Choosing the right CRM

There are many pitfalls in finding the right customer relationship management platform (CRM). Trust us when we say, we have seen a lot of inefficiency based on wrong platform decisions. Decisions are often made on management level and heavily rely on what the charming sales people say in their sales pitch. 

Very often, this leads teams to either choose a vendor that sounds very flexible (click and connect, push play and completely automated) but does not meet the requirements for the team to be able to achieve core business goals. The opposite is also very common, that the most expensive platform is implemented, where you can do everything, but no one in the team including the digital specialist understands how to use it in the best way due to complexity. 

We have consolidated a short list of things to consider before investing in a new platform to avoid the most common pitfalls. 

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CRM Evaluation Checklist

1. Inside interviews of sales and marketing teams to identify your requirements

Make sure to understand the pain points that your teams are facing and how it can be solved with the help of a CRM. In addition, find out how the teams are working together today and how this process can be improved.

2. Define core business goals

What are the main business goals that a CRM will help you achieve? The more granular the goals, the easier it will be to anchor and justify internally.

3. Evaluation matrix based on capabilities and scoring model

After identifying your requirements and core business goals, set up a matrix based on your chosen and tailored capabilities. Use a scoring model to rate the chosen vendors based on prioritized capabilities to find your best choice.

Capabilities that often are studied in the evaluation process:

• Ease of use
• Onboarding process and support
• Accessibility and mobility
• Integration capabilities
• Automations
• Reporting tools
• Scalability and future proof
• Pricing and pricing model

4. Examine what you really need to achieve your goals

Do you really need all of these features offered in the pricing plan? Use your critical thinking and make sure that you only invest in the features that get you and your team closer to the core goal. 

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Avoiding the pitfalls

Avoid the most common pitfalls by setting a strong foundation based on inside research, define and align objectives and prioritize capabilities and features based on a chosen scoring model.
Still pulling your hair out? Feel free to get in touch and we will help you out to find your new customer relationship platform.

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