Why Your Business Needs a CRM Project Management Tool Now More Than Ever

Published 9. 8. 2023

The fast-paced rhythm of the modern business world brings with it a multitude of challenges. Among these, managing customer relationships and juggling multiple projects plays an important role in a company's success. So, how can businesses effectively handle these complex tasks more effectively?

CRM project management software holds the key to the solution. This isn't just a useful tool - it's a game-changer. A CRM with a project module can make work easier and reduce errors. This is true for both routine tasks and one-time projects.

In the past, companies viewed CRM project management tools as a luxury, seemingly reserving them for larger corporations. However, that perspective has shifted dramatically. Today, businesses of all sizes recognize the value of these tools. Many people view them as necessary help that makes operations run smoothly, promotes teamwork, and enhances customer satisfaction.

Importance of CRM Project Management Software

Three key aspects underscore the rising importance of such tools, namely:

Their integral role in business management
Evolving customer expectations
The increasing demand for seamless communication and collaboration

Firstly, these tools enhance business operations by automating tasks, organizing customer interactions, and tracking projects. This in turn streamlines the workload, meaning that project teams can be more productive. The clear result is time and cost saving for the business as processes are more efficiently executed.

Customers' expectations are also evolving and with plenty of competition, customers have more choice. A growing need exists for real-time, personalized responses, smooth experiences, and high-quality service.

a study by epsilon — Epsilon study found that 80% of consumers are more likely to do business with companies that offer personalized experiences.

Businesses need to focus on organizing and being proactive to meet these heightened expectations. CRM with a project management platform makes customer relationships more efficient by streamlining the entire process.

CRM tools make managing customer relationships far easier. Centralizing all relevant customer data improves intra-team collaboration. As a result, everyone on the team contributes to the customer experience and enhances customer communication.

These tools provide flexibility, enabling users to manage work across a wide range of different devices and locations. This is especially vital in today's flexible and remote working environments.

Did you know?

Research shows that companies can boost revenue by an incremental 10% to 15% when attention is paid to personalization.

Understanding CRM Project Management Tools

CRM project management tools aim to enhance the efficiency of managing customer relationships and projects. As companies grow, they must handle more customer interactions and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

They meet this need by offering a platform that can automate tasks and organize customer interactions. They are also instrumental in monitoring project progress.

CRM with a project management module easily connects with programs like Outlook, making them user-friendly and efficient. This integration makes them user-friendly and reduces the learning curve for new users, making adoption easier and quicker.

The components of CRM with project management should offer several key features:

Task Automation: CRM tools can automate repetitive tasks. This automation saves valuable time, reduces human error, and increases the overall accuracy and efficiency of business operations.
Organization of Interactions: CRM tools systematically manage customer interactions and organize them by various criteria, such as project, date, or type of interaction. Such a feature makes it easy for businesses to track and reference these interactions when needed.
Project Tracking: From the beginning to completion, CRM tools monitor every phase of a project. They track all project data to ensure they do not miss anything and keep projects on time and within budget. This includes time-tracking for team members.
Team Collaboration: CRM with project management module distributes projects among team members and breaks them down into individual tasks. The CRM also lets essential elements such as notes, email communications, or documents be easily shareable within the team.

Did you know?

According to GoRemotely, Project Management software usage saves project managers an average of 10 minutes per day.

Integrating CRM that can manage projects with Outlook

Many businesses of all sizes rely on Outlook for managing emails, scheduling tasks, and organizing calendars. While these features are useful, the increasing complexity of customer relationships has required a more comprehensive tool. Namely, a CRM with project management that integrates with Outlook.

Integrating a customer relationship management tool with Outlook improves the platform's capabilities. It takes the familiar functionalities of Outlook and adds a new level of project management depth to its features.

One remarkable aspect of an Outlook-integrated CRM system is its ability to convert emails into projects. This feature allows every email thread to serve as a starting point for new projects, making it easy to move from talking to doing.

A project management tool integrated with Outlook also ensures seamless synchronization of tasks and calendars. This synchronization provides a comprehensive view of the project's timeline and the tasks at hand. If you open a project, it reveals a complete to-do list, offering a bird's eye view of the project's status. And this is accessible to everyone on the team, greatly enhancing collaboration.

With a CRM like eWay-CRM, mobile and web versions make remote project management easy.

Switching from Outlook to a CRM that works with Outlook can help businesses improve efficiency. They can continue to use the Outlook functions they are accustomed to while gaining advanced capabilities.

Summary of key benefits:

CRM integration enhances Outlook, transforming it into a versatile project management tool.
Integrated CRM systems can convert emails into projects, streamlining workflow.
CRM integration synchronizes tasks and calendars, offering a complete view of project tasks and timelines.
Upgrading to an integrated CRM system helps businesses manage relationships and projects effectively.
Integrated CRM systems support modern, flexible work environments, offering cross-device functionality.

A Paradigm Shift in Project Management

To give an example of the effect of a CRM project management tool we will have a look at GRANTEX. A company that provides grant writing services to various organizations, faced several challenges with its existing project management system. This eventually led to the implementing of a CRM integrated with their Outlook email platform.

Their story provides valuable insights into the practical benefits of using CRM project management tools.

Let’s take a look.

Background and Challenges: As the demand for their services increased, managing multiple long-term grant projects became more complex. They used Excel to manage contacts and grant requests. However, it did not help them share information or communicate effectively with clients.

The Decision to Implement a CRM: Recognizing these challenges, GRANTEX decided to switch to a CRM system. Their key requirements for the CRM included automation capabilities and ease of transition from Excel. In addition, they were also needing multi-platform accessibility, including remote access.

They wanted the CRM system to work well with Microsoft 365, which they used frequently. This was important to them.

They were already using Microsoft 365 a lot in their operations. The solution they opted for? eWay-CRM.

Projects help us keep track of deadlines and manage tasks. And thanks to the workflow mechanisms, which we have customized as needed, we again have a great overview of where the project stands.

Ondrej Horcicka, Partner and Head of Grants Division at GRANTEX

Adoption of eWay-CRM and Benefits: Integrating eWay-CRM with their existing email platform addressed GRANTEX's challenges effectively. The system's ability to turn emails into projects streamlined their workflow and enhanced their project-tracking capabilities.

The CRM tool helped track the progress of each project, making project management more efficient.

Additional Features and Outcomes: Beyond improving project management, the CRM system also offered additional advantages. eWay-CRM generates deals automatically when clients fill out inquiry forms on GRANTEX's website, enhancing the sales process.

An in-built time tracking module helps track the time spent on each project and deal. Such data allows them to make more accurate quotations and implement better quality control. Also, this enabled them to make informed decisions about accepting new orders or hiring additional staff.

Ondrej Horcicka, partner and head of the grants division at GRANTEX

Empowering Your Business with CRM Project Management Tools

Integrating CRM project management tools with familiar platforms like Outlook provides a seamless transition for businesses. This integration retains the functionalities they're accustomed to while adding invaluable features like task management, and systematic organization of interactions. Gain comprehensive project tracking and analyze data!

GRANTEX is a nice example that the use of a CRM project management tool can transform the way a company operates.

Using CRM project management is not just upgrading a system; it's a strategic step towards better efficiency. If your business still relies on basic email clients or spreadsheets for project management, consider making the switch now. The benefits that await are substantial and can make a significant difference in your company's success.