Several factors should be considered and thought about when choosing a CRM tool for your company. A CRM tool is a major investment for your company. Complete understanding of all the capabilities, what else can integrate with it, and how it will help grow your business is just the beginning of things to consider.
What are you trying to accomplish? This is an important part to think about because some tools are “beefier” than others. Is your company lacking a Lead and Sales process; do you wish you knew your sales funnel. How about marketing, are they asking for a tool to track ROI of their Lead generation efforts. Are there other tools at your company that you’d like to incorporate into your CRM?
All these questions should get you thinking about what you truly need out of a CRM tool.
How many users will you have? This is important because some tools have minimum user counts. So, if you are a small company with only a few users, this will limit which CRM tools you can choose.
Is the CRM scalable? Can it grow with your company’s needs and sales growth? It is important that other products, as well as other software and technology, can integrate with your CRM. You most likely have other software or will have other software at your company. Make sure you can bring them all together to eliminate data silos. Also, bringing on new technology can create a lot of push back so making sure it can sync up with other programs with help your user adoption.
Can it be customized? Consider the freedom you want to have with you CRM. Do you want to be able to change pick lists, change fields, create custom dashboards, and more? Make sure all the bells and whistles they show you in the demo are included in the base price. Some tools will show the fully customized tool and it can carry a hefty price tag.
What support and training is provided, in the beginning and ongoing. This is good to know because as with any technology there will be hick-ups, upgrades, and new features you’ll need help with. You will want to know what type of materials and support they offer. Some of the bigger companies offer live support and training to its users; others have stocked libraries of training materials. Some companies are really lacking in this department. Be sure to add this to your list of questions to inquire about.
Are you aware of the true cost of the tool? Do they charge for every add-on, customization, or reporting tool. If you host on-premise, remember to consider the cost of servers and hardware, as well as labor from IT. Ask what the renewal costs are and if there is a price break given if you commit to multiple years. Another point to remember is to ask for a discount if you are purchasing several software programs at once from the company.
When choosing a CRM tool, there is lots to consider and think through. Don’t just choose based on price; be sure to consider all the important items and build a tool that will excel your company.
Need help comparing tools? We are here to help!
Connect with a Simplesoft Consultant at 937-885-1204 or support@simplesoft.net.
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. is a customer relationship management (CRM) business consulting and software development firm in Cincinnati/Dayton OH surrounding areas. We provide implementation, integration, development and training for Infor CRM. We have built our business on an ability to creatively adapt CRM to meet the varying needs of our customers’ businesses. We have been helping our customers develop stronger relationships with their customers through improved sales, marketing, customer service, and support processes since 1994.
