Are you looking for ways to achieve more at your business in 2021? A lot of people are in the same boat. Here are some suggestions to consider:

Put safety first

This may sound obvious, but it is more important than ever considering the times. However, while you’re busy making sure your business is COVID-compliant, you also need to make sure that you do not forget about other vital areas of health and safety, such as fire extinguisher servicing and staying up-to-date with other legislation that is relevant to your company.

Invest in CRM software 

CRM (customer relationship management) software plays a key role in most companies in the modern-day. After all, there is no relationship more important than that between your business and your consumers. This software solution allows you to manage all activities relating to your customers as efficiently and productively as possible.  Whether you are providing customer service or generating a marketing campaign; you can organise and synchronise and automate everything you need to via one single source interface. However, with so many different solutions for CRM available today, it can be difficult to know what direction to turn. This article will give you a helping hand with that by giving you some crucial information to ensure success.

The first thing you need to consider is the features the CRM software encompasses. Don’t be distracted by needless extras. Focus on the features that are going to easily and efficiently help you to complete your day to day tasks. Some common features most companies require encompass; contact history and information, mobile capabilities, scheduling, contact groups, social media management, reporting and analysis, task management, calendar integration, technical support and email integration. Make a list of all the key features you need. You may think it is a case of the more features the better but it is not, as this will merely make life more complex for your employees. 

This leads perfectly onto the next point; ease of integration. Will the CRM solution you are considering easily fit into your current systems? For instance, if you use Microsoft Outlook then can you integrate this email platform into your CRM application? It is important to check this out otherwise you could end up with a complex and lengthy installation process, and it could turn out to be more costly too. 

In addition to relevant features and ease of integration you also need to make sure you can customise the CRM system to suit your business needs. After all, every business is different and thus in order for your CRM solution to provide you with optimum levels of efficiency it needs to be tailor-made to suit your company. Furthermore, you also need to take into account the fact that every business wants to grow and expand in the future. Your software needs to give you the scope to do this. The last thing you want to have to do is introduce a new system as soon as you employ a new set of employees or open another department. 

It is also worth bearing in mind how the system is going to be deployed. Are you going to go to a cloud software solution? Or, are you going to use your own servers? In the modern-day more and more people seem to be going for the cloud software solution. This means you will be able to gain access to your CRM solution no matter where you are – as long as you have an internet connection.

When choosing a CRM system for your business you need to give a lot of thought and consideration to your final decision. These solutions are designed to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction with your company, yet this will only be the case if you choose wisely. So, remember to take into account potential for expansion, features, ease of integration and how the software is going to be deployed.

Give your staff a boost after lockdown with an office summer party

If things go as they should, we some have some normality during the summer. It will be time to welcome socialising again and human contact. Most people have been downcast and miserable for a long time now, and so summer should give us an opportunity to celebrate!

This is why it is highly beneficial to host an office summer party whilst you still can. This will boost mood and consequently productivity immensely. You will be able to counteract the negative effect that is created by the change in season before winter comes. Thus, you can give your company the best possible chance of having a positive working environment and efficient levels of production throughout the upcoming months. 

After all, your members of staff will really appreciate the effort you have gone to and this will increase the sense of loyalty they feel towards the business. It is a win-win situation. The excitement for the party will be felt before it happens.

Make sure communication is a priority

The final piece of advice that we have when it comes to making business improvements in 2021 is to ensure that communication is a priority. This is something that is even more important than ever before. After all, a lot of people feel like they have been in the dark throughout the whole of 2020. They may have been unsure about their work status and position, amongst other things. Therefore, communicating regularly and effectively is vital.

Even if the news is bad, people prefer to know where they stand. Simply delaying the inevitable does not help anyone. Moreover, make sure you are clear in your communication with people so that you are always on the same page.

Hopefully, 2021 will be a better year for us all. We hope that this advice and information can help your business to flourish throughout this difficult period. It will be hard, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.