5 questions to ask before signing up to a new CRM

Technology has changed – and continues to change – the way we live.

When once we had to juggle work, school pick-up and gym sessions to get to the supermarket, apps allow us to shop for groceries from the couch.

We use it to keep up-to-date with the social lives of family and friends – even to find love!

It’s also changed how we work.

And if tech isn’t working for you, you’re not working.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems used to store names and contacts – now they power every part of business.

Tech-savvy customers demand digital tools that allow them to contribute to their journey.

And automated marketing means brokers never lose touch with clients, no matter how busy they get.

Tech is an enabler. Smart brokers use it for the heavy-lifting, security and growth.

It wins them time to focus on relationships … the lifeblood of business.

1. Is your CRM more than contacts?

A future-proof CRM is critical to your success.

Beyond segmenting and organising customers’ information, an innovative CRM will:

• be cloud-enabled

In short, the modern CRM should power your entire business, all from one place.

2. Does it enrich the user experience?

Your CRM should also be part of your user experience.

If people would rather stay at home and order the week’s groceries from the convenience of the couch, they should also be able to save themselves – and you – time on their financial journey.

Customers can now do the same in their financial journey, uploading their bank statements, payslips, employment records and other data safely into intuitive portals, embedded in a CRM. Integration with all other CRM features is immediate.

This ensures:

• customers can work at their own pace and convenience
• data is clean
• no emailing back-and-forth or loss of documents
• you’re notified of what your customers do
• face-to-face meetings are more informed, efficient and rewarding

These tools are empowering for the client, enabling them to participate in their future.

Digitally-savvy customers will be pleased to find a superstar for their financial journey!

It also saves time for you – a win for all!

3. Does it help you communicate to customers post-settlement?

After a loan settles, it can be easy for brokers to fix their focus on unapproved customers and future prospects.

Too often, a settled customer never hears from their broker again. Sometimes, the customer forgets who their broker is. That’s when they’re prone to leave.

Many brokers can’t find the time to draft ongoing communications to each client about when their fixed rate expires, let alone send them a happy birthday SMS!

Smart brokers have found a solution, adopting automated communications to protect their post-settlement relationships.

Case Study – Marios Rokka 

For Marios, he’s found automated communications post settlement to be a great way for his customers to “get personalised emails from my email address including check-ins, birthday greetings and annual review minders”. He also ‘loves’ the fact he’s notified at the same time as his client of when communications have been sent out. That means he has another reason to engage with them, seeing if they have needs around new car finance, topping up their existing loan for renovations, or more to continue the relationship.

4. Will it help generate you leads?

New innovations in digital marketing have sharpened the ROI for business operators, and the broking industry has been no different.

In the early days, brokers had bad digital marketing experiences. They either:

• didn’t get the volume of leads they thought they would, or;
• got too many engagements, were run off their feet and consequently dropped their service standards.

The tech is so much more nimble and efficient, nowadays. It’s made DIY lead-hunting #oldschool.

Brokers can geo-target market catchments and budget for campaigns that deliver prescribed volumes of leads that are ready and waiting for when they want.

Automated responses to leads give the customer clear expectations about the ensuing customer experience including when they’ll be contacted and how.

5. Will it help you automatically nurture relationships?

Not all customers proceed to settlement, or even application, for a host of reasons:

• they weren’t financially ready;
• they couldn’t find the right property;
• they decided to wait out market conditions, or;
• their priorities changed.

So what happens to the broker-customer relationship if the client doesn’t proceed?

Customers want to feel like they matter. And if they didn’t sign a deal today, they’re more likely to sign one later on.

And they don’t just want to be remembered as another piece of data: they expect the broker to know their personal circumstances, whether they’re a first-home-buyer, refinancer, investor, or generic borrower, and receive content and correspondence that’s relative to their own situation.

And brokers need to own the communications with personalised emails and the ability to reply to queries. This is how you stay front-of-mind with customers, irrespective of how fleeting the engagement.

Let tech be your enabler

Digital can do a lot of the heavy lifting for brokers, giving them back time to focus on face-to-face service and strategies customers simply can’t get anywhere else.

Customers these days are tech-savvy. Becoming a tech-centric broker means more satisfied customers, more leads and more chance of building a #kickass business.

Talk to us so we can show you how to make the transition!