Wizard Systems

Mastering Workbooks CRM: Why Your Preferences Matter - Event 6/8

Workbooks CRM is a powerful tool for managing customer relationships, but its true potential is unlocked when users take the time to customise their experience. One of the most impactful ways to do this is by setting up your preferences correctly.

Join us on Tuesday 6th August at 2pm UK time and we will take you through the top level user preferences to review to get the most out of Workbooks CRM. Register here for free.

Let's explore why this matters and how to make the most of it.

Why User Preferences Matter

1. Efficiency: Tailored preferences streamline your workflow, saving time on routine tasks.

2. Personalisation: Your CRM should work the way you do, not the other way round.  E.g. When you log in, what's the first thing/s you tend to do?

3. Data Organisation: Proper settings ensure that your data is displayed and organised in a way that makes sense for your role and needs.

4. Improved Adoption: When the system is set up to work smoothly for each user, overall adoption and satisfaction increase.  So new starters, get them setup correctly.

Key Preference Areas to Consider

1. Default Views: Customise list views to show the most relevant information for your role.

2. Email Integration: Set up email preferences to ensure seamless communication tracking.

3. Notifications: Tailor your alert settings to stay informed without being overwhelmed.

4. Dashboard Configuration: Arrange your dashboard to display the metrics and data most crucial to your daily work.

5. Activity Management: Adjust task and calendar settings to align with your work style.

6. Telephony: Workbooks integrates with a number of phone applications.

Best Practices for Setting Preferences

1. Take stock of your daily tasks and prioritise the features you use most often.

2. Experiment with different settings to find what works best for you.

3. Regularly review and update your preferences as your role or needs evolve.

4. Consult with colleagues to discover useful configurations you might have overlooked.

5. Don't hesitate to reach out to Workbooks support for guidance on optimising your setup.

Remember, investing time in setting up your preferences isn't just about personal comfort—it's about maximising the value of your CRM investment. A well-configured Workbooks CRM can significantly boost productivity and provide clearer insights into your customer relationships.

Take the time to explore and set your preferences in Workbooks CRM. Your future self will thank you for the increased efficiency and effectiveness in managing your customer relationships.

Hope to see you Workbooks Users on our next event!

Top 8 Factors to Consider When Choosing a CRM System - Event 26/7

In today's competitive business landscape, selecting the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is crucial for success. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, your CRM can make or break your customer relationships and, ultimately, your bottom line. But with so many options available, how do you choose the right one?

Looking for a new CRM system?  Join us this Friday 26th June, 3pm UK time, for a 30-minute webinar, and we'll run through what we think are the top 8 factors, and showcase Workbooks CRM to see how it fits the bill.  

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS FREE EVENT

Briefly they are:

1. User-friendliness
A CRM system is only as good as its adoption rate. Look for an intuitive interface that your team will actually want to use. After all, there's no point in investing in a powerful system if it's so complicated that your staff avoid it like the plague.

2. Customisation
Your business is unique, and your CRM should reflect that. Ensure the system you choose can be tailored to your specific needs, whether that's custom fields, workflows, or reports.

3. Integration capabilities
Your CRM shouldn't exist in a vacuum. It needs to play nicely with your existing tools, from your email client to your accounting software. The more seamless these integrations, the more efficient your processes will be.

4. Scalability
While it's important to meet your current needs, don't forget to think about the future. Can the CRM grow with your business? Will it still be suitable when you've doubled or tripled in size?

5. Data management and analytics
In the age of big data, your CRM should be a goldmine of insights. Look for robust reporting and analysis tools that can help you make data-driven decisions.

6. Mobile accessibility
In our increasingly mobile world, the ability to access your CRM on the go is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity. A good mobile app or responsive design is essential.

7. Customer support
Even the best systems can have hiccups. When issues arise, you'll want reliable technical support and comprehensive training resources to get you back on track quickly.

8. Security features
With cyber threats on the rise, data protection is more important than ever. Ensure your chosen CRM has strong security measures and complies with relevant regulations.

Choosing the right CRM is a significant decision that requires careful consideration. By focusing on these eight key factors, you'll be well on your way to finding a system that not only meets your current needs but also supports your future growth.

In our event, we'll dive deeper into each of these factors, providing practical tips on how to evaluate them in potential CRM systems. Save your spot now!

 

Removing a Workbooks User Without Losing Data: Event 10/7

When an employee leaves your organization, you may need to remove their access to Workbooks CRM. However, it's crucial to retain the records and activities they've logged. 

Catch our next online event, Wednesday 10th July at 2pm and we'll show you the text-book way to update your CRM system when an employee leaves.

Register for free here

The main steps to consider are as follows, in order...

1. Deactivate the User Account
Instead of deleting the user, deactivate their account. You remove their access to Workbooks and reallocate the licence to another user.

2. Reassign Ownership
Transfer ownership of the user's records to active team members. This ensures continued management of client relationships and ongoing projects.

3. Maintain Activity Logs
Workbooks retains all activity logs associated with the deactivated user, providing an audit trail of their actions within the system.

4. Archive User-Specific Data
Consider creating an archive for any user-specific notes or documents that may not be immediately relevant to other team members.

5. Update Workflow Processes
Review and update any automated workflows or processes that involve the departing user to maintain smooth operations.

By following these steps, you can remove a Workbooks User's access while preserving valuable historical data and maintaining the integrity of your CRM records.

Enhance Your Customer Insights with Workbooks CRM Custom Dashboard Tabs

Workbooks CRM offers a powerful feature that allows you to create custom 'Tab' dashboards for individual customer organization records. This functionality provides a quick, visual snapshot of key metrics and data specific to each client, enhancing your ability to make informed decisions and tailor your approach.

Key benefits:

1. Personalized view: Dashboard displays information relevant to the customer record you are viewing, displaying the most relevant information at a glance.

2. Visual data representation: Transform complex data into easy-to-understand graphs, charts, and other visual elements.

3. Customizable content: Choose which metrics to display based on your specific business needs and client relationships.

4. Improved efficiency: Access critical information quickly without navigating through multiple screens or reports.

Example use case:

Imagine you want to track sales performance for a particular client. You can create a custom tab that includes:

- A line graph showing monthly sales over the past year
- A pie chart breaking down sales by product category
- A bar chart comparing actual sales against targets
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as total revenue, average order value, and customer lifetime value

This at-a-glance view enables your team to quickly assess the health of the client relationship, identify trends, and spot opportunities for growth or areas needing attention.

Please join us on our next online event on the 3rd July at 2pm where we will be showing this feature in more detail and how you easily create this in Workbooks.

Please save your spot by clicking here.

Streamline Your Sales Process with Workbooks CRM's Lead Management and Pipeline Capabilities - Event 21/6

In today's competitive business landscape, effective lead management and a well-organized sales pipeline are crucial for driving revenue growth. Workbooks CRM offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help organizations streamline their sales processes, nurture leads, and close more deals efficiently.

Lead Capture and Qualification
Workbooks CRM provides a centralized platform for capturing leads from various sources, such as website forms, trade shows, and marketing campaigns. With customizable lead qualification processes, you can ensure that only high-quality leads are passed on to your sales team, minimizing wasted efforts and maximizing productivity.

Sales Opportunity Tracking
Once a lead is qualified, Workbooks CRM allows you to seamlessly convert it into a sales opportunity. The intuitive interface enables you to track every opportunity's progress, set reminders, and assign tasks to the appropriate team members. Real-time visibility into the sales pipeline ensures that no opportunities slip through the cracks.

Forecasting and Pipeline Management
Accurate forecasting is essential for effective resource allocation and strategic decision-making. Workbooks CRM offers powerful forecasting capabilities that provide insights into predicted revenue, deal close probabilities, and potential bottlenecks in the sales process. With customizable pipeline views and dashboards, sales managers can quickly identify stalled opportunities and take corrective actions.

Integration with Marketing Automation
Workbooks CRM seamlessly integrates with leading marketing automation platforms, enabling you to nurture leads through targeted campaigns and drip email sequences. By aligning your marketing and sales efforts, you can ensure a consistent and personalized experience for your prospects, increasing the chances of conversion.

Want to learn more about leveraging Workbooks CRM's lead management and sales pipeline capabilities? Join our upcoming online webinar on Friday 21st June at 2pm UK time, where our experts will dive deeper into these features and provide real-world examples and best practices.

Register Here

Don't miss this opportunity to discover how Workbooks CRM can empower your sales team, streamline processes, and drive revenue growth. Register today and take the first step towards optimizing your sales operations.

 

Streamline Your Processes with Custom Tasks in Workbooks CRM - Event 19/6

In any business, efficient task management is crucial for staying organized and productive. While customer relationship management (CRM) systems like Workbooks CRM provide standard task types like calls and meetings, sometimes you need more specialized options to align with your unique processes. That's where custom tasks come into play.

If you are a Workbooks CRM user or interested in Workbooks, please join us on our webinar on Wednesday 19th June at 2pm UK time where we will show custom tasks in action.  Please register by clicking here.

Custom tasks in Workbooks CRM allow you to create tailored task types that fit your specific business needs. Instead of trying to shoehorn your activities into predefined categories, you can design task types that perfectly match your workflows. This level of customization ensures that your team can accurately track and manage every step of your processes, leading to improved efficiency and better overall performance.

Benefits of Custom Tasks in Workbooks CRM:

1. Accurate Tracking: With custom tasks, you can track activities that are unique to your industry or business operations. This level of granularity ensures that no task falls through the cracks, enabling you to maintain a comprehensive view of your team's workload.

2. Improved Visibility: Custom tasks provide transparency into the various stages of your processes. By creating task types that align with your specific workflows, you can easily monitor progress and identify potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement.  Maybe you need to record information for compliancy reasons as well.

3. Enhanced Reporting: Custom tasks enable you to generate detailed reports that provide valuable insights into your team's performance and the effectiveness of your processes. With accurate data, you can make informed decisions to optimize your operations.

4. Better Collaboration: Custom tasks facilitate clear communication and collaboration among team members. By using task types that accurately reflect your organization's terminology and processes, everyone stays on the same page, reducing confusion and increasing productivity.

5. Making it easier to use:  Custom tasks can display more relevant information to the activity type, improving ease of use and adoption.  Think about the sequence of Fields on your Task form as well.  is there a natural flow?

 

By leveraging the power of custom tasks in Workbooks CRM, you can tailor your task management processes to align perfectly with your business needs. Streamline your operations, improve collaboration, and gain valuable insights that drive continuous improvement.

Why Workbooks CRM Beats Salesforce for SMEs

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is essential for any business that wants to effectively manage interactions and data about customers and prospects. While Salesforce is undoubtedly a leading CRM platform, it can be overly complex and expensive for many smaller companies. Workbooks CRM from Wizard Systems offers an alternative that is better suited for SMEs for several key reasons:

Affordability
One of the biggest advantages of Workbooks over Salesforce is cost. Salesforce's pricing model can quickly become exorbitant as you add users, integrations, and premium features. Workbooks has transparent and flexible pricing plans that provide excellent value, especially for SMEs on tighter budgets.

Ease of Use
Workbooks has an intuitive, user-friendly interface that requires less training and technical know-how to get up and running. Salesforce's vast array of customisation options is powerful but can also make it complex and difficult to navigate for non-technical users. The simpler approach of Workbooks reduces friction for adoption.

Suited for SME Needs
While Salesforce aims to be an enterprise-level CRM platform with endless features, Workbooks is purpose-built for the requirements of SMEs. It provides the core CRM, sales pipeline, marketing automation, and customer support functionality that smaller businesses need without a lot of bloat.

Quick Implementation
Workbooks can be quickly implemented and integrated with your existing systems in a matter of weeks. In contrast, highly customised Salesforce deployments can take months or even years to fully roll out across an organisation.

Better Support
As a smaller, more focused company, Workbooks from Wizard Systems is able to provide highly responsive support to its customers. Salesforce's support can be inefficient and impersonal for SMEs who get lower priority.

Whether you are outgrowing manual methods, replacing an outdated CRM system, or just implementing your first CRM, Workbooks from Wizard Systems gives SMEs more bang for their buck compared to the costs and complexities of Salesforce. It delivers a full-featured CRM solution optimised for the needs, resources, and budgets of smaller companies.

Contact Wizard Systems for a demo today!

Top 5 Bad Habits in Workbooks CRM: Are You Guilty?

Top 5 Bad Habits in Workbooks CRM: Are You Guilty?

In the world of CRM, old habits die hard. Even with a powerful, intuitive system like Workbooks CRM at your fingertips, it's easy to fall into practices that undermine its effectiveness. Let's explore the top five bad habits we frequently see and how to break them for better CRM usage.

And attend our live webinar on Wednesday 5th June at 2pm UK time to see all of this in more detail and talk with our CRM experts.  Register here

 

1. Using Notes Tab as an Activity Dumping Ground

The Sin: You've just finished a call with a client. Instead of properly logging it, you hastily jot down some points in the Notes tab. It's quick, but is it smart?

Why It's Bad: Notes are unformatted, making them difficult to search, categorize, and report on. They become a tangled web of information, making it challenging to extract meaningful insights.

The Redemption: Use the Activities section! It provides structured fields for calls, meetings, and more. This organization allows for easy tracking, scheduling, and reporting, giving you a clear view of your client interactions.

2. The Never-Ending Activity

The Sin: A meeting gets rescheduled, then rescheduled again. Instead of marking it as unsuccessful and creating a new entry, you keep modifying the same activity.

Why It's Bad: This practice erases your activity's history. You lose track of when an activity was originally planned versus when it actually occurred. This skews your time management metrics and client engagement analysis.

The Redemption: Always complete unsuccessful activities as they are. Then, create a new activity for the rescheduled event. This maintains an accurate timeline, helping you understand client responsiveness and your scheduling efficiency.

3. Ignoring the "Left Company" Feature

The Sin: Your key contact at ABC Corp has moved on. You know this but simply leave their details untouched in your CRM.

Why It's Bad: Outdated information leads to wasted efforts. You might be sending proposals or scheduling calls with someone who's no longer there, missing opportunities with their successor.

The Redemption: Workbooks CRM offers a elegant solution with its "Left Company" feature. Use it! It neatly archives the contact's history while prompting you to update their new details or identify their replacement, ensuring seamless relationship continuity.

4. Email Over Quotes Feature

The Sin: You've worked hard on a sales proposal. Instead of using Workbooks' quote feature, you summarize it in an email body.

Why It's Bad: Emails get buried. They lack the structure to showcase your offer's full value. Without a proper quote record, you miss out on tracking quote versions, approval stages, and integrating it with your sales opportunity pipeline.

The Redemption: Always use the Quotes feature. It provides a professional template, tracks modifications, and links directly to your sales opportunities. This not only impresses clients but also gives you rich analytics on quote performance and sales pipeline health.

5. Small-Time Thinking with Email Campaigns

The Sin: You're sending a product update to 50 clients. You turn to Workbooks' simple mailing tool because, well, it's right there.

Why It's Bad: While handy for one-offs, the internal tool lacks the power for true email marketing. You miss out on design options, A/B testing, detailed analytics, and automation that drive engagement.

The Redemption: Integrate with email marketing giants like Mailchimp or GatorMail. These Workbooks CRM integrations let you harness advanced features—beautiful templates, segmentation, behavioural triggers—while keeping your CRM data in sync. Even for smaller sends, this elevates your professionalism and insights.

Break Free from Bad Habits

Workbooks CRM is a powerful ally in your business growth. By shedding these bad habits, you unlock its full potential:

1. Use Activities, not Notes, for structured data
2. Complete and recreate activities for accurate timelines
3. Leverage the "Left Company" feature for up-to-date contacts
4. Employ Quotes for professional, trackable proposals
5. Choose integrated email tools for marketing prowess

Remember, a CRM is only as good as how you use it. Break these habits, and watch Workbooks CRM transform your business operations from good to great.

Maximize Your Email Marketing with Workbooks CRM's Mailing List Feature - Event 29/5

Email marketing remains one of the most effective strategies for engaging customers and driving sales. However, managing mailing lists and campaigns can quickly become overwhelming without the right tools. That's where Workbooks CRM's powerful mailing list feature comes in, streamlining your entire email marketing process while integrating seamlessly with your CRM data.

Too often, companies miss out on email's immense potential due to disconnected tools, manual list maintenance headaches, and lacklustre creative execution. In our event tis week (Wednesday 29th May at 2pm UK time), you'll discover how Workbooks' mailing list feature eliminates those challenges.

Register today to reserve your spot! Simply click the link below. Can't make the live session? All registrants will receive access to the full recording.

Register HERE!

Create Smart, Targeted Lists
The key to successful email campaigns is reaching the right audience with relevant messaging. With Workbooks' mailing list builder, you can easily create targeted lists based on any combination of criteria from your CRM records. Segment contacts by industry, location, purchase history, or any custom field – ensuring your messages resonate.

Keep Data Fresh and Compliant
No more wrestling with spreadsheets or importing outdated list exports. Workbooks mailing lists dynamically update as your CRM data changes, so you can be confident your lists always contain the latest, most accurate information. Plus, with strict compliance controls, you can effortlessly respect opt-out requests and unsubscribe rules.

Design Responsive Emails Quickly
Create professional, mobile-responsive emails in no time using Workbooks' intuitive, drag-and-drop design editor. Access the full HTML source code for advanced formatting, or choose from a gallery of pre-built templates to promote brand consistency across campaigns.

Powerful Scheduling and Automated Follow-ups
Schedule campaigns to deploy at optimal send times, and set up automated drip sequences to nurture leads and bolster customer loyalty over time. Workbooks makes it easy to manage recurring communications like newsletters and promotions on autopilot.

Comprehensive Reporting and Analysis
Gain insight into email performance metrics like open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribes and more with Workbooks' in-depth reporting tools. Analyze results, identify top-engaging content, and refine strategies – driving continuous improvement in your email initiatives.

Smooth CRM Integration
As a core component of the Workbooks CRM platform, the mailing list feature seamlessly integrates with your existing data and workflows. No syncing or importing required – design, execute, and track entire campaigns from your familiar CRM interface.

Email is a crucial touchpoint in your sales and marketing engine. With Workbooks' intuitive yet powerful mailing list tools, you can unlock its full potential while operating right within your CRM environment. Start running smarter, more targeted, more effective email campaigns today.

Workbooks CRM "Email to Case" - A Game-Changer!

Are you struggling to keep up with a constant influx of emails from customers needing support? Does manually converting each one into a case feel like a tedious, time-consuming chore in your Workbooks CRM? If so, you'll be delighted to learn about the "Email to Case" feature that can automate this process for you.

Email to Case allows you to simply define one or more email addresses that will automatically create new cases in Workbooks whenever a message is received. No more copying and pasting from your inbox! The email subject becomes the case subject line, the body becomes the description, and details like the sender, date/time and attachments are all mapped across seamlessly.

But the efficiency doesn't stop there. Workbooks will intelligently try to match the inbound email to existing contact or account records based on the sender's address. This associates the new case to the right customer context from the start. You can also configure rules for auto-assigning cases to a default user, team or queue based on criteria you specify.

As the conversation continues over email, any replies from the sender will be automatically threaded and logged as updates to the original case record. This keeps everything neatly packaged together in one place rather than disjointed across multiple emails. No more losing track of where things left off!

Setting up Email to Case is a straightforward configuration within Workbooks CRM administration settings. You just need to ensure your email server can forward messages to the unique routing address provided by Workbooks. Our professional services team can assist with the technical implementation.

Curious to see this feature in action? Join us for an upcoming webinar on Wednesday 22nd May at 2pm UK time, showcasing how Email to Case can turbocharge your support productivity and customer satisfaction. We'll guide you through setup, rules, best practices and share real-world examples from customers successfully using it. Spots are limited, so register your interest today!

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/6244329273476112991

Ditch the manual email-to-case conversion and let Workbooks CRM work smarter for you. Sign up for the webinar to discover how Email to Case can be a game-changer for your customer support processes.