There’s no question. 

Being able to access your customer and financial data from “the cloud” is making it much easier to run a small business.

But what if you’re one of the millions of companies using QuickBooks Desktop? What options are out there for you?!

More specifically, what are your options if you’re an avid QuickBooks Desktop user with remote staff across the country or have a mobile team out of the office making sales or servicing customers?

Since the discontinuation of the QuickBooks Desktop companion app, the Method team has received several inquiries from QuickBooks Desktop users on whether Method:CRM can help “mobilize” their accounting software.  I thought I would share how Method:CRM can equipped your team with remote access to your QuickBooks Desktop file and help improve your business overall.

If you’re already a Method:CRM customer or Partner, you know that the superpower of Method:CRM is its patent sync with QuickBooks. For those new to Method:CRM, this means you can create estimates, invoices, work orders and more from within Method:CRM and your work is mirrored in QuickBooks.  And because Method:CRM is a cloud-based application, you can access customer data and execute accounting tasks from any mobile device connected to the internet.  

So, for those of you running your business on QuickBooks Desktop, here’s how small businesses are kicking butt through QuickBooks Desktop mobile access in today’s fast paced, competitive economy:

1) They’re Keeping Customers Happy by Centralizing Data

HealthLinc Medical Equipment experinced a 30% increase in deliveries and technical services with Method:CRM

If your small business has field staff, is your team using manual processes for documenting Lead info, keeping track of estimates, or updating your team on customer interactions?  Do they keep handwritten notes? Is their weapon of choice a spreadsheet or notebook?  And what point during the day do they call or email the office for input into QuickBooks?  At day’s end?

And what happens if one of those customers calls in to get clarification on the estimate they just received? Without info on the estimate, the team back at the office won’t be equipped to answer questions, and the customer is left feeling poorly served.

With anywhere, anytime access to QuickBooks via Method:CRM, your field staff inputs everything directly into a centralized database from any mobile device and your entire team is kept informed and up-to-date.  If you’ve experienced it before, you’ll agree that scrambling for information while on the phone with a customer is the worst!

Instead, everything is in one place, in real-time and no more annoyed customers.

2) They’re Increasing Revenue by Speeding Things Up

What is your internal process for when your sales team submits a new order? Is there a chain reaction amongst your team members? Could your business benefit from speeding things up a bit?

Well, consider this. Small businesses that provide even one person in the field with mobile access to enter estimates and update customer info increases the productivity of the whole team.  Because the sync between Method:CRM and QuickBooks updates in real-time, office staff (whether down the street or across the state) can get going on orders as soon as soon as the customer makes the request.

No more time-lag of someone getting back to the office, or their desk at home, to submit sales orders by phone or email.  The engine of your business gets going immediately!

3) They’re Growing by Unifying Distributed Teams 

Doody Calls franchises are located across the U.S with all customer inquiries handled at head office through Method:CRM   

 Millions of companies use QuickBooks Desktop because it’s able to handle various business complexities. But the cause of complexity for many small business is operating effectively with a geographically dispersed team.  Head office may reside in North Carolina, but there’s a salesperson in Georgia, one in New York, and a third in Texas. In today’s connected world this works for many small businesses, so more power to them, but it helps to address the challenges this setup brings as well.

The challenge?  

It’s not making sure salespeople keep in contact with the rest of the team - it is ensuring sales keeps the rest of the team up-to-date on the business’s contacts.  And if you guessed these team members often use their own way of managing customer data, you guessed right.  

So, how do these companies stay on the same page and make sure customer data is not lost (e.g. paper notes and hard drives) or lost in translation (e.g. emails/phone calls/faxes)?

Unifying within Method:CRM allows a dispersed team remote (but limited) access to QuickBooks.   

Whether you’re running a two-person family business or managing a team spread out across multiple states, growing your business involves putting your accounting software to work for your whole team and ensuring vital customer information doesn’t fall through the cracks.

To read a detailed account of how one small business improved customer relationships and continues to grow a remote sales team with Method:CRM, check out the Remis Power Systems Success Story.    

Or, sign up for a free 30-day test-run of Method:CRM with your own QuickBooks Desktop file.