Today’s business-customer landscape is much more complex than it was 20 years ago. Customer data is flowing in from many different sources and there is a lot more to manage than simply their name and basic contact information. For this reason, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a necessity when organizing and managing customer data and this applies to any business, regardless of size.
However, not all businesses need the same level of CRM. A business that is small to medium-sized, perhaps one that is just starting out, does not have the same CRM needs as a larger business or a corporation. That is why it is important to understand the options available and choose a CRM system that is right for your business. Two of the top options in the CRM landscape are Nimble and Dynamics 365.
Nimble
Nimble is ideal as a first CRM for a smaller business. However, Nimble is not your ordinary CRM. Instead, it is a browser-based system designed specifically to allow the user to capture customer data from social media and integrate it directly into their customer profile. Not only that, but it also has a Microsoft Outlook as well as a Gmail add-in so it can be used within the mail service, rather than the user having to go from one tool to the other.
All of this opens up a goldmine of data that businesses can use to understand their customers better in order to build stronger relationships with them. All while enjoying the convenience of a single application. Let’s take a closer look at Nimble’s features.
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The Ability to Nurture Customer Relationships
Nimble is designed to make it easier and quicker to prospect and onboard more customers with less work. With minimal data entry involved, you can put your focus where it belongs, on nurturing relationships with the customers you already have and with the new leads that are coming your way. The data you collect includes things like a customer’s:
- Place of employment
- Job title
- Place of residence
- Contact information
- Company information
- Company revenue
It can even gather data from social interactions such as a customer’s tweets. The dashboard is designed to support the customer relationship by displaying Sales Pipeline, Calendar Appointments, Tasks, Sales Intelligence, and Social Signals. This allows you to easily prioritize your customers and prospects and track them effectively. Plus, the Social Search feature has the ability to update customer data directly from their social media profile and activities.
Smarter Sales
Thanks to this social media connectivity, Nimble can easily update customer contact information. Add to that intelligent email tracking, which tracks every customer interaction with each email you send. You will be able to see when customers open your emails and when they engage with the content. With Nimble, you can also segment your list and target specific customers or send out group emails that will be personalized and come directly from your personal work email, rather than a generic company email.
On top of this, Nimble ensures everyone on the team knows what’s going on by connecting all relevant activity to each customer and sales deal. Detailed analytics allow you to track precisely how your sales team is doing and where everyone should focus. The software works in conjunction with Office 365 and Google Apps, as well as all social networks on which you connect with prospects. Plus, it’s fully mobile, so you can work from anywhere.
Dynamics
Dynamics is so much more than simply a CRM. It encompasses a larger platform that is designed specifically for use with Office 365. The beauty of Dynamics is that it brings together the many separate apps that would normally be required to run a business into one smart application that will simplify your entire business operation. It brings together sales, finances, operations, and customer service so you can run every aspect of your business smoothly and without wasting precious time switching between apps and manually transferring customer data.
Dynamics is tied to LinkedIn, meaning you have access to all your customers’ profile data without the need for manual data entry. This, combined with the full view of all past customer interactions and their personal preferences, will make you a sales powerhouse. And you can accomplish all this while maintaining complete control over business finances, internal and field operations, and project management. This is a win-win for everyone involved.
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Nimble or Dynamics
So, with these two options, why would you choose one over the other? Well, as mentioned above, Nimble is a better solution for small and medium-sized businesses of up to 25 employees, while Dynamics is designed to support corporations at a much larger scale. There are a number of reasons for this, including:
- Nimble costs less (starting at $19 per user per month) than Dynamics (starting at $89.55 per user per month)
- Nimble is better for businesses that don’t yet need the scope of capabilities of Dynamics offers
- Nimble is better suited to companies that don’t have the resources to support Dynamics
- Nimble is better for companies that are just beginning to learn how to use a CRM and what it can do for them
Essentially, Nimble is the smaller, simpler version of the powerful Dynamics. Nimble is designed to fuel SMBs as they grow their business to a point at which the capabilities offered by Dynamics are needed. Consider Nimble as the little brother to the more robust Dynamics, the CRM software that prepares you for the bigger, more sophisticated CRM platform.
However, Nimble and Dynamics are not mutually exclusive. As you grow your business to a point at which Dynamics makes sense for your business sales and operations, you can use Nimble within Dynamics. This will allow you to sync your social business data with your Dynamics and Outlook contacts. So, as you grow from Nimble to Dynamics, you don’t have to give up the functionality of Nimble’s social connectivity. That makes Nimble and Dynamics an automated power duo that you can use to fuel your business sales and growth.
