Anyone in sales right now will acknowledge business leads are becoming increasingly scarce during this pandemic, which is why it’s more important than ever to convert what few leads there are, as quickly as possible.

And while many may debate what constitutes a good lead or the best source for them, there is no disputing the fact that people looking to book time with you or your team are unquestionably your “hottest prospects”. The problem is scheduling meetings with these prospects (or them booking time with you) is not quite as easy as it sounds, and often fraught with delays. Consider the following:

• Office closures: remote workers don’t have the clerical support they once had for call routing and appointment setting
• Email ping pong: Scheduling meetings with a vendor invariably results in delays due to back & forth emails, before a mutually convenient time can be agreed upon. This is especially true when different time zones are involved, or when messages are missed altogether due to email overload.
• Telephony shortcomings: Many people & businesses are becoming harder to reach during the pandemic. Employees may be able to easily transition to working from home with email & network access, but telephony transitions have proven harder, with many workers forced to use their home or mobile phone lines to make business calls.

Many of these obstacles existed before the pandemic, but have gotten more vexing since March when employees started spreading out like never before. Thankfully, there are a number of software tools that businesses can employ to convert these business opportunities as quickly and efficiently as possible, as well as enrichen your customer’s experience. Here’s our top two:

• Have a CRM: Whether you’re a sole proprietor or part of a team, it’s no longer excusable to employ simple “organizers” for business use. Soccer Moms can certainly justify using Gmail or Outlook for organizing their calendars, but real businesses cannot. Yes, such applications are often free, but they cannot be efficiently shared across multiple users, or be relied upon for recording the outcome of a meeting, much less converting it to an opportunity.
  CRM’s also allow you to take case notes and document the outcomes in more detail, making you more accountable to your business and your customers.

• Show your CRM calendar: Many CRM users are now turning to appointment setting applications like Calendly, Appointlet, and “Book2act”. These applications are useful because they publish their user’s availability online with a simple link so customers and prospects can easily click on them, and book appointments with you.

By incorporating these calendar links into your website, social media pages, and even your email signatures, business prospects can immediately make a meaningful connection with you. What’s more, streamlining the appointment setting process for your customers can also help you close more deals faster. You’ll also earn loyal customers with the convenience you afford them.

While most of these services range in price and features, it's worth noting (since we're Act! resellers, after all) that none of them integrate as seamlessly into Act! CRM as “Book2act”, and fewer still cost only $5/month per user (requires an active Act! subscription). Try it for yourself, take a free 2-week trial today.

So as remote working continues to influence our day-to-day lives, be sure to employ current technology to convert as much of your time into money as your calendar permits. You can’t always do anything about the influences a pandemic has on your business, but you can ensure that you have the tools to engage your customers as efficiently as possible.