Leadsquared Sales Execution CRM

LeadSquared  is utilized to capture leads and call on the data for lead to form conversion. When a prospective candidate searches for courses at one of the Amity University campuses on the website, they are required to fill an inquiry form available on the website. This information is captured in real-time in LeadSquared  and distributed to available agents via distribution automation for calling purposes. After nurturing and re-nurturing mechanisms performed by automation on LeadSquared, leads are nurtured and pushed to fill the application form for their interested program at Amity University. Lead to form conversion is counted when a lead applies for a program by filling out the application form. Various combinations of automations are used to nurture leads, and the transition from form conversion to fee conversion is also handled by LeadSquared, with the team also calling manually on the data. Leads are nurtured through automations and WhatsApp messages, along with emailers regarding placements and student achievements at Amity University to create interest and build brand awareness, targeting students who are keen to pursue admission at Amity University campuses. The next use case follows the targeting of leads from form conversion to fee conversion, which is counted as final admission.

LeadSquared is easy to use from the client's perspective, and automations are straightforward to build. If you follow the mechanism and are clear about end goals, you can easily create automations. It is cost-effective for the organization and provides a wide range of features including integrations with various vendors offering communication platforms such as Gupshup  and LimeChat. Creating automation setups is simple, and the follow-up procedure for leads is easy to implement with timely task reminders for prospective leads.

LeadSquared has positively impacted the organization in that data is called on a real-time basis. The average turnaround time is now approximately 12 to 14 hours, enabling the first call on a lead to be made promptly, and there is no data leakage as every lead is addressed appropriately. Leads are nurtured rigorously through LeadSquared based on defined lead stages, with automation created to easily follow up with leads. When a lead is unreachable, a different set of automations and communications are sent. If they are in an opportunity state and ready for conversion, a different type of conversation is sent to prospective candidates. This process has increased the ROI rate for lead to form conversion. For fee collection, connectivity issues were a major challenge when calling candidates one-on-one; however, through automations, this goal is achieved. Although connectivity remains an issue with prospective candidates, the target audience is easier to reach through various WhatsApp, SMS, text, and emailer messages. LeadSquared provides a bot facility that sends leads in real-time, which are considered hot leads because students directly land on the website to search for programs at Amity University, leading to high conversion chances. LeadSquared provides an overall platform that significantly helps reach candidates through phone calls and follow up with them, thereby raising ROI for customers.

LeadSquared can be improved on various parameters. The platform should onboard various other vendors, such as a voice bot, which is a crucial requirement in the current market. LeadSquared is currently in the development phase of a voice bot, which is essential for connecting with prospective leads in a short duration. Improving the Converse feature, which is currently complex, will impact costing; however, if Converse is implemented, there would be no need to associate with other life or chatbots. Converse would suffice the requirement for voice and chatbots, and the voice AI could also replace the voice bot currently sought in the market.

Regarding reporting, it has become easier with the new UI platform, but the reporting section can still be improved by providing an easier view for the analytics section. The current setup is slightly complex for a normal sales user to access and understand reports pulled from LeadSquared. The analytics section needs improvement, and there are filters that also require work. Triggering the number of leads that have not been connected after multiple dialing attempts requires multiple combinations through advanced filter options to pull out that data, which is complex for sales users. Certain tabs based on customer requirements and customization should become more accessible for the calling team to help them achieve connected call goals.

I have been using LeadSquared for more than five years.

LeadSquared is stable, and there are currently no thoughts of replacing it with any other service provider.

LeadSquared's scalability is high. Plans are in place to move to the application portal and consider other services such as voice bot or chatbot available on LeadSquared, reducing the headache and costs of integration involved when using services provided by the main service provider itself.

Customer support is good, with support received within a few hours, and it is easy to reach the team over a call if needed.

Previously, no CRM  was used; it was all manual calling and manual data setup with no engagement metrics. There were no services to engage with candidates or leads through SMS, WhatsApp, or emailers. Reliance was placed on one-on-one emails or SMS sent manually, and everything was maintained on Excel or Google Sheets.

The pricing and setup cost were challenging to negotiate; LeadSquared provided high pricing but this was managed through negotiation. However, the basic problem with LeadSquared is that they tend to project pricing on the higher side and want to compensate by getting clients to take additional services that are required.

Return on investment has been seen. Specific data cannot be shared, but the cost to lead conversion cost has improved due to the ability to reach out to leads in a timely manner. In previous years, lead cost was increasing because of lower conversion rates, requiring more leads to be acquired to achieve targets. Connectivity was the main issue observed in the EdTech industry, but with LeadSquared implementation and the reach it allows through automations, click-to-call, and other built-in features, connectivity rate with leads has increased, leading to higher conversion rates for lead to form.

The pricing and setup cost were challenging to negotiate; LeadSquared provided high pricing but this was managed through negotiation. However, the basic problem with LeadSquared is that they tend to project pricing on the higher side and want to compensate by getting clients to take additional services that are required.

Before choosing LeadSquared, Merito and Salesforce  were evaluated.

LeadSquared is deployed in the organization on a private cloud using Amity's own cloud as the cloud provider. The data is stored on the private cloud, which is Amity's cloud, and LeadSquared was purchased as a third-party solution to provide CRM  services. The organization directly approached LeadSquared to provide CRM facilities to Amity University. There is a wide scope for improvement in LeadSquared to meet customer requirements and become market leaders in CRM cloud-based support for the EdTech industry. LeadSquared has only recently started with the EdTech industry, so improvements are needed according to EdTech industry requirements. With the implementation of new education policies and changes within the Indian education system, updates are particularly needed regarding the application portal. The current setup is being improved by opting for the application portal, ensuring the end-to-end journey remains intact with LeadSquared from lead to form to fees, all synchronized on the platform. LeadSquared is definitely recommended to others because it is economical compared to other CRM platforms reviewed during onboarding. Tremendous improvements have been seen in the platform from both client and product perspectives, along with enhanced user-friendliness. The customer support provided is easily accessible, which is crucial in the EdTech industry, especially during system collapses due to integration failures, requiring immediate support from vendors. This review has been rated an 8 out of 10.