Top CRM Features Accountants Need to Boost Productivity and Revenue

CRM for accounting - does it really exist ?

All too often, we think that CRM is a marketing tool, however, sometimes we forget that this type of management software may be used across all the departments and by all industries. Basically, it’s useful for everyone, including accountants! Furthermore, you’ll enjoy.

But, before discussing benefits and features of CRM for the accounting experts, it is important to understand the defining feature of this type of customer relationship management software.

What is CRM

Whether or not you’re an accounting expert, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is the best software to make your client or partner’s important information easily accessible.

Primarily, CRM brings together and centralizes all existing interaction between your clients, leads and your organization. It's also used to customize communication for each client based on the information you have collected about them. CRM is also a powerful tool to automate various repetitive tasks, thereby saving your valuable time.

With a proper implementation of CRM, your organization will benefit from a tool which adapts to your different processes, simplifies exchange of information and strengthens collaboration among all the players essential to your growth. CRM will help you with sales, marketing and communication and not to mention - your customer service !

There are three types of CRM software to meet your business goals:

1. Operational CRM : It helps to automate all your sales, marketing and client management processes.
2. Analytical CRM : It processes all your client data for better and effective decision making.
3. Collaborative CRM : It helps to improve communication between different teams and streamline exchange of information.

Moreover, depending on your needs, CRM could be accessible on site (directly to your server), on a cloud (hosted remotely) or through an open source  (you can modify its source code as needed).

In short, a CRM is a great software to improve your efficiency. But how does this management software create value for accounting experts? Let's have a closer look.

CRM for Accounting Experts : why do accountants need it?

For accounting experts, CRM is brimming with tangible benefits, who often need to manage a colossal flow of financial and fiscal data. If you are an accountant, you might know how easy it is to get lost among all the reports, supporting documents and calculation files !

In the midst of all that, it’s very difficult to set aside the time needed to find new clients and build customer loyalty. Luckily, CRM for accounting experts lighten your workload in several ways : 

It helps to create long-term customer relationships : Among other benefits, this software manages all your meetings, optimizes invoice generation and creates automated follow-up email to foster your business relationships. You may also use the data present at hand to send them customized content. The more you know about your customers, the more your CRM accounting experts will help build strong relationships with your customers and partners.

• It centralizes your information: CRM centralizes your client data to use your information properly, divide up our database, anticipate your clients’ expectations and increase your work productivity. You may then track a client’s journey and update their profile to reflect any change (of which there are many in the world of accounting!),  whenever you want. Having such a robust database will also make it much easier to transform your leads into clients. The icing on the cake? You’ll also give clients more independence, as they’ll always have 24/7 access to their data from any location. They can even access explanatory or training documents.

• It helps prioritization of your actions: Thanks to automated dashboards and a number of performance indicators, your accounting CRM easily informs about the profitability of each of your projects and helps you identify your business’ most profitable clients. After all, you are not only an accounting expert, but also your own operations’ manager. A CRM for accounting experts generates customized reports tailored to your needs and objectives.

• It makes your marketing activities easier:  By targeting, dividing up, automation and analysis, your CRM makes your marketing campaign more efficient. In particular, you can automate and customize newsletter campaigns or implement remarketing/retargeting tools to convert leads.

Furthermore, the ability of your CRM (accounting experts) to make good use of information will provide you with new sales opportunities. You can then cross-sell by suggesting additional products and services for your clients to attain your growth objectives. In addition to generating new sales, you’re also offering them better consultation services. What more could you ask for ?

These benefits have become possible. Thanks to a range of features which are very important in the daily activities of an accounting expert.

What features should be looked for in a CRM for accounting experts?

There are so many types of CRM for accounting experts in the market. So how to know which one to turn on? To summarize the benefits of CRM for an accounting expert, lets categorize these features into three distinct but complementary groups: 

 Marketing features

• Client management tools
• Full access to complete client history
• Integration of new clients into CRM
• Consolidated and repeated client information to minimize errors and improve communication
• Segmentation and automation of marketing campaigns
• Improved brand image
• Reports and analysis to improve existing strategy

Automation/ Centralization feature

• Implementation of automated workflows
• Automated follow-ups from clients
• Achieving of documents
• Automated email and replies
• Automated tracking to save time and strengthening of customer relationships
• Invoice management to accelerate the process and elimination of potential errors

Communication/collaboration features

• Tools for accountant and client to communicate
• Easy share of documents
• Access management for each user
• Secure exchange of information between different departments within the business

Above all, make sure to choose a CRM for accounting experts which can:

Ø Make you stand out

Ø Provide your clients with more independence

Ø Solidify your reputation and brand image

Ø Customize your workflows

Ø Automate routine tasks

ConvergeHub as the best CRM for accounting

ConvergeHub is the best CRM solution for your clients as by far this CRM has the most to offer. This intelligent cloud-based platform combines CRM and ERP tools within the same ecosystem.

Wrapping Up

You may want to spend your days as an accountant without a dedicated CRM system. But without it, you may need to focus on figures the entire day, automatically shifting your focus from customer service.