Don’t Sinc Your Sales, Sync your Cloud Instead

Cloud computing can make a huge difference in the way that you run your business. Being able to access your accounts, important work documents and discussing and sharing ideas with colleagues from anywhere in the world on any device is essential when it comes to managing a business in the 21st century.

Using cloud means that the different departments within your company can work alongside one another seamlessly, with the ability to access information and documents from anywhere, at any time.

For example, marketing and sales. These two departments are two of the most essential ones in your business, but if they aren’t giving each other feedback and working together, it is going to have a negative impact on your business. Sure, you could arrange meetings, pass over files and documents, but is that really the best use of time?

No, it isn’t.

By using an efficient cloud syncing system, you can make sure all of your departments are working on the same page, and that data is streamlined and effective. Here are some of the ways that using cloud computing can help boost sales and enhance your business.

Keep all of your customer data in one place

Cloud software stops the dreaded customer ‘data silos’, where important customer data is spread out across various platforms and software. Not only may it contravene some of the GDPR act that was put in place in the EU in May 2018 (more about this below), but it also causes a massive breakdown in communication between departments. The best way of overcoming this is by creating a completely clear funnel of data, where everyone can access the same information. Marketing, sales and customer services can all see what is going on, and use this information to improve and develop their strategies.

Use customer information effectively

It is one thing holding lots of information about a customer; it’s another to use that information in a way that can help push your sales. If all the information is there in one place, you can use it to personalise your advertising. If you’re sending out emails, you can use their name, which is always a good touch, and their purchasing history to really target them and give them what they think they are looking for. If they are a mum at home looking for educational toys for their children, they probably aren’t going to want emails pushing beard oil. If they are getting emails from you, they want them to be relevant; otherwise, they are not going to bother opening them. Make sure that you look for a company that helps you to sync all the apps and software that you use – if you use MailChimp for example, make sure that they support it.

Deal with customers issues quickly

This ties in with having all the information in one place so that issues and complaints can be dealt with in a timely and effective manner. More than 55% of customers say that they will stop doing business with a company if their complaints are not handled within a reasonable timeframe, and 72% say that having to explain their problem over and over again to various people in different departments can make them feel very differently about a company.

By having all the information at your fingertips, whoever is dealing with the complaint can do so quickly, without the need to cause the customer any further aggravation. Every company has its problems – it’s how you deal with them that is important. If the process is smooth and relatively hassle-free, customers will come back in the future.

A word of warning

What you do need to ensure when you are using cloud systems to store information about customers is that you are complying with data protection laws. This came into force in the EU in May 2018, and if you fall foul of the rules, you can be hit with a very hefty fine – £10,000 per breach. ‘

Make sure you are ONLY storing data that your customers have given consent for, and make sure you have this consent recorded explicitly. If they request that any details that you hold about them are deleted, you must ensure you comply with this immediately. Even if your customer base isn’t in the EU, it’s an excellent practice to follow anyway. You can find more information about the GDPR guidelines and rules by clicking here.