Software Advice UserView: CRM Software Report Lessons from real software users
Abstract Software Advice conducted an online survey of 304 customer relationship management (CRM) software users representing businesses across a range of industries and sizes in order to determine the following: How businesses are planning to invest in key areas of CRM technology How satisfied they are with their current CRM solution What they feel are the greatest benefits and challenges of implementing their system.
Level of Future Investment by CRM Application Help desk/customer service Marketing automation Social media monitoring Sales force automation Social media platforms Knowledge management Field service Channel management Call center 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent of sample Increase Stay the same Decrease Don't know Help desk and marketing automation were top areas for future investment, with 47 and 42 percent of users, respectively, saying they planned to increase spending.
User Satisfaction With CRM System by Business Size Small Medium Large 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent of sample Very satisfied Somewhat unsatisfied Somewhat satisfied Very unsatisfied Respondents representing small businesses were most likely to say they were very satisfied (37 percent) or somewhat satisfied (33 percent) with their CRM system.
How Well CRM System Delivers on Key Benefits Improved access to customer data Improved relationship management Improved interaction tracking Improved lead management Improved customer satisfaction More efficient customer service Improved sales forecasting Increased customer retention Workflow standardization Lower customer acquisition costs 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent of sample Very Well Well Poorly Very poorly Most users (74 percent) said their system offered improved access to customer data, with 64 percent saying it delivered improved relationship management.
Challenges With Current CRM System System customization Integration with other systems End-user adoption Decreased user productivity Data import Deficient functionality Learning to use the system Instability/bugs/latency Support costs Security or privacy issues 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent of sample Major challenge Moderate challenge Minor challenge Not a challenge Users cited system customization and integration as top pain points, with 56 and 49 percent, respectively, saying they were major or moderate challenges.
Devices Used to Access CRM System Laptop Desktop Smartphone Tablet 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent of sample Nearly half of our respondents said they used smartphones (48 percent) and/or tablets (45 percent) to access their CRM system.
Number of Devices Used to Access CRM System 29% 19% 1 2 3 4 20% 33% Nearly all users (81 percent) say they access their CRM using multiple types of devices, with 29 percent using laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets.
Demographics: CRM User Size by Number of Employees 10% 8% 5% 18% 11% 13% 8% 18% 12% 1 2-5 6-10 11-20 21-50 51-100 101-500 501-1,000 <1,001 Our survey respondents represented a range of businesses of varying sizes, with most (67 percent) representing smaller businesses of 100 or fewer employees.
Demographics: CRM Users by Industry 3% 4% 25% 5% 6% 21% 6% 7% 11% 14% Manufacturing Technology Real estate Sales Consulting Financial services Healthcare Distribution Accounting Other Respondents represented businesses from many industries, with manufacturing, technology and real estate being the most common at 21, 14 and 11 percent.
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