The team behind the digital business management tool for installers, Business Pilot, has launched a new email integration feature. The new feature automatically pulls emails into the customer relationship management (CRM) software, assigning them to a lead or job, no matter who sends it. The aim is to create a clear and instantly accessible audit trail.
Marketed as ‘a step change in prospect and customer communication’, this latest feature sees each lead or job automatically assigned a unique email address, as soon as it’s on the system. Users can then either choose to email as before, directly from the CRM, or copy and paste the email address into their preferred mail client as CC or BCC addresses.
“The easiest way is to think about it is as the email address assigned to the job, and the system itself, being another ‘person’ in your organisation who needs to know about the content in the email you’re sending,” explained Elton Boocock, Business Pilot’s managing director. “If you’re responding to a customer or a prospect, or sending an internal email, from within Business Pilot, you can simply select to automatically copy in the unique email address assigned to that lead or job. You can also copy and paste it as an address into whatever email you use. Either way, a copy is created and sent back to the CRM and automatically assigned to the specific lead or job. This provides a clear record but is also immediately accessible to your entire team, not lost in your sent items!
“What it doesn’t do is to include every communication if you don’t need to. You’re free to make a sensible choice about what’s relevant and what’s included in the log, by choosing when to BCC the system.”
While users are free to send emails from within Business Pilot, or their preferred mail client, for example Outlook, Elton explained that the former offered additional advantages, by allowing installers to automate certain responses. “You can automate responses as part of the sales or operational pipeline,” he said, “for example confirmation of an order, or installation date – things that you can template and do automatically.”
This is powered through Business Pilot’s status progression tool, which allows installers to map their lead-to-contract or contract-to-delivery processes, automating repetitive tasks including emails and other notifications as each step in each pipeline is completed. “Status Progression does a lot. It can be used by business owners and managers to digitise the processes they use every day, and, in doing so, guarantee that their teams are following them, driving cultural change and improving customer service,” added Elton. “It also automates the things that you do a lot of, saving time and money, and guaranteeing that they’re done. For example, sending out a quotation or pre-installation notification – those communications are now captured and recorded, even if they’re sent from outside Business Pilot.”
Business Pilot is a cloud-based business management tool, designed specifically for installation businesses. It is the result of a collaboration between Thames Valley Windows, Cherwell Windows, and their digital partners. The tool provides installers with precise data on everything from leads and conversions, to job scheduling, installation and servicing costs and even financial reporting. It makes this data accessible through an easy-to-understand dashboard that provides real-time data from each area of business operation.
To find out more about Business Pilot, visit businesspilot.co.uk, email info@businesspilot.co.uk or call 0333 050 7560.
