Has your business moved to a remote working model in recent years? Plenty have, and if you’re struggling to adjust to the changes, you’re not alone. There are significant benefits to remote work, but there are also challenges for employers. From keeping teams connected to ensuring a high standard of work, there’s a lot to stay on top of.

Don’t worry, because there’s help at hand.

CRMs, or Customer Relationship Management systems, are designed to streamline operations, improve customer service, and enhance collaboration between team members. But really, that’s just a small snapshot of what a CRM can do for your business.

As a Top CRM Consultant Australia, we’ve seen firsthand how powerful these tools are in revolutionizing remote work. Whether you're looking for simple solutions or advanced integrations like Zoho One, CRMs can transform your business.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of using CRM in remote work environments, so grab a coffee and let’s jump in.

Better Team Collaboration Regardless of Location

If you’ve got people scattered all over the country or even the world, it’s not always easy to maintain effective communication. CRMs promote collaboration because everyone uses the same system, with all the info they need in one place, and communication in general is easy.

Most CRMs, including Zoho One, have great chat and messaging functions that you can customize to suit the way you work.

But the most relevant aspect for remote teams is real-time data sharing. With colleagues working remotely, it’s almost impossible to see where people are up to with tasks. That’s the beauty of a CRM. It updates in real-time, so everybody is on the same page.

More Consistent Customer Service

We’ve touched on the importance of real-time data sharing for team collaboration, but it also has a big impact on customer service.

Without everybody in the same room, it's hard to – for want of a better description – make sure people are doing the right thing when dealing with customers.

CRMs allow you to customize workflows that guide staff members through your processes. This isn’t about micromanagement but about ensuring customers get consistent information every time. How annoying is it to be told two different things by reps from the same company?

In short, CRMs streamline processes for staff, and the customers benefit. Everyone’s a winner.

Automating Repetitive Tasks

Most people hate boring, repetitive, mundane tasks. Keying numbers and data for hours on end doesn’t sound like our idea of fun.

A machine, on the other hand, LOVES this type of work. Well, we assume it does, because we designed it that way.

CRMs allow you to automate repetitive functions, which is awesome for staff, but it also ensures greater accuracy. Especially in remote environments where people can get distracted more easily by pets, kids, neighbours, and spouses, automation is a huge blessing.

Not only does it allow your staff to focus on things they’re better at and enjoy more, but you also reduce the risk of human error in many everyday business processes.

Improved Sales and Tracking

If you’re in the sales game, your focus is naturally… making sales.

Top CRM Consultants in Australia like Otto Digital help businesses improve their sales pipelines considerably. CRMs can ensure reminders and notifications, which helps your staff stay on top of follow-ups. These types of features are invaluable for remote working environments.

CRMs such as Zoho One can also integrate with other systems, such as e-commerce websites. If you’ve ever ordered something online and then received a series of emails with invoices and updates, that’s all thanks to a CRM.

Let’s not forget about tracking either. Collecting valuable sales data with a CRM’s powerful reporting features lets you make smarter business decisions moving forward.

CRMs Make Onboarding New Staff a Breeze

Onboarding staff can sometimes be, let’s face it, a tiresome task. It’s great getting new faces on the team, but there’s a lot to get through.

In remote teams, onboarding can be even more challenging, especially when it comes to training and development. CRMs make this much smoother, by incorporating training modules and giving new staff members easy access to the resources they need.

Customised workflows get another mention here because they make it much easier for new staff to learn the ropes. And, if they need a little more hand-holding, the communication and collaboration features in a CRM make it easy for other staff members to provide support, even from the other side of the world.

Build a Genuine Sense of Team

The reality is that most people enjoy the social aspect of a workplace. Whether it’s chatting to colleagues over a coffee or just strolling up to someone’s desk to see how they’re doing.

Unfortunately, in remote teams, this genuine sense of team is sometimes lacking. It’s a big challenge to bring remote workers together and feel like part of something.

CRMs allow for easy collaboration and communication. Meetings can become more interactive, and with everybody using the same purpose-built system, it makes daily work feel more structured.

Don’t get us wrong, we love all the productivity and cost-saving benefits that CRM consulting brings. But you can’t have a remote team without a team. Otherwise, you’re just remote.

The Ability to Change Your Workforce

If you don’t operate remote teams already, chances are, you’ve considered it. CRMs like Zoho One can make it much easier for you to explore new workforce models, such as hybrid or completely remote.

The great thing is that your CRM is accessible from anywhere (only by those authorized to do so, of course). So, if people want a working holiday or you’d like to downsize the office and let a few team members work from home, you can do it with confidence because you’ve got a great system in place to support this change.

Need CRM Consulting to Get the Most Out of Your Remote Teams?

If reading the above has shown why you need a CRM to survive and thrive as a remote business, we’d love to hear from you. Otto Digital offers custom CRM solutions and software development, as well as business process optimization and in-depth CRM consulting. As a Top CRM Consultant Australia, we take the time to understand your business and recommend systems and strategies to streamline processes and make your entire operations more efficient.

Want to know more? Contact our experts today and explore how Zoho One can revolutionize your remote work environment.