10 CRM Features to Prioritize and Why

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In an increasingly complex business environment, maintaining strong customer relationships is crucial. This is where a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system becomes your business’s backbone.

Every interaction counts, and every bit of data holds value. It’s a complex dance of maintaining existing relationships while also attracting new prospects. Here we delve into 10 essential CRM features that Upsurge CRM offers and explain why these features are not just beneficial but necessary for your business.

What is CRM software?

Customer relationship management (CRM) software helps automate and manage the customer lifecycle for sales and marketing departments. CRM software consolidates customer information into a single repository, enabling users to better organize and manage relationships. It automates common processes and provides tools to monitor performance and productivity – streamlining your customer interactions into a cohesive, satisfying experience.

Dashboard interface displaying various metrics and statistics including invites sent, reviews received, average rating, and sentiment analysis. Sidebar menu with navigation options is on the left.

Why do I need CRM software?

We’ve all been there as customers—getting passed around from one person to the next, having to repeat ourselves over and over, and feeling like we’re just not getting anywhere. That’s not the kind of experience that wins over customers.

Good customer relationship management (CRM) software enables your business to better manage customer interactions, provide support, and maintain relationships through reliable systems and processes. It integrates organizational processes across marketing, sales, and customer service. With functionalities and features that can strategically serve key initiatives across departments, CRM software offers three major benefits for your business:

  1. Consistency and Quality in Customer Interactions: With centralized data and easy access to information, CRM ensures that all team members can provide consistent and informed customer interactions.

  2. Efficiency and Time-Saving: Automation of mundane tasks frees up your team’s time to focus on more important aspects of customer engagement and sales strategies.

  3. Insights and Analytics: Understanding what works and what doesn’t is easier with the analytics that modern CRM systems provide, helping you make data-driven decisions.

With various of CRM software options out there, how do you know which features to prioritize in your software selection? Selecting the right CRM software for your business is a strategic decision that can have a profound impact on how your business operates and thrives.

Understanding this, let’s explore how Upsurge CRM stands out by offering ten core, common, and optional CRM features that are critical to both managing current customer relationships and cultivating new ones.

A table with three columns titled "Features," "Upsurge by Industry." The columns list various CRM features such as sales pipelines, mobile app, course builder, and social media scheduler.

10 Core, Common, and Optional CRM Features of Upsurge CRM

Upsurge CRM boasts a suite of features that cater to the evolving needs of businesses. Dividing these into core, common, and optional CRM features offers clarity on their importance and utility. Let’s explore Upsurge CRM’s functionalities within these categories.

Core CRM Features

1. Sales Pipelines

Sales pipelines are the backbone of any CRM system, and within Upsurge CRM, they are given top priority. By meticulously designing the sales pipeline feature, Upsurge CRM offers a visual map of your sales process from start to finish.

A screenshot of a dashboard showing an appointment confirmation follow-up process and a lead follow-up workflow with action items like "Assign to User," "Move to Sales Pipeline," and "Send Email.

This allows you to pinpoint exactly where your prospects are and move them through the pipeline efficiently. The ability to track progress and forecast future sales enhances strategic planning and revenue prediction, making this feature invaluable to sales teams everywhere.

2. Contact Management

Having a centralized place for all your contact information is crucial, and Upsurge CRM’s contact management feature does just that. It goes beyond simple organization; every interaction, whether it’s an email, a call, or a meeting note, is logged against the corresponding contact.

A dashboard displays analytics including reviews count (822), average rating (4.5 stars), sentiment analysis, invite goals, and a leaderboard for invites. A "U" and arrow logo is in the bottom right corner.

This ensures that anyone in your company can pick up where the last conversation left off, providing a seamless customer experience and reducing the chance of error or repeated information.

3. Sales & Marketing Automation

In the fast-paced world of sales and marketing, automation is not just a luxury – it’s a necessity. That’s why Upsurge CRM comes equipped with powerful automation tools that take care of routine tasks, such as sending follow-up emails or updating records.

By automating these processes, sales and marketing teams can devote their time to crafting strategies and engaging with customers at a more personal level, ultimately driving better business outcomes.

4. Inbound & Outbound Calls

Effective communication is at the forefront of Upsurge CRM’s design. Integrated calling capabilities mean that you can make and record both inbound and outbound calls within the CRM.

Spreadsheet-like interface showing call data with statistics: 3 answered, 12 missed, 2 first-time calls, and an average call duration of 7 seconds. The table lists recent calls with details like date, name, and number.

This feature is indispensable for ensuring detailed records of conversations are kept, and no critical information slips through the cracks. The streamlined call management process boosts productivity and elevates the customer experience.

Common CRM Features

5. Mobile App

Recognizing the need for accessibility, Upsurge CRM provides a feature-rich mobile app that allows you to manage your CRM tasks wherever you are. Whether you’re on the road, at a client site, or working from home, the mobile app ensures that your productivity remains unhindered. The convenience of mobile access means that important information is always at your fingertips.

6. SMS & Email Blasts

A webpage editor showing a newsletter draft with the title "The HomeService Weekly Roundup." The newsletter includes content blocks about roofing leads and text messaging services for business promotions.

SMS and email blasts are vital tools for modern communication strategies. With Upsurge CRM, you can easily reach out to large segments of your audience with a few clicks. These blasts can be personalized and scheduled, making sure your message arrives at the right time. This extends your reach and keeps your audience engaged with timely and relevant information.

7. Team Calendars

Upsurge CRM’s team calendars are a central feature for coordinating your team’s activities. From scheduling meetings and appointments to setting deadlines and reminders, this feature ensures that everyone is in sync.

A digital calendar showing a weekly schedule packed with various events color-coded in orange, purple, and gray blocks, spanning from Sunday to Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Navigation icons are visible on the side.

It avoids scheduling conflicts and enables better planning, which is crucial for maintaining smooth operations across your organization.

8. Social Media Scheduler

 

The social media scheduler within Upsurge CRM streamlines your digital marketing efforts. You can plan out your posts, schedule them across different platforms, and analyze their performance – all from one place.

A guide for managing social media accounts with icons for Facebook, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok, and a section on saving time by scheduling posts in advance.

This consistency in your social media strategy strengthens your brand’s online presence and helps you engage with your audience more effectively.

Optional CRM Features

9. Ad Launcher Suite

Upsurge CRM’s Ad Launcher Suite is an optional feature that provides sophisticated tools for advertisers. This comprehensive suite enables you to create, manage, and track your ad campaigns without ever leaving your CRM.

It’s a powerful addition that offers insights into the performance of your ads, helping you to make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing spend.

10. Course Builder

Another unique optional feature is the Course Builder in Upsurge CRM. This innovative tool helps your business create and offer educational content that can engage customers and establish your brand as a thought leader.

A computer screen displaying a dashboard with website analytics. Metrics include Opt-ins (236), Members (124), Sales ($5,412.12), and Checkouts (184). Header text says "LET'S GET STARTED!".

By giving value through education, you not only enhance customer engagement but also open up new avenues for marketing and customer loyalty.

Additional Features

Upsurge CRM goes beyond these core and common features with its optional CRM functionalities that add to its robustness:

  • Inbound & Outbound SMS – Personalized engagement through text messaging.
  • Funnels & Website Builder – Design customer journeys leading to conversions.
  • Affiliate Program – Leverage partnerships to expand market reach.
  • Reputation Management Software – Actively manage and respond to customer feedback.
  • AI Content Generator – Generate engaging content with the help of AI.
  • Integrate Your Lead Sources – Easily consolidate various lead sources.
  • Ringless Voicemail Drops – Deliver messages without intruding on the customer’s time.
  • Facebook & Instagram Messaging – Engage with customers on their preferred social platforms.
Screenshot of Upsurge CRM Features webpage highlighting four tools for success: Marketing Automation, Sales Pipeline Management, Lead Management, and Analytics and Reporting, each explained with brief descriptions.

Upsurge CRM encompasses what features should a CRM have and more. From core functionalities to common and optional tools, each aspect is designed to streamline your operations, enhance customer relationships, and drive your business’s success.

Whether you’re looking for CRM basic features or comprehensive CRM solutions with efficient features, Upsurge CRM caters to all with finesse.

Conclusion

When determining the must-have features for your CRM, it’s critical to align them with your broader business objectives. A CRM should not only facilitate the management of customer relationships but also drive growth, bolster efficiency, and support your strategic vision.

If you’re on the hunt for a CRM solution that delivers a comprehensive suite of efficient features, Upsurge CRM is designed to keep you at the forefront of the competitive market.

Ready to elevate your customer relationship management? Explore the possibilities with Upsurge CRM. Contact Upsurge CRM today and experience firsthand how our CRM solution can transform your business dynamics.