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Codelab Blogs Why does a business need a CRM system and how to implement it?

Why does a business need a CRM system and how to implement it?

April 2024

A CRM system for business is software without which the development and scaling of a company is impossible. A program for automating processes and relationships with clients covers almost all business tasks. The correct choice of system gives the company a competitive advantage, eliminates routine and helps improve the level of service.

 Why does a business need a CRM system?

The program helps solve key business problems, namely:

  • automate sales at all stages
  • set up production processes
  • delegate tasks and track their implementation
  • control the level of service and the work of personnel in general
  • use marketing tools
  • analyze the company's performance results
  • simplify document flow

This is not a complete list of tasks; there may be more, depending on the industry and the specifics of the business.

Key Features

Basic set of CRM functions:

  • Database. The program stores personal data of clients, the history of transactions and all interactions with the company, as well as information about the actions of employees, reports and documents
  • Task tracker. Allows you to create and distribute tasks, record their completion time, assign planned indicators, monitor work results and determine employee KPIs
  • Marketing tools. Necessary for demand analytics, management of advertising campaigns and promotion channels
  • Sales funnel. Each transaction goes through several stages - the change in status is registered in the system. Thanks to the visibility of the funnel, managers understand what actions need to be taken and at what stages deals most often fail
  • Document flow. Built-in adaptive templates help you create and edit documents, and the autofill function significantly speeds up your work by loading data from the database.
  • Integrations. Popular CRMs are compatible with accounting software, call tracking, analytical services, popular instant messengers and social networks. The more integrations, the higher the chances of including all the company’s software in a single network.
  • Analytics. The program keeps statistics on business performance and allows you to display reports on the screen in a few clicks. Based on the information, the company adjusts its development strategy.

How to implement a CRM system in business

To begin, analyze the business processes of the enterprise and identify the tasks that need to be automated. Include routine data processing, mailings, and paperwork that take up specialists’ time. Survey staff to find out which tasks are the most time-consuming.

Choose a system with this in mind. Pay attention to the basic and additional functions, as well as the following factors:

  • number and content of modules
  • interface adaptability
  • built-in and integrated tools
  • availability of data access levels
  • supported communication channels
  • quality of technical support
  • duration of the test period
  • price

Use the services of a CRM implementation team - partners have more experience and resources for customization. They will launch the system in your company, modify its capabilities to suit the specifics of your business, and train employees.

Warn employees about the implementation of CRM: explain what benefits each employee will receive. Notify clients, suppliers and partners about new operating rules.

At the test launch stage, make sure that your specialists are confident in the program. After debugging all working mechanisms, fully implement CRM.

How to evaluate effectiveness

The easiest way to understand whether an investment in new software has been worth it is to measure the indicators before and after implementing CRM.

  • Collect data on the sales department one month, three and six months after implementing CRM and compare it with data at the start. If the time frame for closing deals has decreased and there are fewer refusals, this indicates success
  • Evaluate the conversion and compare it with the initial one. Typically, growth will be obvious. Moreover, you won’t have to master cumbersome systems like Google Analytics or Yandex.Metrica. All conversion analytics are available in one place. Manual data entry is also not required
  • Compare marketing costs before and after the system is launched. CRM allows you to segment customers and highlight effective channels for promotion. Use these opportunities to spend your budget wisely. Strengthen your work with the most profitable consumer groups and choose channels with high efficiency for promotion
  • Calculate the churn rate. It will show how often customers leave you. Using CRM, you can influence this metric: personalize mailings based on previous orders; collect customer feedback; analyze weaknesses in the sales funnel. Correct the shortcomings and there will be fewer refusals to cooperate

These are not all the actions that will help evaluate the effectiveness of CRM. After the system is launched, the company’s other indicators also change. Compare in different periods:

  • percentage of closed transactions
  • number of new and regular customers
  • level of customer loyalty
  • trade turnover
  • profit

If there is growth, we can talk about the successful integration of CRM into your business.

Briefly about the main thing

  • CRM for business automates the work of all departments and helps improve communication with clients
  • The program assigns tasks and tracks their completion, keeps records of clients, collects statistics and draws up documents
  • The effectiveness of CRM implementation is indicated by an increase in the company's profitability
  • Enterprises with non-standard business processes will benefit from a flexible CRM with the ability to add additional functions
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March 2024
Warehouse automation: how to automate the work and business processes of a warehouse?
Warehouse automation: how to automate the work and business processes of a warehouse?

Relevance of warehouse automation

Automation of the finished product warehouse is carried out by companies to simplify control over the movement of goods. Thanks to automation, you can know the quantity of each article, calculate balances, and plan product orders. Automation is especially necessary if the product range increases and supply volumes increase. Main tasks of the warehouse:

  • Accumulation of the required volume of finished products
  • Ensuring safe storage of goods
  • Acceleration of loading and unloading operations
  • Rational use of warehouse space
  • Organization of delivery of products to recipient addresses
  • Preparation of raw materials for production
  • Effective use of waste, sending it for recycling
  • Accounting for receipt and consumption of goods in the warehouse, issuing appropriate invoices

These tasks can be solved by customizing the existing 1C:UT, 1C Integrated Automation, 1C:UNF, 1C:ERP programs for users.

As the enterprise develops, trade turnover increases, so additional requirements are imposed on the warehouse:

  • It is necessary to accept, process and fulfill the order in a short time
  • Work with clients
  • Ensure that products move through the warehouse for loading and unloading as quickly as possible

This is only part of the actions that are assigned to the warehouse division. Some companies give warehouses more responsibilities.

Problems faced by a warehouse without automation

Without automation, the following difficulties are highly likely to appear in a warehouse:

  • Orders are processed slowly
  • The activity of the entire warehouse depends on several people, without whom it is difficult to figure out where and what is located
  • Workers often make mistakes in order picking due to heavy workload and routine work
  • The warehouse loses to companies with automation of goods turnover

Treatment

Thanks to the software, you can take into account all the balances stored in the warehouse, issue tasks for employees, calculate and control the time it takes to complete a task.

Tasks are sent to the devices of currently free employees, after which workers immediately begin to complete them.

If you entrust the compilation and sending of tasks to people, it will take many times longer.

Not all customers are ready and want to wait several days until their order is completed. Especially if competitors can collect and ship the order on the same day.

Human factor

When the work of a warehouse is managed by a specific person, and not by a program, there is a risk of placing goods in a way that is convenient for the employee. They arrange the goods so that it is convenient for them to quickly collect the order.

By automating warehouse operations, the risk of such a situation occurring is reduced to zero. All products are marked with barcodes that are read by scanners. The goods on the shelves are arranged by article number, the employee can always find the desired unit of product by the shelf and rack number, they are displayed in the employee’s terminal.

Advantages of implementing a warehouse automation system

The disadvantages mentioned above are only part of the problems that one has to face in a manual warehouse. Competitors who implement automation will be one step ahead of you. Accounting for all goods stored in a warehouse is not the only advantage of an automated warehouse. There are other advantages:

  • Order picking
  • Reception of products from suppliers, instant display of goods received at the warehouse in the system
  • Receiving product returns from customers, displaying the reasons for the return in the system (for example, incorrect packaging, re-sorting, poor quality)
  • Space optimization - thanks to the correct placement of products, taking into account weight, dimensions, demand, configuration and other characteristics, you can save free space in the warehouse

Thanks to automation, almost all business processes can be improved. These include:

  • Packing and unpacking of goods
  • Loading products onto pallets
  • Movement of goods between zones
  • Weighing
  • Checking expiration dates and quality

Thanks to the automation system, you can minimize:

  • Personnel errors. Fraud
  • Downtime and unwillingness of employees to work at the proper pace
  • Write-off of goods due to expiration dates
  • Clutter on the shelves

A lot of time can be saved due to the fact that you do not need to constantly look for a supervisor to receive tasks. Each employee will see all the necessary tasks on his terminal, and after receiving the task, monitoring of its completion time will immediately begin. Invoices will not be required; you can save on paper and printing costs. Management will always be aware of the amount of balance in the warehouse; moreover, information about the shelf, rack, and deadline for selling products will be displayed. It will be possible to determine the location of goods not only by shelf, aisle and cell numbers, but also by coordinates in three dimensions.

Continuous Inventory Function

This is an indispensable function for continuous monitoring of the remaining goods in the warehouse. You can not only see the quantity of goods, but also make adjustments.

For which companies is automation relevant?

We recommend automating warehouse processes for almost any company. The improvement will be especially important for those companies that:

  • They have warehouse areas of more than 1 thousand square meters.
  • Every day we have to process hundreds of orders, there is a prospect of increasing turnover
  • At peak, the warehouse employs more than 10 people
  • The product range exceeds 500 articles

The effect of introducing automation will be noticeable even in small warehouses: the need for personnel will decrease, the issuance of tasks will be faster, and monitoring their implementation will be more effective.

Selecting a warehouse automation system

When choosing, you need to take into account the size and volume of warehouse products. If you have a small storage facility, you can use ready-made standard solutions. For a large warehouse, you need to consider the possibility of modernizing the program in the event of enterprise expansion.

Selecting the right software for your warehouse and implementing it

First you need to carefully analyze the operation of the warehouse. Weaknesses that slow down the operation of the entire enterprise are identified. Next, software and equipment are selected that can be used to strengthen weak points.

Conclusions

Automation of warehouse operations is necessary for almost every enterprise. Thanks to terminals and software, you can control the availability of goods in the warehouse, reduce the amount of paper documentation, and minimize errors in packaging due to the fault of personnel. You will be able to assign tasks remotely through terminals, and then monitor the accuracy and timeliness of their completion.
March 2024
Features and advantages of the 1C: Enterprise platform
Features and advantages of the 1C: Enterprise platform

Any modern organization in the process of its development relies on strict control over financial activities, close interaction between individual divisions of the company and high speed of making effective decisions. To eliminate the influence of the human factor, standardize the interaction between individual areas of activity and, as a result, reduce the risk of errors, various information systems are used today. At the moment, the 1C program is one of the most important business tools. The demand for this product is quite high and is associated primarily with the opportunities that users receive when introducing it into the financial and economic activities of the company. Economic and financial accounting is built on the basis of 1C software, the results of which are used in the future for making management decisions. At the same time, modern configurations make it possible to fully automate the accounting process, reduce labor and time costs, thereby increasing the productivity and efficiency of information processing

High return on investment

When purchasing a 1C company product, an organization spends a certain amount of money, which pays off in the very near future. Users use a tool with which they can effectively manage the company's activities. Based on the results obtained from processing information, enterprise management can make decisions that will subsequently reduce costs or increase income, as well as avoid possible risks.

To achieve maximum efficiency of investments in a product, it is necessary to determine what amount of costs will be optimal under certain conditions and business characteristics of a particular entity. Efficiency will be higher if implementation requires minimal labor and time costs, and, in addition, the program itself will meet the needs of the organization.

1C software functionality

The popularity of 1C company software is due to the high functionality of its products, which is characterized by the following points:

  • an extensive product line, thanks to which an organization can choose the option that is optimal for its activities
  • high degree of adaptation of programs to the requirements and conditions of doing business
  • the ability to cover a large number of different user operations
  • the ability to work with software on a remote basis, as well as to organize separate input blocks for each user

software products include various tools that, when used correctly, allow you to integrate an enterprise into the information environment, effectively manage data, synchronize the operation of the product with other systems, organize electronic document flow and store information in a database. 1C software is constantly updated and improved, and therefore users receive more opportunities to manage information.

High implementation efficiency

When implementing 1C software, the company plans to obtain certain positive results. As a rule, if this event is carried out correctly, there is a high effectiveness of the implementation of 1C products and solutions, namely:

  • structuring of business processes and all activities of the organization as a whole
  • formalization and logical display of information, both internal and coming from external sources
  • improving the quality and efficiency of information processing
  • expanding the ability to manage the company
  • use of various tools that allow not only processing input data, but also obtaining visual results in the form of various reports and documents
  • timely adoption of management decisions based on complete and reliable information

The final results obtained cover the cost of investments, since they can be used to achieve a positive effect in running a business. At the same time, investments pay off quite quickly, since in the end the company has not only the opportunity to control processes, but also to avoid any risks when carrying out financial and economic activities.

Advantages of 1C software

Using the software offered by 1C, each enterprise can take advantage of the following benefits of implementing any application product:

  • a wide selection of both universal and industry-specific products for conducting activities in a specific area (logistics, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, construction, trading, financial, etc.)
  • each product takes into account the realities of doing business, the norms and requirements of current legislation
  • implementation of 1C software allows you to save resources (time, labor, finances) and direct them to the development of the company’s activities
  • with the help of 1C programs, interaction is organized both within the company between employees and different levels of management of the organization, and between business entities and authorities
  • modification of any product in accordance with the requirements of users and the characteristics of the business entity
  • training in working with information products both on-site and remotely without interruption from work and obtaining the appropriate certificate for users of 1C products
  • timely product version updates and technical support are provided by qualified specialists
  • an individual approach to each client and a deep dive into his activities is organized to select the optimal and profitable 1C software

In addition, the implementation of complex automation on the 1C platform allows you to create a unified information base without the use of other additional IT products.