As we all know finding the best eBay CRM software can be an extremely challenging task. Many tools don’t properly integrate with eBay and are not adapted for eCommerce seller needs. That is why we decided to weigh our options and set out to find the best CRMs that actually work with eBay!
We have put together a list of the 3 best eBay CRM tools but before that, I want to explain what CRM software is and why you would want to be using one for eBay.
What is CRM?
CRM is a tool or software which can help an eCommerce business with their
- Customer
- Relationship
- Management needs.
Meaning it is a system that first and foremostly helps you manage past, present and future interactions with customers. I say this because this is one of the greatest features of CRMs – it is omniscient or all-knowing in many ways. Like an oracle of sorts, it can provide you with
- Data
- Analytics
- and predict future customer trends.
In the present, it can help with:
- Automation & saving time.
- Increasing sales.
- Pinpointing issues through customer feedback.
- Communicating with customers around the world.
- Aggregating all your seller accounts into one easy-to-use space.
- Making sure all queries get answered in record time.
- Managing communication with customers by sending out customized templates at crucial points in the sales process (such as when an item is shipped or received by the customer or immediately after a purchase is made).
As far as the past goes. CRMs are powerful in the sense that they:
- Save all previous customer interactions and communications. Making it easy to draw on old customer data for a variety of reasons:
- Cross/up-selling.
- Handling customer disputes and tickets.
- Reviewing shopping trends.
- Identifying fraudulent customer claims.
- Provide sellers with data security (past, present, and future) meaning that even if something should happen to your seller account on eBay or Amazon for example – all of your client information and data is safely stored on your CRM’s servers!
Most CRMs are not eCommerce friendly
Now that you have a clearer idea of what CRMs are and what they can do for your eCommerce business, it is important to understand that there are hundreds of CRMs out there and the vast majority were not and are not designed for eCommerce sellers. Most CRMs are geared towards a wide variety of industries and businesses.
But why? What is lacking in the vast majority of CRMs in terms of eCommerce?
- Most CRMs do not integrate well with marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. Practically speaking this means that not all the data you need gets imported or the CRM itself doesn’t update in real-time or it lacks key functions for everyday operations.
- Many established CRMs are simply not equipped to keep up with eCommerce which is an extremely diverse and dynamic industry. Marketplaces are constantly changing and updating their policies and features and you need a CRM which can grow in tandem with your marketplaces, a CRM which possesses agile development methodologies.
- Adapting a CRM to different marketplaces is an expensive process that requires ongoing communication with the service provider and numerous changes. Also, in instances where it does exist, those tools provide very superficial integrations which can very quickly lead to mistakes which translates into loss of profitability. More often than not, a seller is forced to use additional add-ons which complicates the work process where it should be simplifying it and of course increases your out-of-pocket costs.
- Most CRMs are based on the fundamental model of using a CRM to develop the sales process in order to trigger revenue growth. In contrast, eCommerce businesses are more concerned with user experience and satisfaction which may include aspects such as:
- Customer retention
- User behavior (before/during/after purchase)
- Buying trends
- Customer feedback as the single most important engine for growth and sales.
When a CRM lacks attributes that contribute to basic and necessary industry-specific needs, it renders them obsolete and seriously narrows down the pool of eligible candidates to choose from for your eCommerce business. Also, consider the fact that when a CRM is loaded with tons of functions you don’t need it makes it extremely hard to navigate and use and slaps an unjustified price tag on it – functionally, you end up paying for features you do not need and features you do need are just not there.
So without further ado, here are the top 3 best eBay CRM tools :
Subivi:
Subivi is an eCommerce CRM that allows you to manage your entire customer support cycle from one inbox. All queries, returns, and cases can be managed from one digital space which in turn saves you a lot of time and effort in terms of logging in and out of accounts using VPNs, clouds or any other method employed to ‘hide’ your IP address from eBay when opening and managing multiple eBay stores. The key features which set Subivi apart from the rest include:
- Total customer support automation.
- Being able to stay on top of all tickets and queries – with Subivi you can connect an unlimited amount of eCommerce stores.
- The ability to not only handle customer service but also the ability to boost sales along with buyer satisfaction and ratings with cross-selling and automated product-specific feedback requests.
- Managing your entire customer support cycle in one digital space (returns, tickets, cases, refunds, general customer queries etc…).
- The built-in translation tool for international expansion (100 languages).
- Their PWA (basically an app for your phone) which means you can manage all your eBay accounts and customer support from your phone any time, anywhere.
- Automated messages, templates and smart tags that inserts customer and product info independently which saves the time usually spent searching for this information.
Rating: 9.6/10
Salesforce
Salesforce is the world’s top CRM and played a major part in making cloud computing a reality. It automatically captures data about all your customer interactions, but it also goes above and beyond other CRMs by locating info about your customers. For example, it can help you find their social media profiles and automatically fill in data based on what it finds on the web.
Salesforce also helps smooth over sales team collaboration by making it easy to share data and work together on each case. In this way, you can track opportunities, events, and leads, and manage accounts and regulate access with ease.
It has reasonably flexible pricing. A stripped-down version of Salesforce costs $25 per user per month. The most powerful enterprise options can go well into the triple digits. Do keep in mind that it might not be a great choice if you’re on a budget.
You can use Salesforce with Desk if you already have a Desk account, or with Zendesk, Help Scout or Freshdesk.
Rating: 9.1/10
SugarCRM
SugarCRM is a powerful solution for major companies. They offer extensive automation for sales, call centers, and support, plus forecasting, lead management, and reporting. They aren’t cheap, but the automations can save a big company enough money to make them worthwhile.
You can connect Sugar to Freshdesk, or link it to Zendesk using Fanatically Zen also.
Rating: 8.4/10
Final Recommendation:
As I am sure you already know, there are a variety of eCommerce CRMs on the market but as far as I am concerned, the only CRM I know of which is specifically tailored to integrate seamlessly with eBay, is Subivi eCommerce CRM. That is why I personally recommend Subivi, which is, hands down, the best customer support solution for eBay sellers. They offer automation tools which makes you more efficient and tools which help you boost sales!
.
What makes Subivi unique when compared with other eCommerce CRMs?
- Supports international eCommerce – When selling internationally or considering expanding beyond your eCommerce business to another country. You have one key barrier: language. Subivi is unique in that it has a fully integrated messaging tool in its system which automatically translates incoming and outgoing messages.
- Founded by former eBay sellers – Subivi is one of the only CRMs developed by eBay sellers for eBay sellers meaning they intimately understand eCommerce seller needs in a way that other CRMs simply can’t. They understand how frustrating using eBay’s ticketing system can be, and have developed a tool to improve the lives of eCommerce entrepreneurs.
- Full-cycle customer support – Subivi offers a ‘full package’ customer support solution. Partial solutions only make things more complex. They have created the ultimate eCommerce ecosystem in order to take care of all your customer support needs for all your eCommerce businesses in one convenient place.
- Interface – Many CRM tools are outdated and feel like they have just recently lived inside some programmer’s garage. Subivi puts user interface and user experience first which is quite refreshing.
- Automation – Subivi provides maximum automation of all those tedious, boring tasks which no eCommerce seller wants to deal with. This includes:
- Automated templates.
- Automated messages which can be programmed to be sent out at a predetermined time (say 24 hours after a product has been shipped, 5 minutes after a product has been ordered or 30 minutes after an item has arrived).
What are the advantages of using a CRM?
- Beat the competition – Customer service can be the single most important deciding factor when a customer is deciding between two similar items for sale. Only 38% of eBay sellers use a CRM – so by using one you are differentiating your level of customer service dramatically.
- Buyer satisfaction goes through the roof – CRMs help predict and preempt customer issues before they even happen allowing you to provide the best customer experience possible and allowing you to convert one-time shoppers into long-term customers.
- Time is of the essence – CRMs are built to be efficient and save you time. Instead of logging into each account and individually responding to each and every customer query and complaint – all messages are collected in one place and sorted based on parameters that help you stay on top of things.
Summing It Up
There is no debating that finding an excellent CRM is crucial to the growth of your eCommerce business. Consider that:
$62 billion is lost annually due to bad customer service
According to an article in Forbes magazine.
You do not want to become a part of that statistic. You want to find the ultimate CRM which will:
- Help save you precious time.
- Create an awesome customer experience.
- Culminate in increased sales and an increased cash flow by association.
Over to you – Please comment and let me know which feature is absolutely necessary for you in an eCommerce CRM ?
Which eCommerce CRM are you currently using – are you satisfied ? Why or why not ?