Simply put, successful customer relationship management (CRM) is crucial if you want a high-performing sales team.

In a nutshell, CRM is the activities and technology that supports interactions with leads, prospects and customers.

Effective use of CRM software is critical for sales success.

A key part of CRM is the supporting software – a database of information that keeps lead, prospect and client accounts moving through the sales pipeline, and that automates administrative tasks such as calendar synching, call scheduling, contact updating and more.

According to Grand View Research, more than 90% of organizations with more than 10 employees use a CRM system. And there’s good reason for that: Marketing intelligence company Aberdeen Group has found that effective sales organizations are 81% more likely to use a CRM system regularly.

Even so, CRM software is only as powerful as the data entered in, and that gets tricky with sales teams. Outdated systems, little to no training and lack of education on how a quality CRM can drive sales are just a few of the reasons why usage may be less than effective.

Here are five ways to improve CRM usage, in order to guide more effective customer relationships and ultimately close more sales.

1. Define objectives. Implementing a CRM software without tracking specific metrics and progress toward definite goals can lead to lost momentum. The software should measure key performance indicators (KPIs) that show what the sales team is accomplishing and where the process could use improvement.

“You need to keep in mind what your expectations are,” says Elisa Bender, CMO & co-founder of RevenueGeeks, an e-commerce platform-review site. “Evaluating KPIs, keeping in mind the company’s objectives, boosts the effectiveness of the CRM strategy.”

Consider KPIs like your close rate, upsell rate, net-new revenue (spend from new customers), length of each stage in the pipeline, length of the sales cycle, customer lifetime value for each client, and others. A robust CRM will help you track these data points, generate reports and make decisions on where things are going well and where you need improvements to reach goals. It’s also critical that each rep is regularly using the CRM, for every single lead, prospect and client.

“Build a list of rules so that everyone who operates with it is on the same page,” says Tristan Harris, the demand generation marketing manager at digital marketing firm Thrive Agency. “Make it a company policy that every new direction, without exception, be prepared through the CRM. By emphasizing the correct use of the system as soon as it’s established, you’ll be able to guarantee a smoother development and a more unified team. If your workforce isn’t utilizing it to its full potential – or even misusing it – it’ll be an inadequate tool.”

2. Choose the right software. There’s a myriad of CRM options out there for a variety of business types and needs. Do your research and figure out, based on your objectives, which one would work best. If it’s too powerful or not powerful enough, the team may give up trying to use it.

“Each industry’s needs are different,” says Jacinda Myre, marketing manager at Bloom, an administrative software solution for freelancers. “To curate a proper relationship with your clientele, you need the tools that will focus on their specific pain points. For example, a photography business needs to send and receive large image files, while bigger firms need to track a heavy amount of touch points.”

For a sales team, look for a solution that’s intuitive and offers analytics and reporting capabilities, so you can track your team’s performance. It should also be easily accessible on mobile devices, which is especially important for those on the road. Waiting to enter information on a desktop program may lead to missed data on leads, prospects and clients.

“The CRM should be accessible from any device,” says Ryan Fyfe, COO of workforce productivity tool Workpuls. “Cloud-based data allows you and your team to have immediate access to your customer files regardless of location.”

3. Establish consistent style and standards. Are you familiar with the acronym “GIGO”? It stands for “garbage in, garbage out,” and refers to the principle that flawed input data leads to flawed output. And that certainly pertains to CRM information, which is only as reliable as what’s entered in by each user. To reduce bad data and duplicate entries (and therefore, avoid confusion), have a consistent style and standard of usage across your team.

“Start by standardizing naming conventions for data points,” says David Bitton, co-founder and CMO of rental property management software DoorLoop. “Avoid using free text boxes where users can enter data manually. Instead, whenever practical, utilize drop-down menus and multi-select fields. This prevents the chance of users misnaming or using strange acronyms for certain data that makes it difficult for others to locate it.”

Also consider putting together a style guide for users that they can refer to when inputting information, says Bitton. It should include up-to-date guidance on naming standards, duplication procedures and data entry best practices. “Basic ground rules allow reps to search for and input data more easily, while reducing the chance of errors and unintended data loss,” he adds.

Of course, there’s still a chance that bad information ends up in the system. Have your reps consistently take a look at their accounts in the CRM to clean up incorrect or outdated information and duplicate entries.

“They can be infuriating and perplexing, and they reduce your productivity since you’re deviating from your sales objectives to figure it out,” says Susan Smith, marketing manager at Velden Engineering, a precision parts manufacturer in the United Kingdom. “Furthermore, if you keep sending emails to the wrong contact, you’ll irritate your leads, which may reduce the likelihood of conversion. Use data management best practices and conduct regular audits to weed out duplicates.”

4. Use automation tools. A strong CRM will offer automation features so sales teams can spend less time on logging information and routine follow-up and more time on actual sales activities like presenting projects, keeping the order moving and closing deals. Common CRM automation features include data entry, contact updates, communication details and calendar updates.

“A CRM helps automate follow-up activities and reminds us when to take action,” says Heather Davis Lam, founder and CEO of Revenue Ops LLC, a consulting firm for maximizing company revenue through improved processes, technology and data analysis. “Say a prospect wants to pause communication for a few months. We can easily set an alert to ping us on a specific date so that we review our previous conversations and follow up accordingly. This simple function can prevent deals from falling through the cracks.”

A CRM may offer an abundance of automation tools that sales teams don’t use or don’t know exist. Be sure to tap into its capabilities to streamline the sales process. “There are CRMs that will automate your workflow, schedule clients and collect contracts for you,” says Myre. “Use it to its fullest capacity.”

Leveraging a software’s automation capabilities helps sales reps “avoid time-consuming and repetitive chores,” says Justin Nabity, founder & CEO of Physicians Thrive, a financial advisory firm specifically for doctors. “You can program your CRM to send follow-up emails, offer promotions and push other marketing efforts when new leads are added via newsletter subscriptions or website visits. This keeps your business at the forefront of their minds and helps them remember your brand.”

5. Use the data. Based on reports from the software, users can see patterns with their prospects, including which were successfully converted. The CRM is an important information repository, but it works best when that information is analyzed and used to inform sales activities.

“A comprehensive history allows for targeted and personalized conversations,” says Lam. “For example, reps can see all the activities prospects have taken, from visiting the website to opening a support ticket. They’re then empowered to understand what’s most important to their contacts and they can direct conversations accordingly.”

A CRM that’s well managed will give reps a snapshot of exactly where a lead, prospect or client is in the sales cycle at any time.

“This helps salespeople link their process with the buyer’s experience and enhance sales-funnel management,” says Nabity. “You can track the data that matters most to the team, so you can make the most accurate pipeline projections. Find elements that influence the likelihood of closing a contract, such as deal size, firm size, industry and number of parties involved. The accuracy of your sales forecast has an impact on every aspect of your business, from revenue estimates to recruiting and capacity decisions.”