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7 essential CRM features for enterprise businesses
The right CRM technology can empower your sales team to track customer interactions, build better relationships, and collaborate in person or remotely. Knowing the right features to look for when evaluating software to identify the CRM that will enable these improvements is essential.
After working with several businesses like yours, Leaf Software compiled a comprehensive list of the features that enterprise businesses need to empower an effective sales team.
After working with several businesses like yours, Leaf Software compiled a comprehensive list of the features that enterprise businesses need to empower an effective sales team.
1. Intuitive interface and user experience
46% of companies want easier sales rep training regarding software.1 A CRM solution should offer a simple and familiar interface that is easy to learn.
2. Remote accessibility
31% of sellers say they have closed deals over $500,000 without meeting the buyer face to face. 2
Additionally, 36% of sellers say that selling remotely has made their job easier, making it crucial for any new solution to support hybrid and remote work. 3
3. Centralized data access
45% of sellers report that incomplete data is their biggest challenge,2 so they need a solution that unifies and activates customer information across applications and processes.
4. Built-in enterprise-grade security
A data breach costs a business $4.45M on average.4 It is also crucial that that when customers change their data preferences, it is automatically updated and followed across business functions.
5. Next-generation AI
71% of sales professionals say that AI has impacted how they plan to sell,5 so they need modern solutions to reach their leads effectively.
6. Configurable and customizable workflows
Business and user needs change over time, so the solution must be configured with built-in low-code applications to achieve desired outcomes faster.
7. Able to integrate with other systems to create one version of truth
50% of sales reps think they’re required to learn too many tools.1 A new CRM should integrate with existing applications to unify processes in
one interface.
one interface.
1.“The Sales Enablement Technology Report,” Allego, 2022
2.“Global State of Sales 2022,” LinkedIn, 2022
3.“Is Remote Sales More Effective Than In-House Sales? [Data from Hundreds of Sales Pros],” HubSpot, 2022
4.“Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023,” IBM, 2023
5.“7 Mundane Sales Tasks You Can Skip with AI [& How to Do It],” HubSpot, 2023
2.“Global State of Sales 2022,” LinkedIn, 2022
3.“Is Remote Sales More Effective Than In-House Sales? [Data from Hundreds of Sales Pros],” HubSpot, 2022
4.“Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023,” IBM, 2023
5.“7 Mundane Sales Tasks You Can Skip with AI [& How to Do It],” HubSpot, 2023
Strategically selected business applications effectively addresses these common concerns. Leverage our Microsoft expertise to configure and deploy the tailored solution to address your business challenges to support a productive and successful sales team.
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Discover Copilot
Equip your sellers with a CRM powered by next-generation AI. Leaf Software Solutions can support your organization to deploy and train your employees on current business applications. Unlock the productivity benefits of Copilot for your sellers.
Key benefits include:
Automate and
simplify tasks
simplify tasks
Improve productivity with AI-generated summaries, transcripts, and emails.
- Efficient communication Automatically draft emails and set up meetings in Microsoft Outlook with data pulled from Dynamics 365 Sales and Microsoft 365.
- Auto-generated summaries Get an AI-generated email and meeting summaries, including keywords and competitor mentions in Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Dynamics 365 Sales.
- Natural language assistant Use natural language to get insights on customers, deals, and forecasts in Dynamics 365 Sales.
Personalize customer interactions
Use AI-generated call insights, meeting preparation assistance, and conversation analysis to improve the customer experience.
- Relationship insights
Get insights into customer relationships and AI-based scoring for high-propensity leads and opportunities. - Streamlined meeting preparation
Generate past meeting notes, emails, opportunity summaries, and action items in Outlook and Dynamics 365 to prepare for customer meetings quickly. - Conversation analysis
Analyze conversations in Teams and Dynamics 365 Sales for KPIs like sentiment analysis, talk-to-listen ratio, and talking speed.
Streamlined
workflows
workflows
Minimize app switching with seamless data integration and updates between Microsoft 365 applications and Dynamics 365 Sales.
- Automatic updates
Automatically sync updates in Teams and Outlook to Dynamics 365 to maintain accurate customer records. - Unify contact information
View and share contact cards of CRM records in Microsoft 365 apps. - Seamless collaboration
Help sales team members work together in Teams collaboration spaces that offer integrated access to Dynamics 365 Sales.
With seventy percent of sellers agreeing that AI tools will make them more productive, it’s time to take action. 1
1.“The State of AI in Sales [New 2023 Data],” HubSpot, 2023
Schedule a demo to take a more in-depth look at how we can help you solve seller efficiency challenges by deploying Copilot.
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Enable your sellers to improve their performance and scale best practices with automated sequences, real-time insights, and data visualizations
of employees report that lack of time and resources as a barrier to meaningful connections with customers. 1
A modern CRM can:
A modern CRM can:
Create customized email content based on customer data
and interests
and interests
Use AI capabilities to automate content creation
Track engagement with built-in reporting
Visualize customer segmentation based on key information
of sellers report that they don’t have enough time to create and nurture meaningful customer relationships. 1
A modern CRM can:
A modern CRM can:
Build personalized customer journeys based on interests and trigger events
Leverage real-time opportunity summaries to focus on the right deals at the right time
Share opportunity information securely with sales managers for ongoing training on how to approach each deal
Share opportunity information securely with sales managers for ongoing training on how to approach each deal
Review a real-time customer profile updated with new activities or interests from third-party
applications like LinkedIn Sales Navigator
applications like LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Receive real-time notifications when deals are at risk of stalling or being lost
These features save sellers 27% of their time building reports to analyze customer data. 1
Transition data seamlessly once a deal closes to service departments
Maintain up-to-date customer security preferences for future communications
Employees estimate that these features can save them 28% of time transferring or inputting data. 1
Contact us to learn how business applications can improve sales processes across the entire funnel with one solution.
1. “The AI Index,” Aircall, 2023
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Cut the drudgery
- Generate email content including data from CRM and past interactions
- Summarize meetings instantly
- Simplify tasks like updating customer records while in the
flow of work
- Generate email content including data from CRM and past interactions
- Summarize meetings instantly
- Simplify tasks like updating customer records while in the
flow of work
Connect the data
- Answer customer questions immediately
- Build connections with summaries of the latest interactions
- Get relevant CRM data during meetings
- Answer customer questions immediately
- Build connections with summaries of the latest interactions
- Get relevant CRM data during meetings
Crush the sale
- Keep the momentum rolling with reminders and recommendations
- Focus on high-quality leads with auto-generated opportunity reports
- Receive next-best action recommendations
- Keep the momentum rolling with reminders and recommendations
- Focus on high-quality leads with auto-generated opportunity reports
- Receive next-best action recommendations
Continue to improve
- Learn from real-time analysis of conversations and interactions
- Quickly search content using natural language
- Identify best practices and practical techniques
- Learn from real-time analysis of conversations and interactions
- Quickly search content using natural language
- Identify best practices and practical techniques
89 percent of workers with access to automation and Al-powered tools feel more fulfilled because they can spend time on work that truly matters1
What do people want from their CRM platform?
We have seen that sellers are more likely to adopt and use tools that solve their most critical challenges.
- Save time 3
- Be more agile 4
- Automate daily tasks 5
- Make information more 6
32% of seller time is
spent selling
spent selling
68% is spent on non-revenue-generating activities 2
Meet customer needs in real-time
64% of customers with companies would respond faster to their changing needs 7
87% of customers increasingly expect relevant, personalized information based on their
decision journey 8
decision journey 8
Unlock the full potential of your customer data to elevate customer experiences and meet customer demand for personalized experiences with:
- Real-time insights
- Contextual and relevant customer journeys
3 top skills to train
Next-generation AI is easy to use, but training can
take results to the next level. Here are three things
to focus on.
take results to the next level. Here are three things
to focus on.
60% of business owners expect AI to drive sales growth 9
- Crafting prompts: Many AI features respond to user input. Clear, specific, and detailed prompts deliver better results.
- Iteration: Unlike traditional computer programs, where there is only one way to do things, AI responds to subtle changes in your approach. Trying something in several different ways can lead to a better outcome.
- Double-checking content: AI is very
powerful, but it can make mistakes. Sellers should always review content for errors and ensure it’s appropriate.
Microsoft follows 6 principles of responsible Al
When you're looking to empower your sales team with Al capabilities, it's important to choose solutions that meet high standards of ethics and responsibility. Microsoft uses six principles to guide development and use of Al-enabled tools.
84% of executives believe that audit of Al models will be required within the next 1-4 years 10
1. Fairness
2. Reliability and safety
3. Privacy and security
4. Inclusiveness
5. Transparency
6. Accountability
1. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
2. Can AI Really Help You Sell?, Harvard Business Review, 2022
3. Work Trend Index | Will AI Fix Work?, Microsoft, 2023
4. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
5. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
6. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
7. “The human paradox: From customer centricity to life centricity,” Accenture, 2022
8. “Want to pull ahead of the pack? Ramp up data-driven capabilities,” Deloitte, 2022
9. How Businesses Are Using Artificial Intelligence In 2023 – Forbes Advisor
10. 2023 KPMG US AI Risk Survey Report, KPMG, 2023
2. Can AI Really Help You Sell?, Harvard Business Review, 2022
3. Work Trend Index | Will AI Fix Work?, Microsoft, 2023
4. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
5. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
6. 2023 Microsoft Business Trends Survey of 4,500 business decision makers (BDMs) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan
7. “The human paradox: From customer centricity to life centricity,” Accenture, 2022
8. “Want to pull ahead of the pack? Ramp up data-driven capabilities,” Deloitte, 2022
9. How Businesses Are Using Artificial Intelligence In 2023 – Forbes Advisor
10. 2023 KPMG US AI Risk Survey Report, KPMG, 2023
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AI-Powered Customer Relationship Manager
As businesses look to their sales team to scale company growth, they must provide them with AI-powered solutions that connect with existing systems, eliminate tedious tasks, and empower them with the tools they need to succeed.
Contoso Coffee owns offices in countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia with over 10,000 employees. David is a Account Executive at Contoso Coffee. He manages a large pipeline of customers, so he needs to stay on-task to get through his to-do list and maintain strong customer relationships.
Contoso Coffee owns offices in countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia with over 10,000 employees. David is a Account Executive at Contoso Coffee. He manages a large pipeline of customers, so he needs to stay on-task to get through his to-do list and maintain strong customer relationships.
spend <30%
of your time on
non-sales activities1
of your time on
non-sales activities1
Let’s see how an AI-powered CRM eliminates inefficiencies throughout his day:
9:00
David signs into the CRM and has the system generate a list of tasks, including email responses and meeting summaries based on the opportunity.
9:30
David sees he has a new email from a prospect. He asks the system to generate a response using data collected from previous meetings, the prospect’s activities, and third-party applications, like LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
11:00
Later that day, David has a meeting with a prospect interested in buying Contoso Coffee. He uses the system to prepare a summary of the opportunity, including prospect details, past meeting notes, and emails. After reviewing the summary, he realizes there is a chance to increase the opportunity size and wants to connect with his manager, Sara, who works from home, to discuss how to approach today’s conversation.
11:30
Before meeting with Sara, David takes some time to do prospect using personalized, AI-generated content based on prospect activity and concerns.
12:30
Using collaboration tools connected to the CRM, David creates a deal room with Sara using a pre-built template that includes all the opportunity details. He then has a virtual meeting with her to develop a strategy for the call.
2:00
David presents what he discussed with Sara to the prospect. He can better focus on the meeting as the system records the meeting and writes a transcription highlighting competitor mentions and action items instead of manually taking notes.
2:45
During the call, the prospect asks a question David doesn’t know how to answer. The system generates a suggested answer, tips, and related information to address the prospect's concerns.
3:00
After the meeting ends, the system gives David an analysis of the call. The information includes a customer sentiment analysis and KPIs like talk-to-listen ratio, talking speed, and switches in the conversation.
3:30
David shares the meeting recap and analysis with Sara using the same deal room he created earlier to update her on how the opportunity progressed.
4:30
A new lead replies from David’s prospecting session earlier in the day. The system automatically adds details to the CRM and the company’s communication systems.
