CRM Overview

• Tags :crm,clients,contacts,deals,sales

CRM Overview

MONTON’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provides comprehensive tools for managing client relationships, tracking contacts, and managing sales opportunities. The CRM integrates seamlessly with project management and financial features.

CRM Components

Core CRM Features

  • Client Management: Company and organization records
  • Contact Management: Individual contact information
  • Deal Management: Sales opportunities and pipeline
  • Relationship Tracking: Client interaction history
  • Project Connection: Links with projects and billing

CRM Access Levels

Role-based permissions:

  • ADMIN: Full CRM access and management
  • MANAGER: Client and contact management (limited deal access)
  • CONTRIBUTOR: Limited or no CRM access
  • GUEST: No CRM access

Client Management

What are Clients?

Clients represent companies, organizations, or entities that you work with. They serve as the primary business relationship container in the CRM system.

Client characteristics:

  • Company information: Business details and metadata
  • Contact associations: Multiple contacts per client
  • Project relationships: Projects linked to clients
  • Financial tracking: Billing and payment history
  • Communication history: Interaction tracking

Creating Clients

Access Client Management

  1. Navigate to CRM > Clients in the sidebar
  2. Click “Add Client” or “Create New Client”
  3. Fill in client information form

Required Client Information

Basic details:

  • Company name: Official business name
  • Client type: Business category or industry
  • Status: Active, inactive, or prospect
  • Primary contact: Main point of contact

Optional information:

  • Address: Business address information
  • Phone numbers: Primary and secondary contact numbers
  • Email addresses: Business email contacts
  • Website: Company website URL
  • Tax information: Tax ID or business registration numbers
  • Notes: Additional client information

Client Categories

Client types:

  • Active clients: Current business relationships
  • Prospects: Potential future clients
  • Past clients: Previous business relationships
  • Partners: Business partnership relationships
  • Vendors: Service provider relationships

Client Management Features

Client Profiles

Comprehensive client view:

  • Overview dashboard: Key client metrics and information
  • Contact list: All associated contacts
  • Project history: Past and current projects
  • Financial summary: Billing and payment information
  • Communication log: Interaction history

Client Activities

Tracking capabilities:

  • Meeting records: Client meeting notes and outcomes
  • Communication log: Email, phone, and other interactions
  • Project milestones: Key project achievements
  • Payment history: Financial transaction records
  • Document storage: Client-related documents and files

Contact Management

Understanding Contacts

Contacts are individual people associated with client organizations. They represent the human relationships within business partnerships.

Contact features:

  • Personal information: Individual contact details
  • Role definition: Position and responsibilities
  • Communication preferences: Preferred contact methods
  • Relationship history: Interaction tracking
  • Client association: Link to parent client organization

Creating and Managing Contacts

Adding New Contacts

  1. Navigate to CRM > Contacts
  2. Click “Add Contact” button
  3. Fill in contact information
  4. Associate with existing client (optional)

Contact Information Fields

Required fields:

  • First name: Contact’s first name
  • Last name: Contact’s last name
  • Email address: Primary email contact

Optional fields:

  • Job title: Position within organization
  • Phone numbers: Multiple phone contact options
  • Client association: Link to client organization
  • Department: Organizational department
  • Notes: Additional contact information
  • Social media: Professional social media profiles

Contact Categories

Contact types:

  • Primary contacts: Main client representatives
  • Decision makers: Key stakeholders with authority
  • Technical contacts: Implementation and technical staff
  • Administrative: Support and administrative personnel
  • External: Third-party contacts related to client work

Contact Interaction Tracking

Communication history:

  • Email correspondence: Email interaction logs
  • Phone calls: Call records and notes
  • Meetings: Meeting attendance and notes
  • Project collaboration: Project-related interactions
  • Document sharing: Shared files and documents

Deal Management

Understanding Deals

Deals represent sales opportunities and potential business relationships. They track the sales pipeline from initial contact to closed business.

Deal characteristics:

  • Opportunity value: Potential revenue amount
  • Sales stage: Current position in sales pipeline
  • Probability: Likelihood of closing successfully
  • Timeline: Expected closing dates and milestones
  • Stakeholders: Involved contacts and team members

Deal Pipeline Management

Creating Deals

Access requirements: Typically ADMIN users only

  1. Navigate to CRM > Deals
  2. Click “Create New Deal”
  3. Fill in deal information
  4. Set pipeline stage and probability

Deal Information

Required fields:

  • Deal name: Descriptive opportunity title
  • Client association: Link to potential client
  • Deal value: Expected revenue amount
  • Currency: Deal currency (if multi-currency)
  • Expected close date: Target closing timeline

Optional fields:

  • Deal source: How the opportunity was generated
  • Probability: Percentage likelihood of closing
  • Competitor information: Competitive landscape
  • Notes: Additional deal context
  • Assigned salesperson: Responsible team member

Sales Pipeline Stages

Typical pipeline stages:

  1. Lead: Initial contact and qualification
  2. Qualified: Verified opportunity with budget
  3. Proposal: Formal proposal submitted
  4. Negotiation: Terms and pricing discussions
  5. Closed Won: Successfully closed deal
  6. Closed Lost: Unsuccessful opportunity

Deal Tracking and Analytics

Performance metrics:

  • Pipeline value: Total value of active opportunities
  • Win rate: Percentage of successful deals
  • Average deal size: Mean deal value
  • Sales cycle length: Time from lead to close
  • Stage conversion rates: Movement between pipeline stages

CRM Connection Features

Project Connection

Project relationships:

  • Client projects: Link projects to clients
  • Contact assignments: Project team contact relationships
  • Deal conversion: Convert won deals to projects
  • Resource planning: Client work resource allocation

Financial Connection

Business process connection:

  • Invoice generation: Client billing from CRM data
  • Payment tracking: Financial transaction history
  • Profitability analysis: Client relationship value

Communication Features

Communication tools:

  • Contact management: Organize client communications
  • Meeting scheduling: Schedule client meetings
  • Notification system: CRM activity alerts
  • Document management: Client document organization

CRM Reporting and Analytics

Client Analytics

Client performance metrics:

  • Client value analysis: Revenue per client
  • Project success rates: Client project outcomes
  • Communication frequency: Interaction patterns
  • Retention rates: Client relationship longevity

Sales Analytics

Deal and pipeline metrics:

  • Pipeline reports: Current opportunity status
  • Sales forecasting: Revenue projections
  • Win/loss analysis: Deal outcome patterns
  • Performance tracking: Salesperson effectiveness

Relationship Analytics

Interaction insights:

  • Communication patterns: Contact frequency and methods
  • Engagement levels: Client interaction quality
  • Relationship health: Overall relationship status
  • Growth opportunities: Expansion possibilities

CRM Best Practices

Client Relationship Management

  1. Regular updates: Keep client information current
  2. Consistent communication: Maintain regular contact
  3. Value delivery: Focus on client success and satisfaction
  4. Relationship mapping: Understand client organizational structure
  5. Feedback collection: Regularly gather client feedback

Contact Management

  1. Complete profiles: Maintain comprehensive contact information
  2. Interaction logging: Record all significant communications
  3. Relationship nurturing: Build and maintain personal relationships
  4. Contact segmentation: Categorize contacts by role and importance
  5. Privacy compliance: Respect contact privacy preferences

Deal Management

  1. Accurate forecasting: Realistic deal probability assessment
  2. Stage discipline: Consistent pipeline stage criteria
  3. Regular updates: Keep deal information current
  4. Competitive analysis: Understand competitive landscape
  5. Follow-up discipline: Consistent prospect communication

Advanced CRM Features

Customization

System customization:

  • Custom fields: Organization-specific data fields
  • Pipeline customization: Tailored sales process stages
  • Reporting customization: Custom analytics and reports

Data Management

Information organization:

  • Data import/export: Bulk data management
  • Duplicate detection: Manual duplicate identification
  • Data validation: Information accuracy checks
  • Archive management: Historical data organization

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot access CRM features

  • Check your user role and permissions
  • Verify CRM features are enabled for your organization
  • Contact admin for access if needed

Missing client or contact information

  • Verify you have permission to view the record
  • Check if the record has been archived or deleted
  • Confirm you’re searching in the correct organization

Deal pipeline not updating

  • Ensure you have deal management permissions
  • Check if deal stages are properly configured
  • Verify deal information is complete and valid

Data connection issues

  • Check if related records (projects, invoices) exist
  • Verify data relationships are properly set up
  • Ensure all required fields are completed

Getting Help

  • CRM documentation: Review detailed CRM guides
  • Admin support: Contact organization administrators
  • Training resources: Access CRM training materials
  • Technical support: Report system issues

Next Steps

After mastering CRM basics:

  1. Learn advanced client management
  2. Explore sales pipeline optimization
  3. Understand CRM reporting
  4. Master CRM workflows