We always ask the titular question when we’re talking to an organization about Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the answer is almost always some variation of “download their email and hope for the best.” Usually followed by a nervous laugh and a horror story about the last time someone quit.
So, what would you do if a sales rep quit tomorrow? How much business would walk out the door with them? Would you be able to ramp up a replacement quickly?
Business continuity is an area that many organizations struggle. It’s also one of the most commonly overlooked benefits of implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The ability to protect your records from loss or sabotage and transition opportunities to new hires or other reps can seriously minimize the impact of a sudden or unpleasant departure in the sales department.
Protect Your Records
Lost or incomplete records are the most common reasons opportunities are lost when a sales rep leaves. Without a comprehensive list of leads and opportunities, it can be difficult to figure what the rep was working on, even if you have the contents of their email. If you don’t (because they delete it or you don’t keep email backups) it’s almost impossible. Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help you avoid this scenario in a few ways.
First, Lead and Opportunity records are designed specifically for tracking (by owner, company and stage) what’s in your pipeline. Second, any emails, appointments or other activities that have been tracked and/or set regarding those records are duplicated in CRM and linked to the relevant records. Finally, you can restrict delete permissions, which makes it a lot harder for departing reps to sabotage your records.
Smoother Transitions
Once you know what a rep was working on, the question is how effectively you can transition those opportunities? Without a CRM system, there’s no easy way to transfer all that knowledge to a new hire or another rep. That means you’ll have to find out all the relevant information from the client, which takes time and hurts your credibility.
With the ability to assign records from one owner to another and a comprehensive list of the correspondence about specific leads and opportunities, CRM makes transitioning opportunities easy for your team and seamless for your customers and prospects. You’ll never be able to replicate personal relationships or completely thwart a dedicated saboteur, but Microsoft Dynamics CRM can give help you figure out what to do if a sales rep quits tomorrow.
- Cody Pierson, Marketing Manager - Prophet Business Group
The post What Would You Do If A Sales Rep Quit Tomorrow? appeared first on CRM Software Blog | Dynamics 365.
