Let’s face it, time is money. Anything you can do to shave off a few minutes here and there on everyday tasks allows you to focus on the more important ones. With that in mind, we have some extremely valuable time-saving tips for SAGE users who don’t have enough hours in the day!
P.S. The best part about this article is, everything below is included in your SAGE Total Access subscription!
SAGE Online CRM Module
The SAGE Online CRM module is an easy-to-use tool that organizes all your client history and improves your customer service. You can access your client’s information in a snap, and set up tasks and follow-ups to ensure you stay in touch. Plus, the CRM module integrates with other areas in SAGE allowing you to populate your client information in your projects, presentations, through Order Management, and more. The best part is you can import your client data through Outlook or an Excel spreadsheet, so it’s quick and easy!
Project Management in SAGE Online
When time is everything, keep track of your projects every step of the way with Project Management in SAGE. This handy tool allows you to streamline communication and organization with your team. Forget a shared excel sheet, your team can get real-time updates on each project and alerts on due dates. And with Project Management, you can keep your client’s communication all in one spot. (Goodbye, never-ending email chain of despair.) With the customer portal, both you and your client can track the status of an order, view and respond to proofs, pay bills and upload artwork.
P.S. It can also send your clients updates on the project’s progress, too!
Take the Time to Set Up Your Preference Groups
This is possibly one of the most important things you can do to save yourself time and a lot of headaches! Almost everyone has preferred vendors that they like to do business with. Either you have worked with them in the past, or you know they have a good reputation and quality products. Whatever the reason, having your preferred vendors set up in your Preference Groups eliminates large returns on your search results, and you can be confident that any product you select within those results will be from one of your trusted suppliers.
Adopt the Right Click
This is a real hidden gem! Did you know that if you right-click an item on a product search page, you can remove like items from your search? For example, if you search for holiday gifts, but you know your client doesn’t want food-specific items, you can right-click on the first food item you see and remove all products in the food category from your results.
Utilize the Presentation Publisher
Do you spend a lot of time copying images and content from suppliers’ websites? If so, you are spending way too much time doing extra work! In SAGE, all you have to do is tag products from your search results and add them to your presentation. You can create a standard template with your logo and contact information as a default, and with a few clicks, you have a professional presentation! Share the presentation through a convenient link where you and your clients can leave real-time feedback, speeding up your sales process.
Take Control of Your Order Management
After you send your customer your professional presentation that took almost no time to make, you don’t have to copy and paste the information to create a PO or invoice when they decide to order. All you have to do is select the products your customer wants, and all of the information is automatically copied directly from your presentation. That way, any customizations you made feed right over to your PO or invoice. It will save you a TON of time and drastically reduce the chances of error. Best of all, the Order Management module integrates with Quickbooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online!
You Can Automate Alerts
You can also set up alerts for products, suppliers, or categories. Everyone likes a good deal – if you want to be alerted anytime a bag goes on special, you can choose that option under Specials, and you will be alerted on your home page and via email. If you have a client who purchases the same items from you year after year, this is a great way to find a great deal for them without having to do a lot of leg work.
We get it, you’re busy. And we can help with that! These are just a few of the ways you can make better use of your time using SAGE, but if you want to learn how to do more faster, check out the cheat sheets on our resources page or contact your Account Advisor today for more time-saving tips and tricks to help you work smarter, not harder!
This article has recently been updated from its original publication in 2015.
