Role of CRM in Managing Multichannel Sales for SMBs [2025]

  • What is a CRM for multichannel sales
  • Benefits of a multichannel sales CRM
  • How to choose the right CRM for sales goals
CRM multichannel sales
Table Of Contents

Are you trying to get more customers for your business but finding it difficult? The reason?

You have a small team struggling to handle leads across channels like the website, calls, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.

What is worse? You don’t have proper data on the conversation and when and where you got connected to a lead.

You either end up talking to the same lead or repeating the same info across channels. This creates a bad impression on the lead and drives them away.

A CRM for multichannel sales is all you need to effectively tackle various issues that appear when doing sales through different channels.

In this blog, we will help you understand how CRM multichannel sales can help SMBs boost sales performance. Along with the major features, choosing the right CRM and the best implementation practices if you decide to opt for one.

What is a CRM for multichannel sales?

Multichannel CRM (customer relationship management) is a system that helps businesses track and manage leads across various channels. This means that you get to manage leads from phone calls, emails, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook — all from a single system.

Why is this important? Well, leads interact through various channels. You can be reached by filling out a form on the website or by messaging on WhatsApp. This creates scattered data.

What is a CRM for multichannel sales?

Switching between multiple tools or tracking interactions manually often results in missed follow-ups, repeated communication and even loss of leads that could have been converted.

When you have a CRM for multichannel sales, it provides a more efficient way to manage leads — you get data from various channels in one place, a clear view of the lead journey, consistent messaging and valuable insights.

Top 4 features of a CRM for multichannel sales

Multichannel CRMs don’t just store lead information but also help in optimising other sales processes.

Let’s look into the top four features that make CRM systems effective for sales:

1. Multichannel lead capture

Most businesses today get leads from multiple sales channels. A good CRM integrates all your lead sources into one system, so your team doesn’t have to do all that juggling.

Every lead gets automatically recorded, along with its source and context.

That means no more manually checking and saving lead data — just accurate, ready-to-use information that saves time and effort.

And since your team gets everything in one place, they can reply faster with the right information. So this one feature goes a long way in creating a seamless customer experience and increasing the chances of sales conversions.

2. Task automation

Let’s be honest, manual work can be tiring, time-consuming and frustrating, especially when it involves repetitive tasks, leading to missed follow-ups.

A CRM’s automation feature takes care of those tasks — sending follow-up reminders, assigning leads to team members, scheduling messages to update leads and more. And it goes beyond the basics to make sure you have seamless operations.

For example, it can automate marketing campaigns across multiple channels to nurture leads. Take drip messaging — when a customer fills out your Facebook lead form, the CRM can instantly trigger a series of automated actions like sending a welcome message, notifying team members to schedule a demo and after a day, it can automatically send a checkout or purchase link. It can also use AI phone calls to automatically confirm appointments and send payment reminders, reducing manual follow-up workload while ensuring timely engagement.

3. Sales pipeline tracking

Knowing the status of your lead in the sales pipeline is very important to make the right decisions. A CRM for sales tracking lets you organise all your leads by stage — cold, warm or hot and even customise these stages to fit your process. You can get a clear view of the entire sales journey, helping you spot who needs nurturing and who’s ready to close.

4. Insight reports

The success of your business ultimately depends on how well you understand your performance. A CRM gives you real-time insights at your fingertips, so you’re not left guessing. You can:

  • Use CRM metrics to track KPIs
  • Measure team performance
  • Generate custom reports that match your business goals

All of this helps you identify trends, tweak your sales strategies and stay ahead in the market.

What multichannel CRM system do for your business?

When you’re running a small business, real growth isn’t just about getting more customers. It’s about setting up systems that scale with you and also improve customer experience.

What multichannel CRM system do for your business?

This is where a multi-channel CRM system proves to be more than just a tool; it acts as a strategic foundation. It brings all customer interactions into one place, so your team can manage data effectively, follow up on time and enhance customer relationships. It also keeps your marketing and sales strategies aligned, supports consistent messaging and gives you the clarity and control needed to grow your business with confidence.

Common problems faced by SMBs

Let’s look into common problems SMBs face that Multichannel CRM helps solve:

Disorganised leads across platforms

Having multiple sales channels is great, but managing all of them without a proper system. It’s a nightmare!

All the data is scattered across different platforms. Calls and WhatsApp communication are stored on one phone, email enquiries are resting in the inbox and leads coming through ads are sitting in the Excel sheet. This makes it difficult to track important information and manage data effectively, resulting in a loss of leads and revenue opportunities. For ecommerce businesses, this complexity extends beyond lead management to include navigating sales tax compliance across different jurisdictions, where each state may have different requirements and thresholds.

Wasting time on manual work

Performing day-to-day tasks manually consumes a lot of time and can cause burnout. For example, manually checking leads on various channels or copy-pasting and sending messages/updates to leads one by one. This not only takes a lot of valuable time, but it also increases the chances of making errors.

In short, manual work slows everything down and causes inefficiency—something SMBs can’t afford when trying to grow.

Missed follow-ups or leads slipping through

With no system in place, the team has to manually sort and put the data together. In this process, there is a chance of forgetting a lead or not even mentioning it in the sheets. Also, there is no proper visibility of lead conversion status or follow-up reminders.

When timely follow-ups are absent, leads lose interest and become cold. This could also unintentionally push leads to competing businesses.

No visibility into sales team performance

There’s no clarity on sales team members and their activities, like who followed up with which lead or who is converting the most. This slows down decision-making.

Without visibility into sales team performance, managers cannot spot bottlenecks and members who require guidance.

How is multichannel CRM beneficial for your business?

You might be missing out on opportunities because you don’t have a CRM system in place. But why should you have one? If you are still unsure, here’s how it can benefit your business:

1. Centralised communication 

Dealing with scattered data? Not anymore!

Centralised communication 

Store all lead conversation data from different channels (such as email, calls, WhatsApp, SMS, etc.) in one place. 

Easily track and view real-time data. So, no lead gets missed and no context is lost. This centralised view saves a lot of time and effort. Not only that, but it also helps with faster and quality follow-ups.

2. Timely follow-ups and automation

Timely follow-ups and automation

Missing a follow-up can result in a poor customer experience and the lead turning cold. But with a CRM system, there is no scope for missing follow-ups. You get to automate time-specific reminders and tasks. This helps you be on track and have an effective sales flow while also improving customer interaction.

3. Better team collaboration and productivity

All teams – marketing, sales and support – work from a single platform. This means there is an organised workflow with a track of activities, goal alignment, no duplication of efforts and task automation.

Better team collaboration and productivity

And the result? Your team becomes more focused, makes fewer mistakes and overall, there is improvement in productivity with the same or fewer resources.

4. Increased sales conversion rates

Increased sales conversion rates

CRM for sales allows you to improve lead interactions and understand what they really need. When you engage with leads in a timely manner and address their needs, the chances of them becoming potential customers increase.

5. Scalable operations as the business grows

Scalable operations mean a multi-channel CRM can handle more leads, customers and teams, all while managing interactions across multiple communication channels as your business grows.

Scalable operations as the business grows

This is possible because of CRM features such as centralised control, workflow automation and customisable integrations.

Related Read: Role of CRM in automating sales & customer support for SMBs

Why Telecrm stands out as a multi-channel CRM

If you’re searching for a CRM that combines all the above key benefits, Telecrm is designed specifically for that. SMBs across various industries have chosen this system to streamline their sales workflows and achieve improved results. Here are the key features that make Telecrm unique:

  • Automatic lead capture and lead distribution
  • Omnichannel communication through phone, SMS, WhatsApp and email
  • Integrated telecalling with call recording and automated follow-ups
  • Automation of repetitive tasks like updating lead status and sending messages
  • Option to customise sales pipeline, dashboard and overall CRM as per business needs

In short, Telecrm is a powerful and easy-to-use multi-channel CRM system that helps SMBs achieve a more efficient sales workflow, supporting everything from capturing leads to nurturing them, making it easier to meet business goals confidently.

How to choose the right CRM for your multichannel sales goals

Not just you, but many SMB owners think that CRM is just another software in the list of expensive tools bought. The truth is, CRM is the only tool you will need when scaling your business and executing a multichannel strategy that drives growth. But with so many options out there in the market, you are bound to get confused.

How to choose the right CRM for your multichannel sales goals

Fret not, we have listed a few important points to keep in mind when looking for CRM software:

1. Ease of use and onboarding support

Choose a CRM system that is easy to navigate and provides onboarding support, a responsive support team and necessary resources to help your team adopt it faster. Avoid a system that requires extensive training and technical expertise because it will make the adoption difficult for your team and also take up a lot of your time.

2. Supports your multichannel sales

Does your sales channel include Facebook Ads, Justdial, Sulekha and more? Check if the CRM tool you are going to opt for supports the seamless integration of sales channels your business is currently using and would like to use in the future. Efficient sales channel management is only possible when your CRM can pull data from your multiple sales channels.

3. Fit for your small team size

The CRM software you are going to choose for your business should fit your current team size and also support upgrades as the team expands. It should have collaborative tools so that your team members can stay aligned with the decided goals and efforts. This is to ensure consistent productivity and streamlined operations, no matter how big or small the team gets.  

4. Is affordable

You will find plenty of small and medium-sized business CRMs in the market with different price points. Sometimes, business owners spend a lot on getting a CRM with features they may never use. 

That is why it’s important to set a budget, keeping in mind your business goals. This approach will help you choose the right CRM for your sales goals that fits your budget.

5. Allows taking a demo

Look for a CRM system that allows you to have a demo or a free trial. It is always better to try and test the CRM to see what the interface is like, how the features support your sales process and if it aligns with your business requirements.

For small and midsize businesses with limited budgets and time, taking a demo ensures you make an informed decision, avoiding a CRM system that promises to solve every business problem but practically fails to do so.

Related Read: 10 Best CRM software in India based on industry, size & pricing

6 Best practices for implementing multichannel CRM

Implementing a CRM for your multichannel sales is not just about installing software; it is about making a strategic decision where you bring transformation across teams and processes. A well-implemented CRM brings structure, speed and scale to your multichannel sales processes.

6 Best practices for implementing multichannel CRM

Here are some important practices that you should follow for the effective implementation of multi-channel CRM:

1. Define objectives

Before you start with the setup, take some time and define your priorities and what you are trying to achieve. Your objectives can be

  • Improve lead tracking
  • Get solid reports
  • Better team management
  • Boost conversion rates
  • Provide a cohesive customer experience

This exercise lays the foundation not just for better implementation but for driving long-term CRM effectiveness.

2. Map lead touchpoints and workflows

Understand the lead stages and various touchpoints across your sales channels. See how these touchpoints can be captured in the CRM system. A multi-channel CRM provides a seamless customer experience by integrating all touchpoints. Mapping workflows will also help you identify gaps and inefficiencies. Based on this information, you can configure the CRM system accordingly to optimise your sales process.

3. Prioritise channel integration

You must have selected a system with strong CRM integration tools that support multiple channels. But in the beginning, feel free to start small. Find out the top sales and communication channels that generate leads for you (like WhatsApp and Phone Calls) and integrate them first. You don’t need to integrate all the channels at once; test a few in the beginning and gradually add more.

4. Involve your team early

For the onboarding process, make sure you involve your team from the beginning. They should have clarity on how the CRM tool can help them with their everyday tasks. Make sure to take their input and if they have any queries, address them promptly for a smoother adoption of CRM.

5. Organise existing data 

Before you import your existing customer data into the new CRM system, do a clean-up. Check for accuracy of lead data, remove any duplicates, etc. This is important for effective data management because poor-quality data can downgrade performance later.  

6. Customise for your business objectives

Most CRM systems can be customised based on your needs — whether it’s integrating tools you already use or setting new workflow automation rules. Make sure you take advantage of this feature to streamline communications and improve overall business growth.

Related Read: CRM implementation process: The 8-Step guide [2025]

Conclusion – Is investing in a CRM for multichannel sales worth it?

A multi-channel CRM system is a must-have for SMBs wanting to grow their customer base and, eventually, their business sustainably. It supports a multichannel strategy by streamlining lead management, strengthening customer relationships and offering real-time insights, resulting in strong ROI over time.

Now that you have an understanding of CRM for multichannel sales, its features and what it can do for your business, start looking for one that will fit your needs.

Telecrm is one tool many SMBs are finding useful for their multichannel sales. Book a free demo and see how it fits your business needs today!

Article Author

Nupur Markam

Nupur Markam is a creative content writer with a strong background in SaaS. She enjoys turning product features into simple, relatable content. When she’s not writing, she’s likely exploring cafes or catching up on the latest industry trends.

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