1) What do you understand by a CRM? What CRM's have you used?

A CRM is a Customer Relationship Management Software.

It enables different departments in a company to track all transactions with the customer in a single software tool.

1. A customer even before knowing about X company could have a presence in the CRM software. He could be part of a cold calling list stored on the CRM.

2. Then a cold calling team calls him and does an initial appointment setting exercise, followed by a detailed call by presales team. Duly documented in CRM.

3. Customer has interest in knowing little more about the product being discussed. Presales team does dip stick check, affordability check and proceeds with a RFP.

4. RFP reaches design team; design team wants to have detailed understanding of what is to be designed for prospect. Calls happen design comes on drawing board.

5. Prospect is looking forward to raising funds for imminent contract signing, duly documented in CRM.

6. Pricing proposal to be shared with client from presales team. Detailed discussions in regard to each price component happen with prospect. Prospect is satisfied with explanations offered.

7. Detailed service agreement is rolled out to prospect. Prospect signs the service agreement and contract. His status converts to client in CRM. First instalment of payment released by client to finance team. Finance team send confirmation of receipt through CRM.

8. Engineering team has clarification calls in regards to certain parts of product functionality. Design team offers the final prototype for testing to client.

9. Client does dry runs with the product, bugs are found and rectified. Still more crop up and rectified again. Second Instalment of payment received by finance team confirmed through CRM.

10. Finally client agrees to prototype functionality, mentioned in CRM. Final engineering phase begins for onsite delivery. All emails to and fro from client are documented in CRM.

11. Product is delivered onsite. Client took delivery and testing onsite begins. All systems are functioning properly and client releases final payment.

12. Contract for Annual or biannual maintenance is signed and uploaded to CRM.

13. Finance confirms full and final payment through CRM and hands over to Post Sales Team.

They establish contact with different touch points inside Client Company, try and understand further support requirement and further product opportunity.

14. The engineering team reaches out to Human resources for further skill enhancement and training programs required for existing employees. More employees to be hired for an expected big

project are also shared to Human resources. The CRM helps in Man power requirement forecasting as well.

15. The engineering team will reach out to the Procurement team for equipments and hardware requirements in case of a specific project through CRM. It helps to create transparency in the client side because he is a part of internal communications as well.

Hence I would conclude by saying that CRM is a tool which will benefit the company as a whole. None of the departments will be untouched by it. Most of all the client will be confident that the product will be delivered on time and will not overshoot the initially agreed upon budget.

CRM I have used in the past:

1. Clarify by Amdocs.

2. Siebel 6.0 by PeopleSoft (Oracle).

3. Siebel 8.0 by Oracle.

4. Sugar CRM

5. Midas CRM.

2) Visit www.agilecrm.com and write a brief paragraph on what you understand about our product. 

The Product offered by Agilecrm deals with the entire sales cycle of a client.

1. The company is able to maintain robust email campaigns for prospects. Agile CRM offers a real time web analytics tool which enables users to get updates when an email is opened. When a link in the email is clicked and when a prospect is reading the email twice. This enables the company to reach out to prospects who are genuinely interested in knowing more about their product.

This Agile CRM will help company to increase their effectiveness in terms of their marketing campaign.

2. There is an appointment scheduler tool which is incorporated in the AgileCRM. The company will incorporate this appointment scheduler in their website and mobile app. Prospect and sales person will choose time slots from available open slots. This makes it easy to use for future customers and gives them a sense of responsibility in terms of not wasting the sales person appointment time slots. Result will be more effective selling.