Why startups need to use a CRM instead of spreadsheets

Do you face these challenges?

• Scattered data: We live in a world where data holds immense value, and the more data you have, the more of a struggle it is to maintain an organized and cohesive database. Spreadsheets definitely seem like a convenient solution at first, but as time goes on, one of the most significant drawbacks of spreadsheets is the difficulty in maintaining data scattered across multiple sheets. This further leads to challenges in maintaining a centralized view that results in disorganization and inefficiency.

• Restrictions to collaboration: What do team members do when it comes to sharing critical data? Spreadsheets usually have version controls, but when multiple team members work on different iterations simultaneously, there can be a lack of clarity that leads to confusion and conflicting data.

• Analyzing large amounts of data: If you're faced with the task of analyzing customer data to spot trends and optimize your offerings, processes that involve manually sorting and filtering data in a spreadsheet increase the risk of overlooking crucial patterns.

• Automating repetitive tasks: Spreadsheets have clear limitations when it comes to automation. Updating and categorizing contacts, drafting personalized emails, and scheduling campaigns are often manual tasks that are prone to human error and consume valuable time.

• Security risks: When dealing with sensitive or confidential data, if you don't take the utmost care, your business might get exposed to potential breaches and unauthorized access. The manual nature of data entry and updates in spreadsheets increases the risk of inadvertent errors.

Implement cost-effective strategies to address challenges

With more than 100 million customers worldwide, Zoho has developed Bigin, a simple and cost-effective CRM software tool that empowers your sales, contact management, pipeline management, automation, and analytical insights to improve customer relationships. 20,000+ businesses across the globe from different industries—including IT and hardware, real estate, education, retail, legal, manufacturing, trading, and financial services—all use Bigin.

How Bigin by Zoho CRM can help you

Here's how Bigin addresses your business challenges:

• Centralized data repository: Bigin consolidates all your data in one location, eliminating the problems that arise from data scattered across multiple spreadsheets and ensuring that all relevant data is easily accessible and organized, and can be efficiently managed within the CRM platform.

• Real-time collaboration: Your team members get easy access to all your records in Bigin simultaneously with the help of Team Pipelines. All you will have to do is choose from among Bigin's ready-made templates or customize your own pipelines based on your unique business needs.

This collaborative environment reduces communication gaps, enhances teamwork, and mitigates issues related to version controls. Your team members can work on tasks concurrently to facilitate a more dynamic and responsive workflow. Bigin also tracks all of the changes different team members make, providing a seamless collaborative experience.

• Track your data: Track all your contacts' activities, monitor their conversion rates, and analyze sales performance metrics. These built-in analytics empower you to derive much-needed insights from your already existing data.

• Automate capability: Bigin streamlines workflow processes via automation features. Businesses can automate repetitive tasks, including lead nurturing, follow-up reminders, and email campaigns. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency in sales processes, enabling you and your team to focus on activities that drive business growth.

• Data protection: Just like any other Zoho application, Bigin prioritizes data security with robust features, including data encryption, access controls, and user permissions. These measures enable businesses to adhere to data protection regulations and protect sensitive customer data.

Furthermore, streamlining communications with your contacts is a breeze through Bigin's seamless integrations with both in-house and third-party apps. With an email service integration, you can conveniently send and receive emails from Bigin, or you can initiate and receive calls using Bigin's built-in telephony feature. If you already use an external phone service, you can integrate it easily, as Bigin integrates with 100+ telephony vendors for centralized call management. Beyond these traditional channels, Bigin facilitates communications via WhatsApp and X, enabling you to document all data inside your CRM.

If you're wondering how to get started, you can easily set up your Bigin account in less than 30 minutes by watching this video. Transfer your existing customer data to Bigin to start using it right away; it's that simple.

Bigin also provides free trial, and you can upgrade to paid plans starting from ₹400 based on your business needs.

See how Bigin helped Cleanomatics achieve their business goals.

To learn more, visit www.bigin.com.

Phone: +91 4469656135

WhatsApp: +91 73059 21757

Email: [email protected]