Efficient CRM workflow can save time & money

Considering Salesforce.com as your CRM? Have you ever shopped for a car or home? At the beginning of the process – you likely have a laundry-list of features in your mind that could be described as ‘must-haves’, ‘nice-to-haves’, and maybe even ‘should-not-haves’. When you go to the dealership or neighborhood – we carry that mental checklist with us. As you continue on the hunt for that car or home, more often than not, that list changes as we narrow in on our choices. Whether the list has grown or shrunk – imagine if you were forced to catalogue every single feature when you first started the process. The choices would be overwhelming and you might never make it through!

Let’s apply this same concept to our CRM process. If we were to view the laundry-list of information we want capture or see from all of our customers and prospects – the input fields would likely involve a fair amount of screen real estate. Can you picture your reps throwing up their hands with frustration when presented with this?

Fear not! By leveraging the power of workflow, record types and page layouts – you can present only the most relevant data based on the inputs made in the system. For example, you can use the Status or Stage value for Leads or Opportunities. Follow these best practices to optimize the display of your records:

Create multiple record types for the object you want to optimize (Ex: Leads).
Tip: Apply a naming convention that corresponds to the matching stage or status value.

Create and assign page layouts for each of the record types.
Tip: Each page layout should present only the necessary and/or relevant fields for input or viewing.

Create workflow rules that update the record type based on user inputs – such as Status or Stage.

You now have a CRM system that adapts to your users’ needs – allowing you to capture and present only the necessary information without overwhelming your users. If only house hunting and car shopping could be so easy!