Hinutech

I love that phrase.  From a business point of view, it means using your own products.  Hinutech has adhered to that concept from the beginning of our existance when it came to hosting our site, portal and blogs.  However, the company fell short when it comes to our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.  Excuses for not using it were plenty -- we weren't big enough.  We didn't have enough customers.  We could keep track of everything via email.

That's been mostly true, and I haven't dropped the ball on anything yet.  But, I have found myself growing increasingly disorganized.  My calendar is always up to date with meetings, but I didn't schedule the "smaller" customer interactions.  If I wanted to send an email to a customer, I would do it when I got around to it...sometimes that would be days.  Now that I am using our CRM system, I create a task for myself to send an email or to call a customer, and I receive reminders to do so.  Even better, these calls and emails are tracked in the system so that I am aware of when I last worked with a customer. 

Where this gets really snappy, is I am able to track everything from projects as they relate to specific customers.  For example, I am planning on deploying a new version of the Comprehensive Facilities portal this weekend, and there are numerous steps that have to occur between now and then.  Each step involves a different contact at CFS.  I am able to track calls, emails and meetings as they relate to each person and each step in the project.  Allowing me to ensure that every bit of the project is handled appropriately and that each person involved knows what their responsibilities are.  As time goes on and I do more work with CFS, I will have a history in my system of what we have done for them and who the players were in the project. 

Another great use of the CRM system allows me to manage leads.  When forms are filled out on in the Hinutech portal, the CRM system automatically creates leads for me.  This allows me to build a history of people's interest in our company and products, and most importantly, ensures that no contact with customers gets lost.  I am able to see new prospective customers in the system and track everything we have done to earn their business.

Good stuff....it makes me more productive and ensures a better experience for our customers.  As time goes on, I will discuss some of these capabilities in more detail, but I am very, very happy that I have chosen to change the course of Hinutech to be more customer-focused through our adoption of our CRM system.  When it comes down to brass tacks, my reasons for not doing this earlier really come down to laziness.  Life is better with a little bit of structure.