The results
The participants represent a broad cross-section of industries and are working either in the UK or North America.
The vast majority of the those surveyed (80%) have a CRM system
Those without CRM systems mostly use spreadsheets, sometimes their accounting software or Outlook, and in a couple of cases “nothing”
A majority of those contributing who have CRM systems are not happy with theirs
Of those with a CRM, only 31% say that “it does the job”
The rest are either aware they “need something better” or are actively looking for another system. Only half of those who took part could honestly say of their CRM “I am happy” and none agreed with the statement “it is great”
So, what about the other half – these are split between those who are actively considering better (23% of all respondents), and those who are not happy but not sure where they want to change or not.
The first question to consider is, 'Does it matter if you’re unhappy with your CRM? Can you just get on with the day job and ignore it?’ Well, you could, but here is the difference:
We asked, 'How effective is your current solution?' (0-10), and compared average scores for those without CRM, those happy with their CRM, and those unhappy with their CRM.
The graph shows that those happy with their CRM systems enjoy substantially improved operational efficiency and effectiveness – most importantly in lead generation and huge improvements in lead/pipeline management.
Not just versus those with no CRM at all, but also when compared to those with a CRM system they are unhappy with.
In the words of a transport and logistics respondent from the UK: “A properly managed CRM system can reduce the sales prospecting and marketing process significantly, leading to increased effectiveness and profitability”.
