In the past, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is often considered ‘useful’ only for large organizations in Malaysia. With the advancement of technology and the ever-changing consumer environment, smaller-scale businesses are starting to adapt into using a CRM for their business.
In this post, you will find answers to “How To Choose A CRM Software That Fits Your Business In Malaysia?”
Table of Contents
What is a CRM software?
A CRM software is a system that helps businesses manage their customer relationships. It can be used to track and store customer data, as well as automate sales and marketing processes.
Some advanced CRM software allows you to perform advanced tagging of a customer, create invoices (including recurring billings), create landing or sales pages, and even revenue forecasting.
Why should businesses in Malaysia use CRM software?
There are many reasons why businesses in Malaysia should use a CRM software. The most important reason is that it can help businesses to manage and cultivate their customer relationships more effectively.
CRM software can also help businesses automate their sales and marketing processes, which can save a lot of time and resources. In addition, CRM software can also help businesses to better understand their customers’ needs and wants, which can lead to more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.
How to choose a CRM software that fits your business in Malaysia?
There are many CRM software available in the market and it can be quite daunting to choose one that fits your business. Here are some tips on how to choose a CRM software that fits your business in Malaysia:
1) Define your business goals and objectives.
The first step is to define your business goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with the CRM software? Do you want to increase sales, improve customer retention or both? Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, it will be easier for you to choose a CRM software that fits your business.
2) Consider your budget.
CRM software can vary greatly in terms of price. There are free and open source CRM software available, as well as expensive enterprise CRM software. Consider your budget and choose a CRM software that fits your needs and budget.
For example, most of the CRM companies in the world (including Salesforce, Hubspot and Pipedrive) charge based on per user or seat usage. If you are a small business owner or an entrepreneur in Malaysia, these overhead costs will increase rather dramatically.
If your budget is low or you are looking for affordable CRM software in Malaysia that doesn’t put a huge bend in your profit, you should check out our enterprise-grade CRM that costs you RM199 per month for unlimited usage and unlimited users. You can learn more about Accelerator CRM here.
3) Consider your business size.
The CRM software you choose should be able to accommodate the number of employees and customers you have. If you have a small business, there is no need to get an enterprise CRM software. Choose a CRM software that is scalable so that you can easily add more users as your business grows.
If you are finding a CRM software that fits your business in Malaysia, it is important to choose a CRM software that allows you to scale along the way or use a CRM software that charges one flat fee (like ours!).
4) Consider your business needs.
Each business has different needs. There is no one-size-fits-all CRM software. Consider the specific needs of your business and choose a CRM software that fits your needs.
Almost all CRM software in the market allows you to do 80% of your daily operations. Advanced usage such as custom tagging, automation, and a unified inbox may cost more if you are adding them as add-ons.
5) Consider your industry.
Different industries have different needs. If you are in the retail industry, you will need a CRM software that can track inventory levels and sales data. If you are in the service industry, you will need a CRM software that can track customer service requests and incidents. Choose a CRM software that fits your industry.
Important: Every business owner should use a CRM to manage their sales operations, revenue forecasting, and consolidate their social media activities under one roof. Trust us, you are going to save a lot of time simply by using a CRM.
6) Consider your technical capabilities.
The CRM software you choose should be easy to use and implement. If you do not have the technical expertise to implement and maintain a complex CRM software, choose a simple and user-friendly CRM software. There are many CRM software providers that offer training and support to help you get started.
Some SaaS companies in Malaysia (including us) provide training sessions for our clients to ensure that everyone understands the system well. Training sessions can be face-to-face, live videos, recorded videos and even a knowledge base.
7) Compare CRM software providers.
Once you have shortlisted a few CRM software, it is time to compare the different CRM software providers. Consider the features, price, customer support, ease of use and implementation of each CRM software. Choose the CRM software that fits your business the best.
Want to know the best CRM software providers that fit the Malaysian market? Check out this CRM comparison.
8) Get user input.
Before you make a final decision, it is important to get input from employees who will be using the CRM software. They will be the ones using the CRM software on a daily basis and their feedback is essential in choosing the right CRM software for your business.
Typically there are several group of users who will be using the CRM software on a daily basis which are:
- Business owners to have an overview of the sales, profits, loss and etc.
- Sales team to have an information-sharing platform about the customers (example prior to a sales call)
- Customer support to have a unified inbox to respond to customers’ inquiries
- Social media team to have a unified inbox to respond to messages receveid on various social media platforms
- Finance team to create and manage the invoicing
How to choose a CRM software that fits my business in Malaysia?
There are several important criteria that you need to consider when you are choosing CRM software.
The best CRM software that fits your business in Malaysia should include these:
- Sales pipelines and forecasting
- Integrated social media platforms
- Unified inbox for customer support
- Invoicing and payments
- Contact management
- Lead management
- Opportunity management
- Analytics and reporting
- Flexible pricing plans
- User-friendly interface
- Availability of customer support
- Easy to implement and use
The most important factor that you need to consider when choosing a CRM software that fits your business in Malaysia is the pricing plans.
We can’t stress enough that most CRM software charges based on per user basis. Therefore, you can either go for a lower count user usage (not very advisable, thou) or choose the one that offers unlimited seats.
Is CRM software complicated to use?
CRM software can be as complicated or simple to use, it all depends on the features that you are looking for.
Every software has a learning curve but this is often solved with proper training and implementation.
How much should I spend when choosing CRM software?
On average, we have seen business owners in Malaysia spending an average of RM1,000 to over RM5,000 per month when using CRM software.
On the other hand, our clients are paying anywhere below RM500 per month with our Accelerator CRM.
Summary
There are many CRM software providers in Malaysia and it can be overwhelming to choose the right one for your business.
Consider these 8 factors when choosing a CRM software that fits your business:
1) Define your needs.
2) Consider the type of business you have.
3) Decide on the features you need.
4) Determine your budget.
5) Consider ease of use and implementation.
6) Compare CRM software providers.
7) Get user input.
8) Choose the CRM software that fits your business the best.
Need help to decide? Reach out to our friendly consultants to learn more!
