Recent research studies have highlighted significant changes in resource needs within companies of varying sizes across EU and US over the past 1-2-3 years. Findings by PNAS indicate that small businesses experienced an average reduction in the number of total full-time employees of approximately 17.3%, while the number of part-time employees declined by 34%. According to Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, COVID-19 caused 3 new hires for every 10 layoffs. Medium-sized enterprises and larger corporations witnessed a considerable downsizing, with an estimated 15% reduction in their employee count. These statistics demonstrate the evolving landscape of resource requirements, emphasizing the urgency for businesses to leverage automation tools like CRM systems to optimize operations and achieve more with limited resources.

Slashing resources often creates a significant challenge when the workload remains constant or even increases. This is where CRM with automations becomes an invaluable tool, offering companies the means to optimize their processes, improve efficiency, and maximize the potential of their available resources. So, let’s just have a look at the numbers together!

Research conducted by leading industry experts reveals that companies using CRM systems with automations experience a significant boost in productivity. According to recent studies by Nucleus Research:

• Supplementing core CRM functionality with CPQ capabilities can increase employee productivity by an additional 35%, resulting in substantial time savings for employees. These time savings can be channeled towards strategic initiatives and value-added tasks, enabling organizations to achieve more with fewer resources.
• Marketing automation improves business productivity by 34%. And this is besides increased revenues, faster lead conversions, and a shortened sales cycle.
• For every dollar a company spends on CRM, it gets back $8.71 – 1.5 times more than it got just three years ago.

A study by Aberdeen Group highlights that:

• Companies with the right sales automation software usually get 53% higher conversion rates and 3.1% higher annual revenue growth than those without it.
• Manufacturers, which use CRM with integrated demand planning across commercial, finance, production, and supply see a 67% increase in profitability over those that don’t.

Implementing CRM with automations helps streamline workflows by automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks. By automating processes such as data entry, lead nurturing, and customer support, companies can ensure consistent and efficient operations while optimizing resource allocation.

A well-implemented CRM system with automations empowers businesses to deliver highly personalized customer experiences at scale. By leveraging customer data and automations, companies can segment their customer base, tailor communications, and provide relevant offers and recommendations. Research by Gartner indicates that businesses that personalize their customer experiences can expect 16% more impact on commercial outcomes than those that don't. Such positive outcomes can be achieved even with limited resources, thanks to the efficiency and effectiveness of CRM automations.

Also, recent studies by McKinsey show that personalization most often drives 10% to 15% revenue lift (with company-specific lift spanning 5% to 25%, driven by sector and ability to execute). So, companies that capture more value from personalization grow faster.

Effective resource management requires accurate and timely insights. CRM systems equipped with automations provide real-time data and analytics, enabling companies to make informed decisions swiftly. These insights help identify trends, measure performance, and forecast future demands, thereby facilitating resource allocation optimization. According to a study by Forrester Research:

• Future fit organizations (those, which focus their technology strategy on powering growth through adaptivity, creativity, and resilience.) grow 1.8 times faster than their peers.
• When all teams across an organization use a shared CRM system, they are 14% more likely to provide exceptional customer experience to their customers.
• When all teams use CRM, they are 16% more likely to feel it supports the full customer lifecycle.
• Industry-specific clouds, of which industry CRM grows at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.9%, a rate faster than non-industry-specific CRM.

In today's resource-constrained business landscape, companies must seek innovative solutions to bridge the gap between reduced resources and increasing workloads. Embracing CRM with automations (whether it’s Sales Cloud or Service Cloudor Manufacturing Cloud or any other solution that meets specific business needs) is not merely a luxury but a strategic imperative for companies seeking to thrive in a competitive environment. The numbers and statistics showcased in this post substantiate the transformative impact that CRM can have on businesses.

It's time to harness the power of automation and maximize the potential of your available resources!

‍