Five CRM features your millennial workforce wants

The millennial generation have very specific wants and needs and as their employer, you can benefit greatly by tapping into these and responding to them.

Having grown up with technology and instant access to vast realms of information via the internet, when it comes to CRM software they want answers at their fingertips and don’t want to have to search for it.

They prioritize being well-equipped, and don’t want to be left hanging around trying to find missing data. They want things now and they want them right. The CRM features that you provide them must therefore be real-time enabled, information heavy, and able to be accessed on-the-go.  

Find CRM features your millennial workforce will love with this customizable CRM requirements template

Gone are the days when a CRM that holds a name and address along with contact details is sufficient; it has to show any and all information relevant to the relationship with the customer. They want the connection between them and customers to be personal and if that means sending them a birthday e-card, then they will happily do it. Added to that, they will want to know when the placed their last order, who they spoke to and how the conversation went.

Based upon our findings, here are five CRM features that you need to provide to your millennial workforce:

1. Access to real-time data

If this means jumping onto the internet in the midst of a conversation with a client, they will do it. On top of this, they will expect the CRM to hold all of the answers to basic questions and they will not want to go delving into the archives to find them.

2. Remote access to key product information

As they will show respect to others, they demand it too and this means being in possession of full and expert knowledge at all times.

If they are helping a client then they expect to have all of the information required to answer any kind of question a potential customer pitches at them immediately, from "will this interface with my custom-built open source solution" to "does it come in red".  

3. Integration with marketing and customer service tools

Customer service and marketing will work very closely with the sales team so they want to know what is going on with them; if the client has recently put in a complaint due to a late delivery, the CRM needs to enable them to know this and anything else similarly related.

4. Extensive customer databases

The last email sent, phone call made, order placed – even favourite foods, birthdays and most recent holiday destination - well, not quite, but you get the idea. This way, when they are talking to the customer, personal details can be recorded and then used in the future to build great connections and relationships.

5. Self-service reporting

Reports aren't just for managers. Increasingly, sales team members want access to real-time analytics and reporting tools so they can measure their own success at any time. This helps improve personal responsibility and boosts employee engagement.

Just as they expect exceptional levels of service when they are the customer, they expect to be able to provide it.  If you don’t provide them with CRM software that can help them do this, they might just move onto a company that does.