Whether you’re a startup, a small business, or a large enterprise, every business needs a way to manage your prospects and nurture them into happy customers. That makes customer relationship management (CRM) software essential.
For many though, their CRM often ends up being little more than a basic contact management and deal tracking tool.
What if you could turn your CRM into a fully integrated, automated engine that doesn’t just manage your customer data, but drives business growth?
In this advanced guide, you’ll learn how to unlock the full potential of your CRM, with practical tips and advanced tactics to help you get more from your system.
1. Integrate your CRM with other tools
One of the easiest ways to expand your CRM’s functionality is by integrating it with the other tools you regularly use. Capsule can be the hub for your entire tech stack, helping you reduce manual data entry and maintain consistency across platforms. You can synchronize your customer data, emails, invoices, and more.
Get a quick win by integrating your email platform (e.g., Gmail or Outlook) with Capsule. This simple step can have a big impact on your efficiency, automatically linking every email conversation to their contact record. No more manually copying and pasting email threads or searching through your inbox for old conversations – everything is neatly stored in the CRM.
You can take this further by connecting Capsule with a dedicated email marketing tool like Transpond. This lets you set up personalized email campaigns using your CRM data, such as a lead’s progression through your sales pipeline or their recent engagement history.
For example, when a contact reaches a certain deal stage, you can send them a tailored email with relevant information or offers, ensuring your communication is always timely and relevant.
“Capsule’s API allows you to create custom workflows tailored to your business.”
Pro tip: If your business uses specific apps or tools without existing integrations,
2. Automate repetitive tasks for maximum efficiency
Business would be much simpler if you could focus on the actual business. As it is, admin work and other mundane tasks can drain your time and resources. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Capsule offers powerful workflow automation features that can handle these for you.
Start simple and look at tasks you regularly carry out with minimal variation. For example, when a deal reaches a certain stage in your sales pipeline, Capsule can automatically send a follow-up email to the customer. These small automations can add up to significant time savings throughout a project.
Capsule’s automation feature also lets you create multi-step workflows spanning across different teams and processes. For instance, if a new lead is added to your CRM, the system can automatically assign tasks to your sales team, trigger an onboarding email sequence from marketing, and notify your finance team to prepare an initial quote – all without lifting a finger.
“Pro tip: Use Capsule’s Tracks to create templated task lists and streamline recurring processes. For example, when a new deal is created, you can automatically assign a track to ensure every necessary step – such as sending welcome emails or setting up discovery calls – is completed. This means nothing slips through the cracks and your team follows a consistent process, every time.”
3. Organize your data for improved productivity and insights
There’s a saying in computer science: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’ The idea is that your results depend Basically, if you have low-quality data going in, your outcomes will be low-quality too. Organizing your contacts and opportunities with Custom Fields, Tags, and DataTags helps you categorize your data more effectively, in turn leading to deeper, actionable insights.
Start by using Tags to classify your contacts. For example, you can apply Tags based on contact types, such as Lead, Customer, Supplier, or Partner. Tags provide a quick, at-a-glance way to segment your data, making it easier for your team to focus on the right contacts at the right time.
DataTags let you record additional information without cluttering up your contact records. For the above example, you can turn your contact Tag into a DataTag to include details such as where they came from.
These fields let you capture critical data that can inform your sales strategy and improve the way you personalize communication.
“Pro tip: Combine Tags, DataTags and your other contact fields to create highly targeted lists. For example, you could set up a filter to show all leads tagged as ‘VIP’ who haven’t been contacted in 30 days or who have a budget of over $50,000. Capsule allows you to create dynamic lists, meaning that your lists will always have the latest information and automatically adjust as your CRM data changes.”
4. Use data enrichment for a complete picture of your contacts
Manually researching and updating contact details is time-consuming, but Capsule’s Data Enrichment feature does all the hard work for you. Capsule pulls publicly available information about your contacts, such as job titles, LinkedIn profile, and company details. This not only saves time but also ensures you have the most up-to-date and comprehensive view of your leads and customers.
This feature can help your sales and marketing teams tailor their outreach more effectively based on current data. For example, knowing about a contact’s recent career change could help you pitch a more relevant product or service.
Use that enriched data to power more targeted marketing and sales strategies. For example, segment contacts based on their job roles or company size, and then create dynamic marketing campaigns tailored to their specific needs.
“Pro tip: Combine auto enrichment with dynamic lists to automatically keep track of high-priority leads or prospects. For instance, create a saved list that pulls in contacts with senior-level job titles and high-value companies. This way, your sales team always knows who the top targets are, and your marketing efforts can focus on nurturing those high-value prospects with personalized outreach.”
5. Tailor your CRM to your business with customization
No two businesses are exactly alike, which means your CRM should be flexible enough to adapt to your unique workflows and data needs. Capsule allows you to customize every aspect of your CRM, from pipelines to contact fields, so that it fits seamlessly around your business, rather than expecting you to fit your business around your CRM.
By customizing your CRM, you can ensure that the data you’re capturing and the workflows you’re following are perfectly aligned with your big-picture goals.
Start by customizing your pipelines to match your sales process. Capsule allows you to set up multiple pipelines, each with distinct stages that reflect how deals move through your business. For example, you could create separate pipelines for different product lines or service offerings, ensuring that each has the appropriate stages and steps.
Next, focus on Custom Fields. These allow you to collect and store data specific to your business needs. For example, if you work in recruitment, you could create Custom Fields to track candidate experience levels, or if you’re in real estate, you might add fields for property size or client preferences. These fields enable you to capture the exact data that matters to you and your team.
Finally, customizing the appearance of your CRM with your own branding can enhance the user experience across your team. Capsule allows you to add your logo to the login screen and adjust the color scheme to match your brand’s aesthetic.
This small yet impactful customization ensures that your CRM feels like an extension of your business, creating a more cohesive environment every time your team logs in. It’s a subtle way to reinforce your company’s identity while making the system feel truly tailored to your needs.
“Pro tip: Capsule already offers plenty of useful analytics and reports, but you can go into even greater depth with the Looker Studios integration. Whether it’s tracking Custom Fields or pipeline stages, you can create tailored reports that provide insights into the data points most relevant to your business. This way, you can stay laser-focused on the KPIs that drive growth and success.”
Elevate your CRM elevate your business
A CRM is about far more than simple contact management – it’s about getting a complete picture of your contacts, understanding them on a deeper level, and using that information to grow your relationship.
By connecting Capsule with your favorite software and automating repetitive tasks, you can truly transform the way your team operates. Add in features like Data Enrichment, which keeps your contact details fresh, and Capsule becomes a powerful asset for scaling your business.
Ultimately, getting the most out of your CRM is about experimentation and customization. Explore these advanced tips and tailor them to your specific workflows and business needs, and you’ll soon see the difference in productivity, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth.
Try any Capsule plan free for 14 days or sign up to our free plan to get started with a simple yet powerful CRM.
