![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/dev-inproduct.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/Act-Moving-Beyond-Excel-or-Notes-01-1.png\")
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When you started your business, you only had a handful of customers. It made sense to store and manage their details in an <\/span>Excel<\/span> spreadsheet<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n But as your company grew, so did your customer base. Today, you or your sales reps have to scroll through hundreds (if not thousands) of rows in a <\/span>spreadsheet<\/span> to find the necessary client details.<\/span><\/p>\n If your <\/span>SMB<\/span> has been grappling with these challenges, you\u2019re not alone. A recent <\/span>Act! CRM Survey Report<\/span><\/a> revealed that 39 percent of <\/span>SMB<\/span> owners use <\/span>spreadsheets<\/span> to manage customer information.<\/span><\/p>\n But, with <\/span>digital transformation<\/span> becoming the norm for businesses across all industries, notes and <\/span>spreadsheets<\/span> are no longer the right fit for managing customer relationships and meeting your <\/span>business needs<\/span>. Here’s why you need to replace them with a scalable CRM solution\u2014and what to consider when you stop using <\/span>Excel<\/span> as a CRM.<\/span><\/p>\n First things first\u2014<\/span>Excel<\/span> spreadsheets<\/span> are great at storing <\/span>datasets<\/span> from various sources like Quickbooks and <\/span>LinkedIn<\/span>, running quick calculations, and creating charts and graphs. Similarly, note-taking apps can help you quickly jot down key takeaways from a client <\/span>interaction<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But when it comes to effective customer relationship management (CRM), these capabilities aren\u2019t enough. Here are a few common drawbacks of using <\/span>Excel<\/span> as a CRM system:<\/span><\/p>\n Picture this: You share the <\/span>spreadsheet<\/span> with <\/span>customer data<\/span> with your sales team. Each team member downloads the file on their computer and updates relevant details after talking to a client. It won\u2019t be long before you have to deal with <\/span>duplicate<\/span> or inaccurate data, leading to inconsistent communications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spreadsheets<\/span> aren\u2019t particularly mobile-friendly. That makes it difficult for sales reps to access and update <\/span>customer data<\/span> while they\u2019re on the move, and it can affect the outcomes of in-person client meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond protecting your <\/span>customer data<\/span> spreadsheet<\/span> with a password, <\/span>Microsoft<\/span> Excel<\/span> doesn\u2019t offer robust security features. You can\u2019t do much to prevent unauthorised access to <\/span>sensitive data<\/span>. Worse still, if an employee downloads the file on their computer and leaves your company, they can continue using your <\/span>customer data<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Notes and <\/span>spreadsheets<\/span> can pack a ton of useful data on customer behaviour, purchase history, service requests, and more. However, they lack sophisticated analytics features to turn the available data into actionable insights.<\/span><\/p>\n As your customer base grows, managing <\/span>customer data<\/span> in <\/span>spreadsheets<\/span> will become nothing short of a nightmare. Imagine scrolling through endless rows to find out when a potential customer was contacted last. Or sending a follow-up SMS to the wrong phone number because a sales rep forgot to update the details. That kind of inefficiency can result in leads slipping out of the funnel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Did you know that over a quarter of <\/span>SMBs<\/span> that started using CRM software saw a significant boost in revenue and company growth? But improved revenue isn\u2019t the only reason why you should use CRM software instead of <\/span>Excel<\/span>. There are many reasons why you should use a CRM instead of <\/span>Excel<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n A CRM platform like <\/span>Act! CRM<\/span><\/a> offers a centralised dashboard to collect, store, and manage customer information. It creates a single source of truth, and employees across different departments can leverage <\/span>file sharing<\/span> and refer to it before interacting with clients. If they edit any information, the changes get reflected in <\/span>real-time<\/span>. This provides everyone with a unified and updated view of each client, elevating the <\/span>user experience<\/span>. It also speeds up <\/span>decision-making<\/span> and simplifies <\/span>business processes<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Act! even provides advanced search filters to help employees find the necessary information quickly. This facilitates seamless customer <\/span>interactions<\/span> and ultimately improves the purchase experience.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, CRM solutions with <\/span>cloud services<\/span> make it possible for multiple team members to access and work with client data simultaneously, regardless of their location. This makes them particularly suitable for hybrid or remote teams as compared to <\/span>on-premises<\/span> ones.<\/span><\/p>\n With a CRM solution, your knowledge of customers isn\u2019t limited to a few fields like name, phone number, and the date of last purchase. Instead, a platform like Act! lets you map out a prospect\u2019s entire journey and helps you understand where they are in the sales funnel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With these insights, you can tailor your marketing and sales efforts for each lead instead of following a cookie-cutter approach. You can also monitor how different leads move through the sales funnel and identify friction points that drive prospects away.<\/span><\/p>\n Modern CRM systems come with a broad spectrum of <\/span>automation<\/span> capabilities. For instance, Act! lets you set up automated reminders and alerts. You can even assign specific tasks to sales reps and let the software notify them automatically. These features come in handy for ensuring timely follow-ups and <\/span>maximising conversions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, Act! lets you <\/span>configure<\/span> automated <\/span>workflows<\/span> that are triggered based on specific client actions. For instance, you can set up a welcome email that sends automatically when a new lead enters your funnel. Similarly, when a customer completes their first purchase, you can send an email survey.<\/span><\/p>\n Such automated <\/span>workflows<\/span> eliminate the need for manual follow-ups and help <\/span>s<\/span>treamline<\/span> operations<\/span><\/a>. Customer support and sales teams can instead focus on more crucial tasks, such as driving retention and conversion rates.<\/span><\/p>\n A cutting-edge <\/span>CRM solution<\/span><\/a> doesn\u2019t just store customer information. It helps you analyze the available data and track crucial metrics, such as customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), and customer satisfaction score (CSAT).<\/span><\/p>\n With these metrics at their fingertips, marketing and sales teams can make more informed decisions. Plus, you can turn these insights into meaningful reports that come in handy for generating revenue projections.<\/span><\/p>\n Many CRM platforms, including Act!, offer mobile apps that make it easy for employees to access <\/span>customer data<\/span> and insights wherever they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Act!’s Mobile App<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(Android and <\/span>iOS<\/span>) provides sales reps with driving and destination insights. They can also update a customer\u2019s information in the app, ensuring other team members are on the same page. It’s also possible to customise <\/span>notifications<\/span> to improve sales rep productivity and build <\/span>high-performance<\/span> teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n CRM platforms offer several other benefits, often including integrated<\/span> marketing <\/span>automation<\/span> and personalisation<\/span><\/a> along with a library of email <\/span>templates<\/span> as well as numerous integrations with third-party tools. Act! even uses robust security measures, such as encryption and multi-factor <\/span>authentication<\/span>, for <\/span>customer data protection<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n While CRM software offers several benefits, it\u2019s crucial to find the right fit for your <\/span>small business<\/span>. Not all CRM platforms are created equal, and the wrong solution can add more bottlenecks than it resolves.<\/span><\/p>\nReasons to stop using notes and <\/span>Excel<\/span> to manage <\/span>customer data<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nVersion control issues<\/span><\/h3>\n
Lack of accessibility<\/span><\/h3>\n
Security concerns<\/span><\/h3>\n
Limited analytics capabilities<\/span><\/h3>\n
Scalability challenges<\/span><\/h3>\n
Why CRM software is better than spreadsheets<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"illustration](\"https:\/\/dev-inproduct.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/Act-Moving-Beyond-Excel-or-Notes-02-1.png\")
<\/p>\nImproved customer data management<\/span><\/h3>\n
Deeper insight into customer lifecycle<\/span><\/h3>\n
Enhanced efficiency with automated workflows<\/span><\/h3>\n
Advanced analytics and reporting<\/span><\/h3>\n
On-the-go access<\/span><\/h3>\n
Additional benefits<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"infographic](\"https:\/\/dev-inproduct.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/Moving-Beyond-Excel-and-Notes-Social-Post-5.png\")
<\/p>\nSwitching from spreadsheets to CRM: Key considerations<\/span><\/h2>\n