Starting and running a business can be a dream of many people.  Developing a product from scratch or offering a service that is filled with benefits can be beneficial both personally as well as monetarily.  One aspect of this process however is being able to manage the customers you have, leads you encounter, and ensure that everyone is taken care of. The easiest way to accomplish this is to implement a CRM, Customer Relationship Management software program.  If your business is like the top 80% of SMB’s in the U.S. then your accounting software is QuickBooks, by Intuit. To ensure accuracy and reduce double data entry, the ideal solution would be to integrate QuickBooks with a CRM software seamlessly.

CRM is a software program that allows you to track and manage a wide range of aspects related to your customers, prospects, employees, and the overall health of your business.  Using a CRM solution can be the difference between growing your company or watching it wither and die.

So what should you look for in a CRM for QuickBooks solution?

Feature #1 – Simplicity

When running your business you want tasks to be simple.  Overcomplicating tasks for yourself or your employees will lead to mistakes.  Choosing a CRM solution that is simple to use and easy to manage is vital.  When evaluating simplicity, you want to look at the user interface; is it clean, documented well, have a defined collection of features that are useful and not cumbersome?  These are all questions you need to ask yourself as well as your employees.  Get your employees input on what is most comfortable and user friendly for them since they will be the ones using the CRM most of the time.

Feature #2 – Accessibility

When looking at a CRM for QuickBooks you want to find something that is accessible anytime, and anywhere.  Since QuickBooks has an online version, you will want a CRM that you can connect to via a mobile device.  No matter where you are in the world or from what type of device you are using, you should have the capacity to allow your employees the ability to login whenever and wherever they need. We are in the age of internet and disabling this function is no longer an option.

Feature #3 – Campaign and Project Management

Depending on your company, you may have several different people working on the same project.  In fact they may be working on several different projects within different groups and with people from all over the world.  Finding a CRM for QuickBooks that allows designation of campaigns and projects will ensure everything is organized and tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Feature #4 – Flexibility and Customization

The world would be a perfect place if everything worked straight out of the box.  The truth however, is that each business is unique and the CRM that you choose will need to be flexible as well as customizable.  These customizations can be as simple as creating user accounts with different permission levels to provide protections from sensitive data being seen by the wrong staff member.

Feature #5 – Leads and Customer Conversion

When dealing with customers, not everyone will jump at the chance to purchase your products or services.  These leads may have a specific barrier to entry such as budgets, employee constraints and even contracts that need to be renewed.  When it comes to leads and the process of converting these prospects, your CRM for QuickBooks solution needs to be able to handle all aspects of the sales process.  Your CRM should have intelligence to note when the conditions are met and your lead converts into a client; you want to be able to click a few buttons and integrate them directly into QuickBooks without having to duplicate data or manual entry.

Feature #6 – Pricing, Users and Migration

Budget constraints are a real concern for businesses of all sizes. When selecting a CRM solution you want one to find one that has an affordable price point.  Open source solutions are great but may not be the perfect fit for your organization.  Another feature you will want to look at is the number of users you can have per license.  The final aspect you want to look for is the migration challenge.  Once you start entering data into the CRM, the last thing you want to do is switch.  Running a small company with three to five employees and data being entered in on a daily basis can turn into a large chunk of information that would be a nightmare to migrate over into another CRM.  This is why selecting a CRM for QuickBooks solution that you have vetted thoroughly is a wise move.  Since you are already using QuickBooks for your bookkeeping, adding in this solution just makes sense.

Feature #7 – E-mail and Communication Support

The final feature that you will want to look at is its integration with email and communications between the office, other employees, and possibly even clients and prospects.  When researching CRM for QuickBooks solutions you want to ensure the application will be able to have e-mail notifications sent to employees if there is a change in a scheduled appointment or other reason.  The use of communication between all of your departments is a well desired asset and one that should be heavily considered when choosing your CRM.

Finally when it comes to choosing your CRM for QuickBooks test several of them out.  Make sure that they really fit your company’s needs.  Jumping into a CRM that will only become outdated in six months is not a wise investment.  The CRM for QuickBooks solution you choose will act as the nucleus of your organization, so choose wisely. One QuickBooks CRM to try is the award-winning Results Software.