🧭 Introduction

The CRM system is one of the most important tools we use to manage customer relationships, sales opportunities, support tickets, and marketing outreach. It acts as our single source of truth for all interactions with leads, clients, and partners.

This training document will help you:

• Understand the role of the CRM in your day-to-day work
• Learn how to enter, update, and manage data accurately
• Use key CRM features like pipelines, activities, and reporting
• Maintain clean, actionable customer records
• Follow company-wide CRM best practices

✏️ [Replace all placeholders like [CRM Tool Name], [Your Company Name], and [Link to SOP] with your actual systems and references.]

🧱 Section 1: What is a CRM System?

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a digital tool used to:

• Track interactions with customers, leads, and prospects
• Manage the sales funnel and forecast revenue
• Support customer service workflows
• Organize contact information and communications history
• Enable collaboration across teams (sales, support, marketing, success)

At [Your Company Name], we use [CRM Tool Name] to centralize all customer-related activity and maintain full visibility across the lifecycle.

👥 Section 2: Navigating the CRM Interface

Once you log in to [CRM Tool Name], you’ll see a dashboard customized for your role. Key areas may include:

• Contacts/Leads: Individuals or organizations
• Deals/Pipeline: Sales opportunities and stages
• Activities: Tasks, calls, emails, and meetings
• Tickets/Support: (If CRM includes help desk features)
• Reports: KPIs, team metrics, and dashboards
• Search/Filters: Use global search to quickly find records
• Notifications: Alerts for tasks, updates, or assignments

📌 Tip: Bookmark your personalized dashboard for daily access.

📇 Section 3: Contact & Company Records

3.1 Creating New Records

To add a new contact:

• Click [“Add New Contact”]
• Enter name, email, company, role/title, phone
• Associate them with an organization or deal if known
• Use tags or custom fields for categorization (e.g., “Newsletter Subscriber”, “Event Attendee”)

✏️ [Insert internal rules for naming conventions, required fields, or duplicate checking.]

3.2 Updating Records

Keep contact info up to date:

• Update job titles or company names when changed
• Add notes from recent calls or meetings
• Log objections, interests, or follow-up details in the notes section

3.3 Data Hygiene Tips

• Don’t create duplicate contacts
• Use correct capitalization
• Avoid placeholder emails like “test@test.com”
• Archive or mark contacts as inactive when appropriate

📈 Section 4: Managing the Sales Pipeline

The pipeline view shows all open deals at various stages (e.g., “Qualified,” “Proposal Sent,” “Negotiation,” “Closed Won/Lost”).

4.1 Creating a Deal

• Click [“New Deal”] and associate it with the appropriate contact/company
• Set the expected value and close date
• Choose the pipeline and starting stage
• Add internal notes for context and assign an owner

4.2 Moving Deals Through Stages

• As conversations progress, drag-and-drop deals to the next stage
• Update status after calls, emails, demos, or meetings
• Add documents (contracts, quotes) to deal records

📌 Always log the next action and due date to keep deals moving.

4.3 Closed-Won / Closed-Lost

• Choose the correct outcome when a deal is finalized
• Add reason for win/loss (dropdown or free text)
• Closed-won deals should trigger onboarding workflows
• Closed-lost data helps with reporting and coaching

📅 Section 5: Logging Activities

Logging your work keeps everyone aligned and the CRM accurate.

5.1 Types of Activities

• Calls: Note key points, duration, and outcome
• Emails: Sync your inbox or log emails manually
• Meetings: Log agenda, participants, and outcomes
• Tasks: Set reminders for follow-up actions

Use the activity timeline in each contact/deal to track communication history.

5.2 Syncing Tools

If supported, connect your:

• Email (e.g., Gmail or Outlook)
• Calendar (e.g., Google or Office 365)
• Phone (for call logging or VoIP tools)

✏️ [Insert setup instructions or links to sync integrations.]

🛠 Section 6: CRM Best Practices

6.1 Daily Habits

• Log every customer interaction before end of day
• Clear out overdue tasks
• Review your pipeline and upcoming follow-ups
• Update deal status after meetings or calls

6.2 Collaboration Etiquette

• Don’t overwrite another rep’s notes
• Tag teammates for support using @[name] (if supported)
• Mark shared records with relevant tags or owners
• Use internal notes—not customer-visible fields—for sensitive info

6.3 Reports and Dashboards

Review your:

• Open pipeline value
• Activity volume by week
• Deal conversion rate
• Closed revenue

Managers may review these for coaching and forecasting.

✏️ [Link to shared team dashboards or CRM reports here.]

⚠️ Section 7: Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Creating duplicate contacts or deals
• Failing to log next steps
• Incomplete records (missing email, company name, phone)
• Using vague or unclear deal names (e.g., “Big Co Deal” instead of “Big Co – Expansion – Q3”)
• Relying on memory instead of logging notes

🔐 Section 8: Privacy & Access Control

CRM systems store personal and commercial data—security matters.

• Access only the records relevant to your role
• Never export contact lists to personal devices or email
• Use company-approved devices and secure login methods
• Report any suspicious activity or data access issues to [security@yourcompany.com]

✏️ [Add internal compliance rules or links to CRM usage policy]

📚 Section 9: Additional CRM Features (Optional)

Depending on your CRM, you may also have:

• Email templates and sequences
• Lead scoring and automation
• Ticketing or support case management
• Campaign tracking for marketing

✏️ [List enabled CRM modules in your environment and link to feature-specific guides.]

🧠 Section 10: Summary & Key Reminders

• CRM is your daily source of truth for customer data
• Keep contact and deal records updated
• Log every activity with context
• Use clean, consistent data entry
• Collaborate respectfully and securely
• Leverage reports to stay accountable and improve performance

✅ Acknowledgment

I confirm that I have reviewed and understood the training document on how to use the CRM system. I understand the importance of maintaining clean records, logging activity, and following best practices.

Signature: ____________________ Date: _____________