Signs You’ve Outgrown Your CRM: Is It Time for a Change?

Author March 17, 2024

7 min read

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is designed to add value to your relationship with your customers. But how would you know when it’s time to change to a different software? For starters, you might have outgrown the capabilities of your existing CRM.

Signs You’ve Outgrown Your CRM

It’s possible to outgrow your CRM system and find that it no longer matches the needs of your business. There are clear signs that it’s time to move on.

Data Overload

When you’re using dated CRM software, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter data overload. Signs that your CRM is just not managing the current data load include:

Too much information may slow down your system, especially if remote workers try to access information
The data you currently have is no longer serving the needs of your business or client base
The information is stale or no longer relevant
Your servers become bogged down
The data isn’t categorized as useful information and just functions as a data dump
It takes a long time to find the information you’re looking for
The system regularly crashes and you’re unable to access the information you need

Old software may not be able to keep up with the demands of modern businesses, so it might be time to upgrade.

Ineffective Contact Management

While CRM systems have benefits that stretch far beyond just basic contact management, it’s still the core reason why businesses sign up for a CRM system. Ways to know your contact management is ineffective include:

Frequent Complaints

You can tell your contact management is lacking when you experience an increase in complaints. Effective contact management ensures issues are dealt with before they escalate to a complaint.

Incomplete Sales Cycles

A good contact strategy increases the chances of converting leads. If a competitor manages to squeeze in somewhere and you don’t maintain contact, there’s a chance you may lose the lead.

No Repeat Customers

If you don’t keep in regular contact with your clients, you won’t know what their needs are or whether you can help them meet those needs. It’s also important to ask the right questions during the various sales stages to know what these needs are.

Limited Features and Functionality

Your CRM should serve a number of users, from existing customers and prospects to sales reps and fulfillment teams. It should create a seamless transition from one division to another. Older or smaller CRM systems might not be able to keep up with the functionality across divisions. Some features and functions that newer CRM systems have include:

User-friendly, intuitive interfaces and dashboards that provide access to the tools or tabs the user needs
Simplified contact management that provides a list of the latest interactions, possible scripts and relevant information to the authorized user
Customer service notes to indicate the latest queries, complaints and sales interactions
Sales team integration through lead generation from the CRM
Lead management once the leads have been identified to ensure they are converted
Data on-the-go with mobile CRM software for remote staff or sales reps
Sales reporting and analytics to ensure the sales funnels and sales flywheels are completed
Synchronization across devices and software to ensure all parties have access to the latest interactions with the client
Sufficient data storage, either through cloud services or on-site servers
Secure access to the CRM with various levels of authorization to perform different functions
Safe and secure data storage through encryption and additional authentication methods to create multiple levels of security
Simple access to reporting when needed
Access to staff and customers, irrespective of their location
Real-time information on important business functions such as sales, targets, query and complaint management, and return on investment

Integration Challenges

When you’re using an older or small CRM, you might experience integration challenges. This is because the software may not be capable of handling the additional information, or it doesn’t have the required features to support the data transfer. Incompatible data safety requirements can also cause problems.

Data integration is important to growing businesses as it allows you to use the CRM as a single point of contact company-wide. If you’re having to access multiple programs or devices during a single transaction or call with a client, it might affect the user experience.

With effective data integration, you have easy access to information that you can leverage in your business, such as:

Sales integrations to create and effectively manage pipelines
Client servicing matters that ensure that the sales cycle is closed effectively and that after-sales service is in place
Data integration to mine the existing client database for fresh leads
Reporting on sales, leads, conversion rates and ROI for sales managers
Identifying areas to improve and focus on to improve the client lifecycle

Not In Use

A telltale sign that your CRM system is no longer meeting the needs of your business is when staff and clients opt to use something else. This could be for a number of reasons:

Difficult to Use

When the system is too complex, users might feel overwhelmed or fear doing something wrong. They may also have to use multiple steps or processes to get the desired result, whereas other systems are more streamlined. When this happens, manual systems seem more attractive and easier to use, even if they end up taking longer.

Dated Software

Customers are especially sensitive to dated software as they may feel ill at ease to log in to these sites or provide their personal information.

The Benefits Are Unclear

When you don’t know why you have to use a certain system, especially if there are other ways to achieve the same results, convincing users to use it becomes challenging. Sales teams might not know about special features such as pipeline management and service agents might not be aware of the ability to make notes of conversations.

How to Evaluate Potential CRMs

The writing is on the wall and you know it’s time to swap out the dated system for a fresh, modern and capable CRM. Here are the most important things to look for to ensure it meets your organizational requirements:

The CRM is customizable to allow you to choose the features you need to scale your business such as adding scripts, choosing which items appear on the dashboard and which divisions need to make use of it
Integration capability with other platforms
All team members have the required access, even your remote staff
The CRM provides the security layers you require for your business, including additional authorizations and multiple security levels
Contact management can take place across divisions for better customer service

At Blazeo (formerly ApexChat), we understand the importance of client relationship management and how it can help your business scale. Try out CRM directory to find and integrate our live chat software with your CRM. We provide full integration across multiple platforms to streamline your business communication, lead generation and customer service requirements.

Read more on scaling your customer and prospect relationship management:

5 Ways to Leverage AI to Scale Your Business

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