Businesses often think of great customer service as part of their selling toolkit. However, the need to empathize with consumers or understand their pain points extends beyond the initial sale. In fact, from the customer’s perspective, the way you handle a post-purchase issue is likely more important than the service provided before the purchase.

Business losses due to negative customer service experiences are on the rise. So how can your business avoid falling into this trap? While implementing customer management software is a great first step toward better customer service, it isn’t the only solution. Instead, resolving customer service issues effectively requires a combination of tools, processes, and communication strategies.

9 Tips to Handle Customer Service Issues

No matter what type of business you run, customer service issues are bound to come up. But your goal shouldn’t be to avoid any type of complaint or problem. Instead, your goal should be to handle these anomalies so effectively that they become shining examples of how your team will go above and beyond to satisfy customers.

Here are some tips to help your team make the most of its resources — both technological and human. With these guidelines in mind, you’ll be able to overcome any customer service issue that comes your way.

1. Know Your Customers

Your company likely already does a great deal of research on your existing customers for marketing purposes. If this data is available in your customer management software, use it to inform your service strategy. Who are your customers? How old are they and where do they live? How do they typically interact with your company, and how often do they reach out?

Before you prepare a protocol for customer service, dive deep into your customers’ preferences and behaviors. This will help you determine which service areas to focus on. If your customers tend to use digital methods (like email or social media) to contact you, it may be worth improving the self-service experience on your website. But if you receive a lot of phone calls, perhaps you need to hire additional staff to handle the volume.

2. Assess Your Current Customer Service Strategy

A lot of companies have no set protocol in place for resolving customer service issues. The problem with this is that you’re relying on your employees to handle these situations with no game plan or blueprint. This means each employee might handle the same situation in a different way, so a customer can never count on having the same type of experience.

Talk to the employees who deal with customer service issues and ask them to walk you through their current processes. Document how things are being handled and pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses you see. The more detail you can collect about real-life situations, the better equipped you’ll be to build a plan that your employees can use.

3. Develop Standard Protocols for Different Types of Issues

If you want to develop a reputation as a company with excellent customer service, consistency is key. When you have a standard set of service guidelines, it’s much likelier that issues will always be handled the same way.

Based on your research from the previous step, develop a set of protocols for employees to follow in the event of different customer complaints. What should they do if there’s a quality issue with a product? How should they respond if a customer is dissatisfied with your service? What types of discounts or refunds are permissible? Having clear guidelines makes the job much easier for your employees. They’ll be more confident in the process of resolving issues, which translates to a better experience for your customers.

4. Offer Multiple Communication Channels

Different people respond better to different communication methods. This is true in any social or personal exchange but it’s also key in customer service and business relationships.

Customers today like to have a wide variety of communication options. Many customers want to talk to a human on the phone when they have any type of issue. If you’re located in the same city as your customers, some may even want to have a physical meeting. Meanwhile, other people prefer to text or email — or they just want to find the answer to their question on your website.

To accommodate these different communication styles, keep your website up to date with FAQs and ways to contact you. You may also want to track customers’ preferred communication methods in your CRM in case you need to follow up with them.

5. Set a Time Limit for Responses

There’s nothing worse than sitting on hold with an automated customer service system. When your customer has an issue, be mindful of their time and don’t make them wait around forever for answers.

While some issues will inevitably take longer to solve than others, it’s important for the communication to be handled efficiently. Set internal time limits for responding to any type of complaint and let customers know when they can expect to hear from you. For example, you might aim to return voicemails within half an hour and answer emails within two hours. Even if there is no immediate fix for the customer’s problem, follow up within a set timeframe to let them know you’re working on it.

6. Track Your Activities

Once you have your new protocols in place, it’s essential to track the way your team handles customer service issues. This will help you refine and improve your methods over time. It will also give you the opportunity to thank your staff when they really knock it out of the ballpark!

Take advantage of the tools in your CRM to track the customer experience throughout their journey. This can be as simple as logging an activity each time you make a call or send an email to a customer. For a more comprehensive look at what your team is handling, create a case for each issue and link related the activities to it.

7. Educate Employees on Effective Communication

Oftentimes, customer service issues are blown out of proportion due to a breakdown in communication. This can come in many forms, from rudeness to lack of follow-through to employees not collecting the information they need from the customer.

Most people aren’t born knowing the subtleties of communication, especially in delicate situations where one party may be upset. To combat this, make sure you provide your staff with training and resources so they can provide the best customer support possible. For instance, you could go through mock phone calls or prepare email templates for common scenarios.

8. Use Tools to Improve the Customer Experience

No matter what types of software or tools you use, you should assess the resources available to you to see how they can help you improve the customer service experience. One example is customer management software, which can be particularly useful for organizing data, automating tasks, and reporting on your performance. Technology can never replace the need for great human customer service. But when used correctly, technology can be a great complement to your service efforts.

9. Follow Up (Even After the Problem is Solved)

Finally, make sure your team follows up with the customer after the situation has been resolved! This could as simple as a quick email or as in-depth as a personal call. Either way, it’s a nice touch to let your customers know that your company cares about their satisfaction. This follow-up also gives you a chance to hear about the experience from the customer’s point of view. You can then use this information to further improve your process.

The Bottom Line: Every Customer Service Issue Has the Potential to Increase Loyalty

It sounds like flawed reasoning, but the truth is that handling an issue correctly can help you build a concrete reputation among your customers. Of course, customers appreciate a smooth purchasing experience with no issues to report on. But they also appreciate those instances where a business goes above and beyond to provide excellent service during a stressful situation.

The post Conquering Customer Service Issues: 9 Tips to Build Customer Loyalty appeared first on Method.

The answer depends on whether you want your customer relationships to be about more than just numbers. Here’s a tip: you do!

While it’s important to be aware of purchase history, the best way to build customer loyalty is to focus on making genuine connections and providing individualized service. That’s where customer management software comes in.

What is customer management?

Customer management refers to the way you organize, track, and engage with your customers. It’s about recognizing and taking care of the people who use your products and services.

Good customer management involves learning about your customers, and catering your service and support to their needs. This develops stronger customer relationships, which in turn lead to bigger and better opportunities down the road.

What is a customer management system?

A customer management system is a tool — typically a software solution — that helps you keep track of and care for your customers.

It’s a way of organizing your contacts in a centralized space to provide them a more personalized experience. Features of a customer management system include:

• A 360-degree view of contact details, including interaction and transaction history.
• Self-service tools like customer portals.
• Customer support and communication tools.
• Invoice and order management.

What does customer relationship management involve?

Customer relationship management applies to any business that involves dealing with customers. That being said, the four pillars of strong customer relationship management are:

• Communication.
• Marketing.
• Automation.
• Reporting and analytics.

Communication

A key aspect of CRM is how it opens the floor for better communication, both internally and externally.

CRM systems centralize your communication with customers across all channels. Whether it’s a phone call, email, or in-person meeting, you can record and organize every interaction someone has with your business.

CRM software also allows for better productivity and communication between your staff. It offers internal features like ticketing systems, where your employees can assign and perform tasks with ease.

Marketing

A CRM amplifies your marketing strategy by expanding your outreach and better segmenting your target demographic. CRM tools make even the largest marketing tasks, like sending out mass email campaigns, a breeze.

Take the Email Campaigns app in Method CRM below as an example of this. 

Every customer is different, so you might not want to market the exact same to everyone. With CRM software, you can create contact lists to tailor your marketing exactly how you want. This includes personalizing your messaging, coordinating outreach, flagging communication preferences, and more.

Automation

Something businesses love about CRM systems is how they save valuable time and money through workflow automation. Automating your daily business functions takes a large chunk of the workload off you and your employees.

Plus, this way, your employees don’t need to spend their day doing the same repetitive tasks. Instead, they can put more time into boosting your business’ performance in other, more significant ways. 

Reporting and analytics

A good CRM system gives you valuable insights into your customers’ needs, as well as the overall health of your business. With the right CRM, you can download detailed reports that provide you a comprehensive overview of your numbers.

You can then apply your findings to drive customer retention and strengthen your business operations.

Is QuickBooks a CRM?

QuickBooks is not a CRM. While QuickBooks is one of the strongest accounting platforms on the market, it’s not designed for customer management.

Can QuickBooks be used as a CRM?

Trying to use QuickBooks as your CRM blends the distinct stages of your sales funnel together, resulting in disorganization and confusion among you and your employees. 

With an integrated CRM, you can keep your financial information separate from your customer details. This way, you never jumble up your accounting database even as you work towards providing a more positive customer experience.

The benefits of integrating QuickBooks with a CRM

Experience a shorter sales cycle

Implementing a CRM means that you shorten every stage in your sales process. From lead generation all the way to closing a sale, CRM systems automate your workflows and accelerate turnaround times.

So, not only do you make more revenue by closing sales faster, but you also get more time to generate customers.

Eliminate the need for double data entry

With a CRM that syncs with QuickBooks, you eliminate the issue of double data entry. 

Particularly with a two-way sync, you don’t need to enter new data into both your CRM and QuickBooks account. When you input information on one end of an integrated system, it updates in the other.

So, you don’t have to worry about entering the same data twice — a mistake that can be detrimental to your business. 

Only add paying customers to your books

Keep your leads and your paying customers separate with CRM software. When you use your QuickBooks account as a means of managing customer relationships, you risk doing serious damage to your business.

Better categorizing your contacts with a CRM clarifies your sales funnel for everyone at your company, which results in more efficiency all around.

You get to see the big picture

CRM software gives you a centralized view of your operations and your customer-base. You stay up to date on everything going on with your business, even as it grows. 

This way, you can see all your moving parts without having to directly involve yourself in every department. 

And with your customers’ information neatly consolidated, you know exactly what you need to do to make your relationships flourish. 

7 reasons why you need Method CRM for QuickBooks customer management

Here are 7 reasons why Method CRM is the ideal customer management solution for businesses using QuickBooks.

1. It’s easy to get started

Adopting new software can be intimidating — but it doesn’t have to be. Unlike a lot of other CRMs, the industry-leading sync between QuickBooks and Method makes it simple to get started with better customer management.

As soon as you connect Method CRM to your QuickBooks file, your existing customers automatically sync to your Method account. It’s that easy! And since the sync goes both ways, you can add new customers through either program and they’ll immediately show up in the other end.

2. Limit employee access to QuickBooks

As your small business grows, you’ll likely hire new employees to better serve your customers. However, giving every employee access to your QuickBooks file is less than ideal.

By using customer management software that integrates with QuickBooks, you can limit employee access to your accounting software while giving them the data they need to effectively assist customers.

 View contact information and past purchases, create new estimates and invoices, and process payments right in Method CRM. Your staff will love the self-sufficiency and you can rest easy knowing that your QuickBooks file is secure.

3. Go beyond the billing contact

If your business does B2B sales, you likely interact with multiple individuals at each company you work with — often, the person you sell to isn’t the person who pays you. However, cluttering your QuickBooks file with non-billing contacts can lead to missed payments if you accidentally invoice the wrong person.

Luckily, CRM software is made for managing all of your contacts, regardless of their roles. Method CRM lets you add unlimited contacts per customer so you can create a complete picture of your relationship with a company. And since contacts created in Method don’t sync to QuickBooks, you can keep your accounting software strictly focused on accounting.

4. Know your customers inside and out

Providing personalized service starts with knowing who your customers are and what they need. And while it’s possible to add custom fields in QuickBooks, your accountant doesn’t necessarily want to see your customers’ shipping address alongside their financial data.

Instead, take advantage of Method’s 100% customizable platform. Add unlimited custom fields to track whatever data is important to your business, from shoe sizes to pets’ birthdays. When you know more about your customer than the date of their last invoice, you can provide an unforgettable service experience that drives repeat business.

5. Centralize customer history

Your history with your customers goes beyond past purchases — it’s important to track conversations too. But if you’re relying on QuickBooks Notes to do so, employees without access to QuickBooks will struggle to stay informed. And if additional notes are scattered across employees’ desks, inboxes, and minds, it’s hard for anyone to refer back.

Customer management software offers a centralized solution for tracking customer interactions. Create activities in Method CRM to record the details of meetings, phone calls, and emails. You can also create cases to document ongoing problems, so everyone on your team stays in the loop.

6. Provide timely service by bringing your data on the go

In business, time is money. The longer it takes for your business to follow up with a customer, the more likely it is that they’ll turn to your competitors. This can be especially problematic for businesses using QuickBooks Desktop. If your customer data lives at the office, you’ll struggle to stay connected while on the go.

Using a QuickBooks-integrated CRM solves this problem by bringing your essential QuickBooks data into the cloud. Better yet, the Method CRM mobile apps let you bring this data anywhere you go. Whether you’re updating a phone number, creating an estimate, or processing a payment, your customers will appreciate that you’re always on top of their needs.

7. Drive repeat business through proactive follow-up

When you view your QuickBooks customers, your primary cues to reach out are likely overdue invoices or insufficient payments. But if you want to build long-lasting relationships, you need to find more positive communication opportunities.

Activities in Method CRM aren’t just for completed interactions; use them to plan future ones as well. Schedule follow-up activities to remind yourself to reach out to your customers at regular intervals. Maybe you want to collect feedback, test cross-selling strategies, or just wish them a happy birthday — the reason for the follow-up is up to you. The point is to keep your business top of mind so customers feel motivated to return to it.

Recap: Simplify your QuickBooks customer management with Method CRM

Although QuickBooks is a comprehensive accounting solution, your customer relationships are about more than just numbers.

A QuickBooks-integrated CRM software takes you beyond the finances and gives greater context to your purchase data. When you truly understand each customer’s history with your business, you can provide them with personalized service that keeps them coming back.

To recap, with Method CRM you:

1. Get started right away.
2. Manage QuickBooks access.
3. Track all kinds of relationships.
4. Centralize customer information.
5. Provide timely service.
6. Bring back customers.

QuickBooks customer management FAQs

Can you use QuickBooks for CRM?

You should not use QuickBooks for CRM purposes. While it can technically be done, it leads to more issues than it solves.

Instead, you should use CRM software that integrates with your QuickBooks data. This way, you keep your contact details and your account information separate yet consolidated. So, you maintain an all-encompassing view of your operations without disturbing them. 

Does QuickBooks manage customers?

QuickBooks does not manage customers effectively. QuickBooks and CRM software work wonderfully together, but are two distinctly separate tools.

CRM software integrates your customer details with QuickBooks without compromising your accounting data.

What is a good CRM for QuickBooks users?

Method CRM is the #1 CRM for QuickBooks users because of its patented, two-way sync. It eliminates issues of double data entry by updating instantly when you enter information on either end.

See how a QuickBooks CRM helps you better manage your customers with your free trial of Method.

Image credit: Gorodenkoff via Shutterstock

The post Is QuickBooks a CRM? Why you need a customer management system appeared first on Method.

With those statistics in mind, your ability to keep clients happy and engaged can clearly save (and make) you a huge amount of money in the long run. This is particularly relevant in industries that have regular or repeat clients, like accounting or marketing.

To save on expenses and increase your revenue, it’s important to learn how to read your clients. Being able to spot the warning signs that a client is unhappy gives you a heads-up that they may be thinking about leaving your business. To improve your retention rate, keep an eye out for the following five behaviors that may mean a client is on their way out the door. In these cases, you’ll need to act fast to retain their business before they leave for good.

1. Radio Silence

Rather than deal with an awkward breakup conversation, many clients will go completely silent as they start to distance themselves. This might mean failing to respond to your emails, not picking up your calls, or even skipping meetings.

Sudden radio silence from a regular client is a huge red flag that indicates a dire need for client re-engagement. You should reach out quickly to attempt to address the client’s concerns and restore your working relationship. Simply opening up the lines of communication may be enough to restore dedication to your company. If not, you may need to offer other incentives, like discounts or package deals, to rebuild your client’s loyalty.

2. Decreased Spending

Clients who are on the fence may start to slowly test out offerings from your competitors before leaving your business altogether. This gradual replacement process allows them to confirm that other options will meet their needs just as well as your solutions do.

One way to detect this behavior is to keep an eye out for spending decreases among your regular accounts. For example, you might notice that a client who used to employ your agency to run their blog and social media accounts has suddenly stopped requesting new blog posts. Upon identifying accounts that are spending less, focus on promoting the ways in which your services can benefit those clients specifically.

3. Contract Disputes

If your client is suddenly asking a lot of questions about the terms and conditions on your contracts, it’s a sign that all may not be well in your relationship. Contract concerns may seem innocuous at first, but they can indicate a deeper problem with client commitment.

Whether the client has concerns about project scope, service value, or timelines, don’t just dismiss them with a canned response. Instead, dedicate some time to truly understanding and addressing whatever is causing their hesitation. If your client doesn’t feel that their voice is being heard, they may begin researching alternatives to your services.

4. Discount Inquiries

To be fair, everyone loves a good discount, so it’s not unreasonable for regular clients to inquire about them from time to time. However, these requests can indicate that your client is questioning the value of your products and services. If a client asks for a discount, they may also be trying to divert some of their budget toward testing new options without impacting their current operations.

While discounts can be a great tool for client retention, it’s better for them to be offered rather than requested. In cases where the client is asking for a price reduction, note the request as a potential red flag and look for other opportunities to build brand loyalty.

5. Payment Snafus

Beginning to question the value of your services can result in financial mistakes such as missed payments or canceled checks. Whether they’re intentional or not, these slip-ups suggest that your business is no longer top of mind.

Although there may be a simple explanation like a vacation or an expired credit card, check in with the client to see if there are any underlying issues. If so, allow the client to voice their concerns and strive to resolve the problem as soon as possible. Once you get your relationship with the client back on solid ground, the payment problems will likely disappear.

How to Optimize Your Customer Service to Win Clients Back

If you notice any of these warning signs, you’ll want to respond quickly with your best client retention tactics to preserve the account. Using client management software is an excellent strategy for salvaging relationships, not to mention building strong ones in the first place. With this software, your team can:

• Maintain a 360-degree view of each client’s history with your business. This allows every employee to provide superb customer service even if they’re not personally familiar with the client.
• Document any client issues by creating detailed records of every meeting, phone call, and email.
• Identify clients who have not made any recent purchases.
• Schedule reminders to follow up with clients who are waiting on updates or resolutions.
• Use past purchase data to identify other products or services that may better suit the client’s needs.

And even as you use technology to help manage your client relationships, keep in mind that your clients are people and want to be treated as such. Empathy, listening skills, and willingness to admit mistakes can all go a long way towards fostering lasting relationships with your clients.

Take a Smarter Approach to Client Retention

While client management software can do some of the heavy lifting involved in maintaining client relationships, it can’t do everything. Watching for the five warning signs above will help you determine how your clients are truly feeling about your business. In the end, it all comes down to tracking and responding to each client’s unique needs in order to keep them satisfied with the value of your services.

The post 5 Signs That Your Client is Unhappy (And How to Keep Them Around!) appeared first on Method.

Yet did you know that focusing your efforts on retaining existing customers is far more cost-effective? Studies show that it costs about five times more to attract a new customer as it does to keep a current one. In fact, increasing customer retention by just five percent results in 25 to 95 percent higher profits! So while landing that new account may yield immediate satisfaction and excitement, focusing on retaining current customers can have a much larger impact on your bottom line.

Read on for four simple strategies that any business can use to improve their customer retention rate.

Build Relationships with Customer Management Software

Reducing customer attrition and increasing loyalty is all about improving customer service and building relationships. Personalizing each customer’s experience is key. But how can a small business with limited resources create a highly individualized experience for each customer?

The answer lies in customer relationship management software. As any sales rep knows, excellent customer service means so much more than simply looking at a customer’s last QuickBooks invoice. Utilizing CRM software allows you to take a deep dive into a customer’s history, giving you the ability to determine which products or services are most likely to meet a customer’s individual needs. Plus, using a CRM makes it easy to predict not only what a customer will need but when they will need it. This ensures that nothing gets missed or overlooked.

Your customers will appreciate receiving detailed and individualized service. These positive, personalized interactions build that all-important relationship which, in turn, increases customer loyalty and boosts your bottom line. When customers feel as though your business makes the effort to know and anticipate their needs, why would they want to look elsewhere?

Keep In Touch with Your Customers

Don’t let your customers forget about your business. Stay on their radar by sending email updates about promotions, special events, new products or services, or any other exciting news about your business. While you want to avoid inundating your contact list with pointless messages, sending regular and relevant updates will keep your company on their minds.

The key lies in personalizing your communications, and that’s another area where CRM software comes in handy. Here, you’ll find a goldmine of information that’s ideal for customizing those emails. You may simply choose to use first names rather than “Dear Valued Customer,” or you could use names and cities to personalize subject lines.

Take further advantage of the power of your CRM by segmenting your email campaigns. Use custom tags to tailor your emails to customers’ locations, interests, age groups, or other personalized data. This helps to ensure that your email messages are relevant, making customers more likely to open them.

Never Miss a Sales Opportunity

You just made a sale… now what? Take advantage of this golden moment when a customer is feeling positive and excited about their purchase! Now is the perfect time to cement their loyalty by offering a discount on their next purchase.

For example: after a sale, send an email offering 10 percent off their next purchase within a certain time period. Alternately, you could include a discount code with each product purchased. Offering a small incentive may be enough to prolong the glow that comes with making a purchase and extend those feelings of goodwill into another sale.

Explore different times when customers may be likely to buy again. Consider using marketing automation software to create a lifecycle marketing campaign that triggers emails when customers take (or don’t take) certain actions. Ideas include:

• Offering free shipping when an online shopping cart is abandoned
• Notifying customers when an item comes back in stock
• Sending “We miss you” emails to inactive customers (those who haven’t made a purchase within a certain timeframe)
• Sending “If you bought this, you may be interested in that” emails after a purchase

The options are endless, but the goal is to take advantage of any and all selling opportunities. There are a number of software options that can automate lifecycle marketing campaigns, making it hands-off for your team.

Engage Through Social Media

Social media offers a great way to interact with your customers. Use your accounts to not only give your brand a voice but allow your customers to have a voice too. Responding promptly and authentically to customers on Facebook and Twitter puts a human “face” on your company, which builds customer trust. When customers know they’ll get a response from a real, live person, they’ll be more likely to reach out — and they’ll feel heard and appreciated when they do.

You may want to monitor your social media accounts to identify especially engaged customers and reward them with discount codes or special deals. This will help to build loyalty and drive repeat business. Encourage your happy customers to continue engaging with you through social media, as satisfied reviews can go a long way toward building your customer base.

Conclusion

Acquiring customers requires an investment of time, effort and resources. Why not take advantage of the work you’ve already put in and focus on retaining those existing customers? Utilize the tools available to you, like CRM software and social media, to maximize your results and make your life easier.

Remember, it costs less to retain current customers than it does to attract new ones. By personalizing your communications and interactions, you’ll build loyalty and increase customer retention, giving your bottom line a boost.

The post From Casual Buyer to Loyal Fan: 4 Ways to Improve Customer Retention appeared first on Method.

Personalized, well-timed emails help to engage leads and keep them interested in your product or service. But with leads at so many different stages of the sales pipeline, figuring out when to send these emails and how to word them can be confusing.

In this post, we’ll look at several follow-up email templates that can be used by many types of businesses. These emails target leads at various stages of the sales conversion process, including:

• Those who are waiting on requested information
• Those who need an extra push to engage with your company
• Those who are ready to make a purchase and need to know what the next step is
• Those who have already made a purchase and may be ready to buy again

Keep reading to learn how each of these email templates can be used to keep the sales conversation moving forward.

Email Template for New Leads Who Completed a Web Form

This template is for that first interaction after a prospective customer fills out a form on your website. They may be requesting more information or signing up to receive a newsletter, e-book or promotional item. After your web-to-lead form captures their contact details, you can send this email in response.

Hi [name],

Thank you for your interest in [product or service]! As requested, we will be sending you a free copy of our brochure that provides details about this exciting new opportunity.

Please look over the available information, then contact our sales representatives if you have any additional questions or would like to make a purchase.

Thanks again!

[Signature]

Email Template for Leads Who Haven’t Responded or Shown Interest

Almost every sales representative has a list of ghost leads. These are prospective customers who filled out a form or requested information — and then vanished. They never responded to your first email and haven’t taken further action, so you have no idea what they may desire at this point in time. This email template restarts the conversation and nudges them to respond.

Hi [name],

This is [your name] from [company name]. I wanted to touch base with you to find out whether you had time to read the brochure and to see if you have any questions I can answer.

If you want to talk more or move on with the next step, you can reach out to me via email or call me at [phone number].

I look forward to speaking with you.

Regards,

[Signature]

Email Template for Interested Leads Ready to Make a Purchase

These are the leads that every sales representative is excited to follow up with. The person responded to your previous emails and has shown a solid interest in your company. Now you want to send an email to convert their interest into a sale while providing awesome customer service.

Hi [name],

Thanks again for the great conversation we had regarding the [products/services] that [company name] offers. Hopefully, you had a few minutes to go over the brochure information and consider what a great fit this could be for you/your business.

Let’s move on to the next step! Contact me at your convenience to [set up a meeting/place an order] so you can start using our [products/services] as soon as possible.

Regards,

[Signature]

Email Template for Existing Customers Who May Purchase Again

The sales cycle doesn’t end after you close the deal. In fact, building loyalty with existing customers is just as important as finding new leads.

Schedule reminders for yourself to follow up with past customers to see if they are interested in purchasing from your company again. As you introduce new offerings, you may also find opportunities to cross-sell or upsell customers on something that will complement their previous purchase. Use this email to reach out after they’ve had time to use your product or service.

Hi [name],

Thank you for your previous purchase with our company! I hope you’re enjoying your [product/service].

I wanted to reach out to you in case you needed to purchase the [product/service] again. We’re currently offering a special deal for loyal customers that you may be interested in. We have also expanded our lineup of [products/services], so you may find other items that fit your present needs.

I invite you to browse through our website to check out our new [products/services]. If you would like to place an order, you can get in touch with me directly at [phone number].

Regards,

[signature]

Make the Most of Your Sales Follow-Up Emails

When writing a follow-up email, keep it concise, make your point clearly, and entice the customer to take action. The templates provided here are a great starting point, but of course, you can personalize them to better suit your business. Once you find what works, you can look forward to closing more sales and creating happy, long-term customers.

The post Sales Follow-Up Emails to Convert Leads Into Customers appeared first on Method.

Education CRM software is a great solution for keeping your tasks and your business on track. By streamlining processes and automating workflows, these programs help you work more efficiently and provide better service to students and parents. Keep reading to learn why implementing an education CRM is a must during the back-to-school rush.

1. Efficiently Schedule Follow-Ups for Students

Whether you run a private school, offer tutoring services, or sell textbooks, the end of summer will bring a wave of new students requesting information. However, they can get lost in the shuffle when returning students are also making requests.

To keep new students organized and provide superior customer service, look for education CRM software with web-to-lead form capabilities. When a prospective student fills out the form on your website, their contact information is automatically logged in your CRM database and an email notification is sent to your sales team. This ensures that someone can follow up with the student efficiently to give them the information they need.

2. Quickly Schedule Tasks and Meetings From Emails

There’s no doubt that plenty of emails from students, parents and teaching staff will be pouring into your inbox. Some of these messages will inevitably necessitate meetings to discuss educational goals or deal with paperwork. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to lose or accidentally delete an email before you have the opportunity to transfer the information to your calendar.

Many email applications, such as Outlook and Gmail, offer CRM add-ons that allow you to efficiently turn emails into appointments. In just a few clicks, you can save the email’s details in a scheduled meeting that will appear on your CRM calendar. And if the person you’re meeting isn’t a known contact in your CRM, you can also save their information directly from your email inbox.

3. Automate Redundant Processes

There are many administrative processes in the education industry that are redundant and take up valuable time. Updating student contact information, creating invoices, and sending emails are all tasks that slow down your productivity.

Thankfully, a robust customer relationship management program helps to reduce your manual workload by automating repetitive tasks. For instance, integration with your accounting software eliminates the need to enter invoice data multiple times, while saved email templates make student follow-ups a breeze. By having your CRM do the grunt work, you can focus on more productive tasks.

4. Invest in Student/Parent Portal Technology

Manually inputting each student’s contact information and payment details is tiring. Data entry errors can also lead to serious accounting mistakes, so it’s best to minimize this risk whenever possible.

Instead, let the students and parents handle these tasks. Seek out education CRM software with customer portal technology that allows students to access their personal accounts online. These portals should feature contact information as well as details about enrollment, tuition costs, and resources. Students and parents will appreciate the self-sufficiency of updating information, reviewing transaction history, and making payments online. Meanwhile, the portals will grant you extra time in the day by relieving your team from manual data entry duties.

5. Mobile Technology for Education Businesses

If you’re in the education industry, your work may involve going to schools to meet with contacts or provide resources. As you speak with students and faculty throughout the day, you need to keep their contact details up-to-date.

CRM software with mobile technology provides incredible solutions for traveling employees. With a CRM app, you can easily access student account information or faculty meeting notes on your smartphone and tablet. And for team members who are rarely in the office, being able to schedule meetings or prepare quotes while on the go is a game-changer.

6. Customization to Suit Your Needs

When adopting new software, it’s important to ensure that it can track the information that’s important to you. Using customizable CRM software offers greater flexibility for automating key processes and organizing essential data. Different schools and companies have unique needs for tracking student, parent, and teacher information, so adding custom fields can make the program a better fit for your business.

Customization can also help to streamline inefficient workflows. Say your company relies on having students and parents come into the office to sign paperwork — but sometimes they forget to show up, slowing down the sales process. A better solution is to incorporate online document signing into your CRM program. By making digital documents accessible through an online portal (see above!), students and parents can read the information at their own pace. Then, they can easily and virtually sign the document by clicking a button or typing their name. Once you receive an email notification about the signature, you can immediately move forward with next steps.

Prepare for the New School Year With Education CRM Software

With any luck, there are more and more students enrolling in your programs or purchasing your products every year. Increased business is great, but the increased workload can make you feel like you’re not getting anything accomplished. Education CRM software can help you get back on track by simplifying your workflow and automating manual processes. With these tools in your arsenal, you’ll be well-equipped to provide A+ customer service and work more productively come September.

The post 6 Ways CRM Software Helps Education Companies Handle the Back-to-School Rush appeared first on Method.

In order to generate repeat business through email marketing, you need to write emails your customers want to read. Luckily, you can make this process easier by leveraging the power of your QuickBooks CRM. Between the wealth of customer data and handy features like email campaigns, your CRM is a valuable tool in your email marketing strategy.

Keep reading for four tips on how to increase customer engagement and drive new sales through email marketing.

1. Personalize your messages

If you’ve ever received an email that started with “Dear Valued Customer,” chances are you didn’t feel valued at all. It’s the email marketing equivalent of buying a picture frame and leaving the stock photo in it — it’s pretty impersonal.

Your CRM contains plenty of valuable data, from customers’ names to their purchase histories. Take advantage of this information to create personalized subject lines and messages that speak directly to each customer. It’s harder to ignore something that feels like it was intended for you, which is why personalized emails have a higher open rate than emails without personalization.

Method CRM users: Use merge fields in your email templates to automatically insert personalized data, like the customer’s name or city, into each message.

2. Address specific audiences

When it comes to email marketing, one size usually doesn’t fit all. If you offer a variety of products or services, you likely have different customer segments with unique characteristics. For instance, a tutoring company may have students ranging in age from elementary school to high school.

To maximize customer engagement, prepare messages that specifically address the needs of different groups. Consider the tutoring company — this could mean sending college prep information to parents of high school students, while promoting after-school activities to parents of younger students.

Considering that segmented emails generate 58% of all revenue, it pays to ensure that your offers are relevant to the recipients!

Method CRM users: Use advanced search to filter your list of email recipients based on location, keyword tags, or other criteria.

3. Inspire action

If you’ve ever purchased furniture from IKEA, you probably recall the overwhelming feeling of opening the box and seeing a million disjointed pieces. Similarly, people can become overwhelmed while skimming dozens of emails in their inboxes.

Make life easier for your customers by writing actionable subject lines that make it clear what to expect from your message. This could mean using action verbs (like “buy” or “save”), announcing a special offer, or even asking a question. The point is to inspire customer engagement by letting customers know what they can do with the email.

For example, compare the subject lines of two emails I recently received from food delivery apps:

I’ll let you guess which one I clicked on immediately. (Hint: It was the one that promised me discounted food.)

Method CRM users: After crafting the perfect action-oriented email, use it as inspiration for future campaigns. Save the email as a custom template and share it with other users in your Method account.

4. Don’t be afraid to experiment

Every business is unique, and so are its customers. To determine what types of emails drive customer engagement for your business, experiment with different strategies and see what succeeds. In email marketing, this is called A/B testing.

The premise is to run two nearly identical versions of an email campaign and compare the performance of each version. The campaigns might differ on variables like subject line, layout, or email send time. Once you learn which factors lead to higher sales, you’ll be able to create more effective campaigns in the future.

Method CRM users: Use Method’s free integration with Mailchimp to improve your email campaign performance. Upload your Method contacts to your Mailchimp account, then set up and manage A/B tests within Mailchimp.

You’ve already done the hard work of acquiring customers — now the goal is to maintain customer engagement. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to write effective emails that capture attention and drive repeat business.

If your email marketing strategy still needs a boost, Method CRM is here to help. Sign up for your free trial today!

The post 4 Ways to Increase Customer Engagement Through Email Marketing appeared first on Method.

For small businesses aiming to create loyal customers and drive repeat business, those should be pretty good incentives to ditch the paper.

Of course, if you’re used to paper-based processes, the idea of change may seem daunting. Luckily, adopting a QuickBooks CRM like Method CRM is a quick and simple way to kickstart the transition. With all of your customer and transaction info in one convenient, cloud-based system, you can work more efficiently and serve your customers more effectively — no paper required.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the perks of going paperless.

How does going paperless streamline business operations?

Save time and money

We all know time is money — and small businesses could always use more of both. When you’re not printing and mailing documents, you save money on paper, ink, and postage, not to mention the physical space required for storage. Plus, searching for information digitally is much faster than digging through an overstuffed filing cabinet.

Improve data security

When you only have hard copies of documents, you risk losing them to fire, flood, accidental shredding, and other disasters. Moving your documents online eliminates these risks. You can also set user permissions on digital files to restrict who has access to which data. In Method CRM, it’s simple to manage which users can access and edit customer records, invoices, payments, and more.

Nip problems in the bud

It’s hard to assess the health of your business when you don’t know where to look. By compiling essential data in a cloud-based CRM, you can review key metrics in real time and identify areas for improvement. For instance, Method’s opportunity charts provide a breakdown of sales opportunities by user, source, and stage, while invoice reports help you quickly identify overdue invoices.

How does going paperless enable better customer service?

Work more efficiently

When your customers have questions, they want answers right away. But that may not be possible if you have to search through paper documents. And if you’re out of the office…well, you won’t have any answers at all. Going paperless lets you retrieve digital files efficiently so you can better serve your customers. And with Method CRM’s mobile app, you can access essential customer and QuickBooks data anytime, on any device.

Share knowledge across your team

There’s a time and place for taking notes on paper, but it’s not when a customer is reporting an issue. After all, you don’t want to ask the customer to repeat their story because you can’t find your colleague’s notes. Instead, log all interactions with customers as activities in your CRM. Having a centralized hub for customer information allows all team members to stay up-to-date and provide a consistent service experience.

Fulfill orders faster

If your business uses paper sales documents, you know what a pain it is to pass paperwork around and enter data multiple times. Transitioning to a cloud-based sales process saves time and reduces data entry errors, resulting in quick and accurate order fulfilment. With Method, estimates can be converted to invoices with the click of a button and emailed to the customer directly from the CRM.

With these benefits in mind, now is the perfect time for your small business to start going paperless. Sign up for your trial of Method CRM and see how it can help you eliminate paperwork for good!

Ready to get started?

Sign up for a free trial of Method CRM, the #1 rated CRM by QuickBooks users on apps.com.

Includes a free demo and 1 free hour of customization.

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The post Why Going Paperless is the Key to Business Success appeared first on Method.

Today, customers expect more than just phone support and face-to-face interactions. They want convenience — especially if they’re only calling to update an address or pay a bill.

Instead of calling customer support and facing automated menus and awful hold music, your customers will be more satisfied with a self-service customer portal. 

Read on to learn how and why you should set up a QuickBooks customer portal.

Does QuickBooks have a customer portal?

QuickBooks does have a customer portal feature that you can use to set up a self-service platform for your customers.

Image credit: VARC Solutions

The Customer Account Management Portal (CAMPs) is available for both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop users.

With this portal, customers can pay invoices and download receipts.

However, our team discovered through using this product that this native solution is not as flexible and customizable as an integrated solution.

After putting it to the test, customers can update their billing information only when making payments. Other important financial data is easy to lose track of. 

There is no option to review past transactions, update contact information, digitally sign documents, or approve invoices and estimates.

Our investigation demonstrated that small businesses instead need a CRM (customer relationship management) that can integrate with QuickBooks Online. A direct integration with your accounting software makes everything easier, as it eliminates double data entry and keeps both platforms up to date at all times.

How Method elevates QuickBooks customer portals to the next level

With Method’s integrated QuickBooks Online customer portal, you reap all the benefits mentioned above and more!

Plus, the Method team can assist with the setup of custom workflows, so you don’t need to spend extra time and money hiring your own developers.

Here are a few examples of how Method’s 24/7 self-service online portal solution lets you better serve your customers and increase your capacity.

Bring automation to your QuickBooks invoice portal

With Method’s QuickBooks customer portal, you provide your customers with automated tools that make the payment process a breeze. Namely, your customers can easily pay their invoices online whenever it’s convenient for them, and with their choice of payment methods such as:

• Stripe.
• Shuttle.
• Paypal.
• Authorize.Net
• And more! 

Beyond that, you can automatically send email notifications to your customer’s inbox when:

• A new invoice is available.
• You want to send an outstanding balance notice. 
• You need approval from your customer.

Plus, payments made through the portal automatically sync to QuickBooks once approved — so the sooner customers pay their invoices, the sooner you have money in the bank!

Extend the functionality of your QuickBooks client portal

As indicated by our tests, the QuickBooks Online customer portal is great for taking customer payments, but it doesn’t do much more. That’s where Method comes in. 

Method’s portals offer unique customer service options that users will surely appreciate.

From customer approvals to service history, Method offers a variety of features that automate your customer service workflows end-to-end. 

Below is an overview of what’s possible with Method’s customer experience portal functionality.

Better yet, personalize your Method portal so customers can submit support cases online.

Then, when you receive the details, you can have the appropriate person reach out to the customer so they get the help they need as efficiently as possible.

For transparency, we should note that Method is currently limited to QuickBooks and Xero users and is only available in English. That being said, you can still take advantage of Method’s features in countries with a different native language.

How to use the Method portal

You can provide portal access to your customers with a unique customer portal link from the contact page. 

And if your customers don’t want certain contacts to receive invoicing notifications, they can check the “Do Not Send Billing Emails” box on the contact screen right within the portal.

You can also stay on top of your customer support cases using the Reports feature in your Cases app. View cases by status, by assigned Method user, and more.

But it’s up to you what rights and permissions you give your customers within their portal.

Thinking of another feature you’d like added to your portal? No problem!

Simply reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) and work with them to bring your ideas to life.

If you still need help, there are plenty of help articles available to you.

Push QuickBooks Online further than ever with Method.

See all the ways how

Maximize customer convenience with your free trial of Method CRM.

Image credit: Anna Shvets via Pexels

The post How to set up a QuickBooks customer portal appeared first on Method.

Upselling and cross-selling often get a bad rap. After all, we’ve all been on the receiving end of a pushy sales pitch. But if done effectively, upselling and cross-selling are actually great strategies to grow your small business by leveraging your existing customer base.

First things first — let’s clarify the difference between the two. Upselling occurs when you encourage a customer to buy an upgraded or more expensive version of their intended purchase. A classic example is “Would you like fries with that?” The customer is already purchasing one food item, and adding fries makes it a more expensive (and delicious) combo.

Meanwhile, cross-selling occurs when you try to sell additional products or services that complement the customer’s initial purchase. For instance, when you buy a bike, the employees will (hopefully) encourage you to add a helmet and lights in the interest of safety.

Regardless of what you sell, becoming more effective at upselling and cross-selling helps you generate repeat business and increase revenue.

Ready to get started? Keep reading to learn how a QuickBooks CRM makes it easier to achieve those goals.

1. Be transparent about pricing

When upselling and cross-selling, it’s important to not make customers feel like they’re being tricked into spending more. Be upfront about what the additional products or services will cost before launching into a description of their benefits. Customers appreciate honesty, and they’ll be more likely to consider the value of your proposal if they aren’t distracted by unknown numbers.

It’s helpful to present customers with an estimate that provides a line-by-line pricing breakdown. Using a QuickBooks CRM allows your employees to create estimates directly within the CRM — no need to wait for someone with access to QuickBooks.

Method CRM users: Create as many estimates as necessary to show customers their options, without worrying about cluttering up QuickBooks. Check the box for “Wait for approval before syncing” on the estimate screen to prevent the estimate from automatically syncing to QuickBooks.

2. Bundle related items together

There’s a reason why “Would you like fries with that?” is so successful. People love a good deal, and it’s typically cheaper to purchase a combo than it is to get your burger first and go back for fries later. If a customer is debating whether to add extra items to their purchase, try offering a discount on the bundle. This provides an incentive to buy now rather than waiting.

Of course, you’ll want to refer to the regular prices of items before making big promises! The Items app in Method CRM allows you to easily view your list of QuickBooks items without leaving the CRM.

Method CRM users: Create a predefined discount item to apply to commonly bundled groups of items. Adding the discount item to estimates and invoices allows customers to see how much they’re saving.

3. Know your customers’ preferences

The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20%, while the probability of selling to existing customers is 60-70%. This is largely because you already know who your existing customers are and what they want. By tracking customers’ preferences and past purchases, you can identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities that are most relevant to them.

The more information you have about someone, the better you can gauge which items are likely to interest them. A QuickBooks CRM provides a complete picture of a customer’s history with your business. View personal details, notes on past interactions, and transaction history all in one centralized location.

Method CRM users: Save time when upselling or cross-selling over email. The Gmail Gadget and Outlook Email Gadget provide a snapshot of CRM data inside your Gmail or Outlook inbox, so you can review a customer’s history before formulating a sales pitch.

4. Understand your customers’ journeys

Pay attention to the story behind a customer’s initial purchase. Even if they’re currently focused on solving one problem or achieving one goal, they may mention others that are related. Taking note of these long-term plans opens doors for upselling and cross-selling when customers are ready to take the next steps.

Encourage your employees to record every customer interaction as an activity in Method CRM. This ensures that everyone on your team has convenient access to each customer’s information. If an employee leaves your company, your team will be well-equipped to continue assisting customers on their journeys.

Method CRM users: Be proactive about helping customers reach their long-term goals. Schedule a follow-up activity to remind yourself to reach out weeks or even months after the customer’s initial purchase.

Upselling and cross-selling don’t have to feel shady. The key is to take a strategic approach and focus on delivering value to your customers. Luckily, a QuickBooks CRM makes it much easier to do so.

If you’re not yet a Method CRM subscriber, sign up for your free trial today!

The post Effective Upselling and Cross-Selling With a QuickBooks CRM appeared first on Method.