Mistakes to Avoid when Making a CRM Selection

One of the most common mistakes to avoid when making a CRM selection is to put priority on technology from the outset. 

This becomes a problem for the following reasons:

If you choose a product and the technology cannot achieve what you need it to it will become expensive or impossible

Some people like features of a particular CRM feature but that feature may not map to a need

Or what if the system has great functionality but can’t map to your processes

and finally what if the product is great but the users can’t use it – its destined for failure!

The best way to go about selecting a CRM solution is to clearly specify what you are trying to achieve.  How do you work.  How would you like to work?  What are the pain points and how do you manage those currently? 

Collaborate with everyone in the organisation.  Make sure they feel their needs have been addressed and their views are considered.   Keep this team engaged.  They have to be part of the CRM solution – ultimately its everyone’s (company-wide) solution – everyone will be inputting into CRM and using it in different ways.

Map your processes clearly if you can.  Doing this exercise will show where you are missing points of the process or the process isnt working well. 

Next think about your infrastructure.  Find out about your servers, what they are running, if there are restrictions.  Would you be better to think about cloud based solutions?

Consider your budgets.  Be realistic about what the business wants to pay for CRM and be clear about its return on investment.  Where do you want to see results?  How will you make the results tangible?

Are you working with a vertical market?  Caltech works with business to business but also has focused on vertical markets for CRM such as social housing, NHS and Financial Services.

After you know what you want to achieve and start to look at whats out there for your vertical and capabilities you will need to consider costs.  These costs will include the licenses either purchase or payment per month for cloud based solutions.  Additional to this you need to consider support, software assurance and other associated fees.  There will also be costs to configure and “mould” CRM so it is working the way you need it to work, in a logical way for your processes and end user requirements.

Once you have all this information you will be in good shape to contact resellers or CRM specialists such as Caltech IT Limited.  Look at references, visit reference sites, get the vendor involved in helping to review your costs and ensure they understand what you need.

Good Luck with making your CRM selction

and if you need any expet advice, call us on 01924 507 280 or email george@caltech.co.uk

www.caltech.co.uk

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