizing CRM and SFA, you can expect the following benefits:
Centralized Information Management
CRM allows for the centralized management of customer information, while SFA primarily centralizes sales information.
For example, while modern companies connect with customers through various online channels, failing to consolidate the information gathered from each channel makes it impossible to see the full picture of the customer. By aggregating customer information into a CRM and sharing it company-wide, you can fully leverage customer data across departments.
Furthermore, the centralized management of sales information via SFA leads to more efficient sales activities. If the progress of deals managed by each sales representative is properly shared, managers can easily determine when and what kind of support is needed. Additionally, visualizing sales performance and revenue forecasts is useful when considering mid- to long-term sales strategies.
Real-Time Information Sharing
Real-time information sharing is another benefit of CRM and SFA.
By implementing CRM and SFA provided as cloud services, you can check and share information regarding customers and sales as needed, even from outside the office. For instance, you can check information about a client company while on the move or update and share sales information without returning to the office.
In particular, SFA can automate and streamline the creation of documents such as daily reports, thereby reducing the operational burden while increasing the speed of information sharing. Being able to refer to the latest information at all times is crucial for optimizing customer service.
Mitigating Dependency on Individuals
Mitigating the dependency on specific individuals for tasks and information is another benefit of CRM and SFA.
In sales departments where representatives are often active outside the office, information sharing tends to be neglected. A state where tasks are known or performed only by specific individuals is called "siloing of expertise," which leads to black-boxed operations and can cause errors, troubles, and misconduct.
Moreover, in Japanese companies with rigid vertical structures, there is often a state of "data silos" where departments manage data separately. Since the customer data being referenced differs, discrepancies in customer understanding arise, making data silos an obstacle to implementing a consistent customer strategy.
By introducing CRM and SFA, which promote the centralized management of customer and sales information, you can easily prevent such dependency on individuals and data silos. This also makes the process of handing over necessary information and know-how to new personnel smoother.
