Challenge 

HDK Events are a husband-and-wife-owned business that has been arranging accommodation and activities for groups visiting Derbyshire and the Peak District for over ten years. Over 1,100 group, stag and hen bookings were arranged for 2021/22 alone.

Owners Greg and Kim Knight had known for some time that they needed a CRM; not only to adopt a more structured approach to their customer service but also to build a stronger sales pipeline.

Zoho CRM at an affordable rate and manageable pace

JCM’s Small Business Foundation is designed to offer Zoho CRM at an affordable rate to growing SMEs.

It is true that adopting a CRM can seem like a real leap into the unknown, especially for business owners who do not consider themselves to be technologically savvy or who lack the time to compare different technological solutions. 

All the capabilities you would expect of a CRM are offered from the off as part of Zoho One’s licensing fee. JCM’s approach is to work with each business to give them enough to leave the starting blocks rather than overload them with endless possibilities. Only when the client is comfortable to move on, does the JCM team suggest which other functionality ‘doors’ may be opened. It means the CRM is always manageable and never overwhelming. 

Getting the foundations right – in a way tailored to the needs of each client – means a business can progress at a pace which suits them.

For HDK Events, it meant getting all customers into one database to provide the opportunity of sending out monthly newsletters and building tailored campaigns and offers. This approach means that, for the first time, they can accurately track their sales pipeline from initial enquiry to order (and, often, repeat order). No more leaky sales bucket!

How Zoho is growing with the business 

By putting in place the strong foundation of a CRM and with regular engagement with its customers, the business is, without question, more robust and consistent. It is also building up considerable brand awareness.  

As Kim points out, the CRM is now ‘everything to us’. 

Next on the list is to switch over to Zoho for both invoicing and bookkeeping. It is expected that streamlining in this way will further improve efficiencies and allow for the capture of greater management information.