Frequently Asked Questions

Our FAQ section is divided into sections; CRM FAQs and Project Accounting FAQs

CRM FAQS

Q. What is CRM?
A. Gartner describe CRM as “A business strategy whose outcomes optimise profitability, revenue and customer satisfaction…CRM technologies should enable greater customer insight, increased customer access, more effective customer interactions, and integration throughout all customer channels and back-office enterprise functions”.

Q. Why are companies interested in CRM?
A. Companies are interested in CRM because they recognise that the customer is their primary strategic asset and thus seek to better understand the behaviour and needs of that customer and therefore enhance their relationship.

Q. How can CRM software help my organisation?
A. CRM software by itself cannot help your organisation improve performance. CRM is a philosophy and a business strategy focused on acquiring, developing and retaining the right customers. There is nothing new or 'special' about CRM. It is simply the current term for doing good business, well, and practising 'best practice' business processes.

Q. What are the primary benefits of a successful CRM implementation?
A. Actual returns vary from one company to the next, but common benefits we have seen our customers achieve are:
- Higher customer retention
- Improved sales productivity
- Shorter sales cycles
- Increased profitability
- Lower marketing costs
- Increased marketing response rates

Q. Is CRM easy to use?
A. One of our basic tenets for a system is that users must get a benefit from using the system or there will be resistance to usage. The CRM systems we resell have been chosen for their ease of use. Our role during deployment is to help you focus on the user acceptance of the system. This can only happen with an easy to use system.

Q. How much of CRM is technology-related?
A. A common misconception is that CRM primarily consists of a database and a set of technology tools. However, there is a lot more to it than technology (e.g. business processes, organisational structure, data, business goals and objectives etc.) - technology is merely the enabler.

Q. Does CRM require dedicated IT support staff?
A. No. Some of our biggest implementations have been installed without any material IT involvement. The project usually benefits from an IT presence in the project team. Because CRM is an IT system the IT helpdesk usually get involved in helping the users. An IT specialist on the ongoing support team can be of benefit but this is very much a part time role in most instances.

Q. We don't have a budget for CRM. How can I convince my finance department to approve the funds required?
A. If a CRM solution could pay for itself within 6 months, who needs a budget? Whilst it is important for companies to plan and budget, if a solution comes along that can solve key issues, then it is worth educating the finance department on the future pay-off of the solution. If you cannot demonstrate an ROI then don’t spend the money. e1 will work with you to identify the ROI appropriate to your organisation’s specific circumstances.

Q. How long does a CRM implementation take?
A. There is no simple answer to this. The important thing is determining what timeframe is right for your business. There are many issues to consider: size of investment, time pressure to implement, resources available, data and systems involved etc. A simple implementation can take as little as a month, whereas a more sophisticated implementation could take 6+ months.

Q. How many people in the company need to be in the project team?
A. The number of team members will differ depending on the scope of the project. Keeping the members to a minimum will ensure the process does not get slowed down and that the team stays focused. We advise that each department that will be affected by the CRM project, such as sales, marketing, support and IT, should be represented by a senior manager.

Q. Are SalesLogix and Sage CRM compatible with other systems?
A. Yes, in addition to working closely in conjunction with Outlook, Microsoft Word and Excel. One of the qualities that sets SalesLogix and Sage CRM apart is their ability to integrate with front-office and back-office solutions. It's this high level of integration with leading financial, ERP, and inventory management systems that empowers everyone in your company - from sales and marketing to accounting and finance to support and shipping - to work together, efficiently, to build and develop profitable customer relationships.

Q. Can I tailor SalesLogix and Sage CRM to my business?
A. Yes. SalesLogix is the most customisable CRM solution on the market. All aspects of the product can be quickly and easily customised to meet your unique requirements. This means your solution can be tailored to support existing business processes and achieve the required solution without any disruption to your business. This flexibility means your CRM solution can grow as your business needs change and your business grows. Sage CRM is a configurable solution with Administration functionality, enabling you to alter areas of the system in-house, in order to fit your organisation.

Q. How long before I see a return on my investment?
A. There are no hard and fast figures to answer this. SalesLogix and Sage CRM have been designed to integrate quickly into existing business systems, which is a key element of achieving rapid Return on Investment (ROI). Different companies measure ROI in different ways - it's a matter of what's important to each company, marketplace and management team. Top priorities include revenue growth, sales effectiveness and customer loyalty. The key to ROI is setting objectives that can be measured.

Q. What else does my business need to think about?
A. CRM is more than technology. It also involves People and Processes — in order to serve your customers efficiently and effectively you need to adapt your processes and train your people with the emphasis always on delivering the maximum benefit for your customers — that’s the best way to keep customers loyal and to turn them into advocates to ease your next sale to them or someone they recommend.

Q. Is CRM difficult to set up?
A. CRM should not be difficult to set up, however, sometimes it can be.  Our Professional Services team have installed hundreds of systems and can help guide you through the process to make life as simple as possible.

Q. How does the customer service portion of CRM help a business grow?
A. Customer satisfaction is a key element of customer loyalty. Loyal and satisfied customers become long-term customers. Loyal customers are also your best advocates. Word of mouth recommendations create the most persuasive marketing for your company. In an age where negative customer feedback may quickly appear in online reviews and blogs.


Project Accounting FAQs

Q. What are the primary benefits of PRIMA?
A. There are several inter-related benefits that come from deploying a properly integrated system like e1 PRIMA with Sage 200 Project Accounting:

- Improved productivity by having a single set of project data used for both billing and resource planning [One client reported 17 hours admin saving in producing their first month’s invoices from the system]
- Higher revenues by eliminating forgotten billing. We have seen examples where this has added 12% to the revenue and even more to the profits.
- Improved cash flow from faster invoicing with quality backing information. [One client can easily see a £200k improvement in their cash position from deploying the system]
- Improved profitability from better understanding of over/under quotes.
- Improved Management information such as revenue forecasts based on more detailed plans of projected work.
- Simplified administration – e.g. staff expense claims are a by-product of the expenses re-charged to clients. The staff member has to just sign and attach receipts to the printed expense sheet sent them by accounts.

Q. I’m a Project Manager how does it help me?
A. It provides Gant charts, milestones and Resource Planning tools. By using PRIMA you will reduce your administration because the data is used both for project planning/monitoring and for billing the clients.
Staff will fill in timesheets, items shipped from stores or suppliers will be recorded and all available to you when monitoring or planning the project. Because you have consolidated actual time booked from timesheets the theoretical % complete can be seen meaning that you can then use your normal review processes to check project items are on track. You can also be notified of any exception conditions on projects.

Q. As an Accountant what benefits will I see?
A. Timesheets are being input throughout the operating period giving you much better insight into the true position of WIP. The staff themselves are entering the data together with the associated expense items saving any need for data input within the accounts team. You also have an integrated Project Accounting module that enables you to analyse the cost recovery against projects. The Sage 200 Suite accounting modules give you all the functions you expect from Sage including Cash Book, VAT Returns, Stock, Price Book, Ledgers etc. If appropriate you can also link the timesheet information directly to Payroll to allow hourly paid workers to be paid from a single input source. A full authorisation process for timesheets and billing with delegated authority configured the way you want to work is also included.

Please contact us on (01962) 718270 or email info@e1business.com if you would like more information on CRM or Project Accounting.