In small start-up shops, employee overlap duplicated work, and scheduling conflicts aren’t a major problem, because the size of the work environment means communication flows easily, and everyone has a general idea of what everyone else is doing. But as SEO companies scale-up and teams expand, keeping operations orderly becomes more and more of a challenge. The natural consequence of size is information siloing and communication friction, and in a business-like search engine optimization, which relies heavily on outbound prospecting and in which it’s possible to quickly build a large roster of clients, it isn’t uncommon to see teams and employees duplicating work. Whether that means two sales agents working the same lead or two SEO specialists working the same account, the results are wasted time and money. 

That makes it incredibly important that everyone on the team, from the CEO to the newest customer support agent, is on the same page and has a clear picture of not only their own tasks but what’s going on around them in the company as well. One of the best ways to do that is through fully-integrated scheduling software that makes it easier and more intuitive for employees to manage their daily tasks while simultaneously deconflicting their own schedules and tasks from those of the people around them. 

 

Utilizing Customer Resource Management Software as a Scheduling Productivity Tool

Customer resource management platforms have been gaining widespread adoption across the search engine optimization industry thanks to their impact on sales and customer management, but high-end CRM tools also offer advanced scheduling and calendar management functionality, making them ideal tools for SEO firms scaling up and tackling the issues that come hand-in-hand with growth. These tools enable firms to bring all of their scheduling activity into a single, centralized point of control through which all employees’ calendars are managed. That not only helps break down information silos, it also ensures employees actually use and maintain their calendars by moving them into the same piece of software used for essentially all other operational tasks. 

Because all employee calendars are integrated within the system, scheduling through an advanced CRM with Google calendar and Outlook calendar integration provides the ability for employees to reference other related calendars to ensure they aren’t duplicating work. In addition to their own calendars, employees can be given access to a master’s office calendar, the calendars of other members of their team, or even the calendars of the entire office if management so wishes. The result is every employee gaining a deeper level of situational awareness over company operations and a significant reduction in duplicated work and wasted time. 

 

Taking Full Advantage of CRMDialer’s Built-in Scheduling Features

CRMDialer is one of the most advanced customer resource management tools available on the market today. In addition to its full suite of sales, marketing, and communication tools, CRMDialer also includes a fully scheduling suite designed specifically to scale alongside an organization, meeting the needs of companies of all sizes. Built-in features include complete integration of external calendars, the ability to set, manage, and complete tasks from directly within the calendar suite, advanced appointment analytics, and much more. 

Full External Calendar Integration

CRMDialer enables all scheduling activities to be performed directly within the CRM, minimizing or eliminating the need for employees to waste time jumping back and forth between different platforms and accounts. For companies already utilizing Google or Outlook calendars – the two most popular scheduling tools – CRMDialer enables those calendars to be fully integrated, creating a perfect copy directly within the system that can be updated and managed both within the CRM or through the native applications. The result is complete control over scheduling from a single piece of software that captures updates even on the off chance an employee chooses to manage their schedule from outside CRMDialer. 

In-Calendar Task Management

CRMDialer enables task management to be performed directly within the calendar. Tasks can be quickly and easily set up and updated, and predictive-data-enabled fields learn to recognize regular tasks to auto-populate task entry where appropriate, making the process even faster. All tasks set through the calendar can be executed and marked complete directly through the calendar task page, thanks to full and seamless integration with every other part of the CRM. Employees can launch phone calls, send emails or text messages, use live chat, add notes or documents, and manage lead and customer accounts all directly through the task page. The result is easier employee workflows and updated and accurate calendars on an organization-wide basis.

Multi-Calendar Viewing

The ability to view multiple calendars from within the system makes it possible to provide employees with the greatest possible level of organizational situational awareness. Permissions-based operations make it possible to provide employees with as much or as little access to calendars across the company as is warranted. Independently configurable viewing and setting permissions mean employees can be given viewing access to calendars outside of their own without the ability to edit them, or conversely, certain employees – like executive assistants – can be given editing permissions over the multiple calendars they need to manage. 

Automated Reminders and Rescheduling

Automated two-way reminders enable employees to set meetings and appointment reminders that alert both themselves and their leads via email or even SMS messaging. That offers convenience to everyone involved in a meeting and helps ensure that leads and clients arrive for meetings on-time, keeping the entire organizational machine operating smoothly and minimizing the pains associated with rebooking meetings in an already tight schedule. In instances where rescheduling is inevitable, the system enables clients to send rescheduling or cancellation requests through email, text, or over the phone, and those requests are automatically tied into the CRM system, ensuring lead and agent are always on the same page. 

Advanced Appointment Analytics

The scheduling tools built-in to CRMDialer make employees day-to-day workflows easier, but they also offer significant additional benefits to management in the form of insights and useful business intelligence thanks to the platform’s advanced analytics suite. Management can monitor every aspect of employee scheduling, from the number of appointments set to confirmation and rescheduling rates, and more. The result is the ability to monitor operations in real-time, enabling better tactical and strategic decision making and identification of potential problem areas. 

For more information on the full list of scheduling features included with CRMDialer, or its industry-leading sales, marketing, communication, and customer service tools, feel free to schedule a guided demonstration of the software, or, better yet, start your free trial today!