Is it Time to Replace Spreadsheets with Client Relationship Management Software?

Whether you want to or not, sales forecasting is a necessary part of running a business. Companies use sales forecasts to determine their position in the market, plan for future inventory and scheduling needs, and create effective strategies to meet predetermined business goals. Sales forecasts do not predict the future. They can, however, help businesses plan for the future and be better prepared to meet whatever happens along the way.

Even in today’s technology-heavy world, many businesses still rely on spreadsheets for sales forecasting. While spreadsheets are a great tool for building lists, creating budgets and generating basic reports, they are not effective in the area of sales forecasting. Not only are they inefficient and cumbersome to maintain, but they are also limited in the information they provide. Businesses often unknowingly pay a high price when they use spreadsheets to create sales forecasts, for spreadsheets take a lot of time to create and maintain and are often filled with data inaccuracies. In the most extreme cases, this can even translate into lost sales and unmet revenue goals.

If your company is struggling to create accurate sales forecasts or if you have grown to a point where spreadsheets are no longer a viable option, client relationship management (CRM) software can pick up where the spreadsheets left off. Here are seven compelling reasons to move your sales forecasting to CRM tools:

1. Improved quality of forecasts
2. A stronger sense of reality
3. Better business protection
4. Increased efficiency
5. Better planning for the future
6. More accurate metric tracking and measuring
7. The ability to act quickly on accurate sales information

Sage CRM: Sales Forecasting in Less Time

Sage CRM is a client relationship management solution designed to not only enhance your customer relationships but your sales processes as well. The sales forecasting tools within Sage CRM eliminate the need for sales teams to spend unnecessary time manipulating spreadsheets. Built into Sage CRM’s framework, the sales forecasting system reduces the time it takes to create sales forecasts and increases their accuracy, allowing businesses to spend more time prospecting for new business.

The sales forecasting functionality within the Sage CRM software allows:

• Individual users to flag opportunities in their pipeline to indicate whether or not they should be included in sales forecasts
• Sales Managers to base their forecasts on their own personal pipeline (if applicable), as well as on the forecasts of the team(s) they manage
• Individual users to enter forecasts using their opportunity pipeline as a starting point

The benefits of Sage CRM for sales forecasting are numerous. IWI Consulting sells and supports Sage CRM software and even offers customization for your more advanced sales forecasting needs. Learn more about Sage CRM and its capabilities here. Then, download our whitepaper “Enhance Your Business Relationships with Sage CRM” for further information about the software’s unique features and capabilities.

Our small and dedicated team specializes in helping small-to-medium size Canadian businesses and non-profits select and adapt Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resource Management (HRMS) and IT services. With IWI’s 15 years in business and 100 plus years of combined experience, IWI has helped hundreds of manufacturing, distribution, and financial service companies gain efficiency, grow, and lower their operating costs.

With the unique combination of industry knowledge and diverse technology expertise, IWI provides cost-effective solutions to help clients gain a competitive edge. As a Sage business partner, servicing the Greater Toronto Area, we support evaluation and implementation of operations and finance systems to optimize technology, ensuring high return on investment with a quick and painless transition to new software.