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Accelerate CRM Implementation for SMBs: The Power of Natural Language Query (NLQ)

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 9:31 am
by ashammi244
Low CRM adoption in your business? NLC can help! Our post explains how it simplifies data, increases engagement, and empowers data-driven decision making.

Introduction
For many small and medium businesses (SMBs), switching to special database a customer relationship management (CRM) system can feel like trying to fly a plane. These systems often have complex interfaces, arcane jargon, and a need for technical expertise that can leave even the most dedicated team member feeling overwhelmed. This is reflected in the data on CRM adoption. Inbound marketing leader HubSpot reports that nearly 50% of sales managers say CRM implementation is challenging.

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But what if your CRM was designed with you in mind? What if it could speak to you in plain English, like a human assistant who finds the information you need without making you do all the hard work?

This is an exciting new frontier for NLQ (natural language queries) in CRM. With this technology, sales teams can ask your system questions like, “Who are my top customers in California?” or “What products are often bought together?” instead of clicking through menus and figuring out how to write database queries. They get clear, meaningful answers instantly.

CRM systems have been around for a long time, but their implementation, especially in small and medium-sized businesses, needs to improve due to the inherent complexity of these applications. Convincing busy team members to learn yet another complex business application or adapt their work practices to meet the system requirements can be a major challenge, leading to poor implementation of these tools despite thousands of dollars of investment.

NLQ eliminates the need for complex training – it’s about simplifying CRM; it’s about democratizing access to data and empowering everyone in your organization to gain valuable customer insights.

Join us as we dive deeper into NLQ + CRM and learn how it can be a game changer for your business.

Understanding NLQ and CRM
1. Natural Language Queries (NLQ):
The wave of artificial intelligence that has swept the business world has left us drowning in a flood of acronyms, many of which are ridiculously similar. So let's bring some clarity to what NLQ is. The technology allows us to interact with data using everyday language, instead of writing complex code or queries.

Here's what this means for those using a CRM that supports NLQ:

No coding or structured syntax required: NLQ lets you ask questions about your data in plain English (the dominant language at the moment). This makes insights accessible to everyone in your organization, regardless of their technical expertise. What used to require extensive product knowledge can now be done in minutes, without worrying about where the data is stored or how it’s organized.
Queries take a conversational approach: Without NLQ, you would need to know the structure of the database tables, or at least where to look for the data you need and how it is organized. With NLQ, however, you can formulate your questions in a natural way. So instead of looking up the right column names in your customer database and creating summary data, you can ask, “What is the average customer spend in the West?” This is a huge step forward in reducing the complexity of data queries, since users don’t need to know how the data is organized in the CRM.
Uncovering information about data: NLQ acts as a translator, taking the information needed and presenting it in an easy-to-understand way. Users can perform complex queries that would previously have been extremely difficult to identify, to uncover new connections and insights.
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Now let’s focus on the second acronym. Building strong relationships with customers is critical in the business world. CRMs like Vtiger One are systems that help you achieve just that. CRMs are secure repositories of customer information that allow teams to collaborate and stay up-to-date on deals, support requests, and marketing campaigns across multiple channels and touchpoints.

You can think of CRM as a digital Swiss Army knife that will help you:

To centralize and organize customer information: From contact details and purchase history to preferences and interactions, CRM securely stores all your customer data in one place. All teams work from a single source of information and are always in sync.
To better manage customer interactions: CRMs help you easily track communications, schedule meetings, and record customer interactions, providing a seamless and personalized experience that drives customer engagement.
To drive and increase customer engagement: CRM systems offer powerful tools to automate tasks such as sending targeted marketing campaigns and tracking support requests to ensure exceptional customer service, which ultimately leads to more reliable customer relationships.
So now we have a clear picture of NLQ's CRM system and technology. But why does NLQ seem to have such promise in enabling small and medium businesses to get higher ROI and profits from their CRM investments?

Before we understand why NLQ can be a game changer, we need to take a step back and understand why SMBs struggle with CRM implementation.






Common Problems Small and Medium Businesses Face When Implementing CRM Systems

Despite the promising benefits of these systems, small and medium businesses often need help implementing CRM systems. The diagram above shows the main challenges businesses face when implementing a new system. Chances are, you will encounter some of them too.

Let's take a closer look at some of the more popular ones listed here:

First, there’s the issue of complexity. Many CRM platforms are designed for large enterprises, making them complex and challenging for small and medium-sized businesses with limited resources and technical know-how. Mastering the capabilities of these systems often requires a steep learning curve, which can mean spending thousands of dollars and man-hours on extensive training and ongoing support. Small and medium-sized business teams looking for tools to make their work lives easier find this extra effort frustrating and not adding value.

Cost is another significant barrier. Enterprise-grade CRM solutions typically require hefty licensing fees and subscription costs. They may even have additional implementation and maintenance costs. For small and medium-sized businesses, especially those operating on a tight budget, these costs can be a significant overhead, deterring them from investing in CRM solutions altogether.

Data quality is another important issue. CRM is a tool, and its effectiveness depends on the accuracy and consistency of the data it stores. Small and medium businesses often need help maintaining data quality due to errors that arise from manual entry, incomplete information, or lack of established data management protocols. We have all heard the saying, “Garbage on garbage.” Insufficient data can reduce the effectiveness of CRM as a decision-making tool.

Finally, integrating a CRM system with existing business tools and applications can be a major challenge, especially when a company uses proprietary tools that everyone is accustomed to. Such integrations are often complex and expensive. Lack of integration can potentially lead to data silos, with information becoming fragmented across different systems.

Small and medium-sized businesses have traditionally struggled with these issues without the resources available to larger enterprises. These companies need to be able to quickly see a return on their technology investments, and be able to deploy and drive usage without having to spend hundreds of man-hours and additional money on training and integration with existing business applications.

Having an abstraction layer that hides the complexity of the software and provides the user with the information they need without having to learn specialized commands or queries can be the key to solving these problems.

Enter NLQ…

Why NLQ could be a game changer for SMEs
Once we look at NLQ as a layer on top of a complex underlying technology, the benefits for SMBs become apparent almost immediately. As we saw above, CRM implementation is a big challenge for SMBs. While the business benefits are obvious to executives and sales managers, the underlying reality of moving from a spreadsheet or simple contact management app to a CRM is very different.

If we dive into the objections, the reality is that sales and support team members want to do their jobs well - they don't want to have to figure out how to navigate through more menus, click buttons, apply complex filters, or, oh my god, learn some database query language to get the information they need.

NLQ has the potential to significantly address these issues, particularly in the areas of complexity, cost, and user adoption. Here's how:

1. It results in increased data accessibility for team members: According to Ventana Research, only about 40% of organizations report that their teams can analyze data without the help of specialized IT resources. Using NLQ eliminates the need for team members to have technical expertise in data analysis. This means that small and medium-sized businesses, which often have limited resources, can now empower their teams to use their customer data in their CRM without relying on specialists or complex training. Even junior team members can get all the information they need for their tasks without having to learn the nuances of where the data resides in the CRM database.

2. It leads to increased efficiency and productivity: A study by the Normal Nielsen Group found that customer service agents using AI can handle 13.8% more customer inquiries per hour. Since users can ask questions and get answers quickly, they save valuable time and resources that can be better spent on other core activities.

3. It leads to deeper customer insights and improved customer service: Managers and analysts need to improve their technical skills to ask subtle questions about their customer base, uncovering hidden patterns and trends that may be missed using traditional methods. Access to new information allows them to make data-driven decisions about marketing, sales, and customer service strategies. SMBs can now create sophisticated strategies to tailor interactions, meet specific needs, and proactively address potential issues.

5. Leveling the Playing Field: NLQ gives small and medium-sized businesses the ability to compete more effectively with larger companies. They can gain valuable insights from their customer data, just like larger businesses with dedicated data analytics teams, without the associated overhead.

NLQ in CRM is therefore a game-changer for small and medium businesses. It gives them the opportunity to bridge the knowledge gap , unlock the true potential of their data , and compete more effectively in the marketplace.

How does NLQ work in your CRM?
In a CRM context, NLQ allows users to ask questions about their customer data in a natural, conversational way.

Here's a simple overview of how it works:

Step 1: User asks a question: Imagine you want to know, “Who are my top five customers by revenue this year?” in your CRM system.

Step 2: The NLQ engine analyzes the question: The NLQ engine analyzes your question, identifying keywords and understanding the overall intent.

Step 3: Translate Query to CRM: NLQ translates your query into language that the CRM system understands, often using a combination of search, filter, and aggregation functions.

Step 4: Retrieve and Present Data: The CRM system retrieves the relevant data and presents it in a user-friendly format, such as a list, chart, or dashboard.

At a very high level, NLQ acts as a bridge between users and their CRM data, making it easy to gain valuable insights.

Key Considerations for Using NLQ-Enabled CRM in SMBs
Selecting the Right Supplier
Diving into the world of CRM solutions can seem like a maze, especially when you consider the addition of NLQ features. SMBs want to get the most out of their tools, right? So choosing the perfect provider is key.

But let’s be honest; with so many options, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where the fun (and a little stress) of the evaluation process comes in. You need to consider everything from NLQ’s capabilities to how easy the system is to use and how well it fits in with your other tools. It’s all about finding that perfect solution that will perfectly suit your needs and set you up for CRM success.

Here is a quick checklist of things to consider when choosing a CRM solution provider:

Evaluate NLQ capabilities: Not all NLQ-enabled CRMs offer the same level of sophistication. Small and medium businesses should evaluate the specific functionality and range of natural language queries that the system can handle.
Consider the user interface: A user-friendly interface is critical to user acceptance, especially for non-technical users. Choose a system that is intuitive and easy to navigate.
Integration with existing tools: Make sure your CRM integrates easily with existing business tools, such as email marketing platforms or accounting software, to avoid data silos and streamline workflows.
Scale: Think about future growth and choose a scalable solution to meet your growing needs.
User training
Let's talk about how to get your team up to speed with NLQ (Natural Language Query)! Now, NLQ can make querying data a lot easier, but that doesn't mean a little learning won't make a big difference.

Think of it this way: While NLQ saves you the headache of complex queries, basic training for your users can help them get the most out of it. We're talking about showing them the basics, helping them understand what NLQ can do, and giving them tips on how to ask the right questions to get the best results.

Plus, it’s all about cultivating a spirit of curiosity and exploration! Encourage your team to dive in, play with NLQ, and see how powerful it can be for their specific challenges and needs. After all, the more they know, the more they can do with it!

Invest in basic training: While NLQ eliminates complex queries, basic training can help users understand the capabilities of the system.
Focus on Best Practices: Educate users on best practices for formulating clear and concise questions to obtain the most accurate and meaningful results from the NLQ engine.
Encourage exploration: Foster a culture of exploration by encouraging users to experiment with NLQ functionality and discover its potential to meet their specific needs.
Ensuring data security and privacy
Finally, let’s discuss something very important: keeping your data safe and secure! When diving into the world of CRM, it is vital to keep your data safe and private. You must fully understand how the NLQ engine works and where all your data is transferred and stored for the magic to happen. As they say, “The devil is in the details.”

Choose a trusted provider: Choose a provider with extensive experience in data security and privacy.
Understand data storage and access: Be transparent about where your data is stored, who has access to it, and what security measures are in place.
Comply with regulations: Ensure that your CRM solution complies with relevant data privacy regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.
Tips and best practices to maximize value
Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, AI algorithms don’t provide an immediate ROI. These models are built to learn and evolve. Setting realistic goals and expectations is vital to ultimately delivering results. While AI algorithms excel in certain areas, such as data discovery by uncovering valuable information hidden in documents, understanding the nuances and contextual information needed by team members takes patience and time to fine-tune.

To avoid disappointment, keep the following points in mind:

Start with small goals: Identify specific questions or problems that NLQ can solve initially that will allow users to experience benefits and build trust.
Focus on data quality: Ensure data accuracy and consistency in your CRM to ensure reliable NLQ query results.
Regularly review and refine: Regularly evaluate how you use NLQ and identify areas for improvement. Refine your approach based on user feedback and data analysis.
Strive for continuous improvement: Stay up-to-date with evolving NLQ technology capabilities and explore new features offered by your chosen CRM provider.
By carefully considering these factors and implementing best practices, small and medium businesses can leverage the power of NLQ-enabled CRM to gain valuable customer insights, streamline operations, and achieve sustainable business growth.

Conclusion
For small and medium-sized businesses, building strong relationships with customers is paramount to success. However, navigating the complexities of traditional CRM systems can be difficult, often resulting in low user adoption and preventing these valuable tools from realizing their full potential. This is where NLQ becomes a game changer, changing the way small and medium-sized businesses interact with customer data.