A customer relationship management (CRM) system is a valuable asset that helps companies increase sales productivity and automate workflows to sell faster and smarter.
With a variety of choices, finding a suitable CRM solution is not an easy task. Here are our five tips on how to find a CRM solution that fits your business needs.
Tip 1 – Consider Your Long-Term Goals and Objectives
What are your business’s specific needs? Will it be sales increasing, customer service improvement, or the accurate tracking of your marketing campaigns? We recommend using the SMART framework to define your goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Then evaluate your current processes. What does your sales process look like? What are your pain points? Once you answer these questions, you can start to look for a CRM platform that can address your requirements.
Tip 2 – Align Your Goals With Needed Features
The next tip is to prepare a document with must-haves and nice-to-have features. For example, if you’re looking to increase sales, you’ll need a CRM that helps you track leads, manage sales opportunities, and close deals. If you’re looking to improve customer service, you will probably choose a CRM system that allows you to track customers’ interactions, manage feedback, and resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.
Do not skip the step of gathering inputs from different departments and future CRM customers. Having them in the decision-making process will increase the success of CRM adoption.
Tip 3 – Research for the Most Suitable CRM Provider
For example, reading reviews can help you get a sense of what other users think of the various CRM solutions. Current users can give you a good idea of how the software works and what it can do. Former users can give you a hint of any potential problems with the software. Also, it’s worth asking your partners and other business owners about the pros and cons of the CRM they are using now.
Tip 4 – Decide on Your Budget
CRM software can vary in price from free to thousands of dollars per month. It depends on the number of users, included features, and the level of support. To keep you on budget, explore CRM systems’ pricing options and align them with must-have features. For a final price, get quotes from several vendors before making a decision. Also, keep in mind the CRM implementation costs.
Tip 5 – Try Out Your Potential CRM Choice Before Buying
CRM vendors often offer live demos or free trials of their software. It is a great way to see how the software works and to see if it’s a good fit for your business. During the trial period, pay attention to the platform functionality (including mobile apps), availability of promised features, and ease of use.
Conclusion
With these tips, you will be able to make an informed decision about your future CRM platform.
Here, at ENWAY, we help companies all around the world overcome challenges using Salesforce. Salesforce is №1 unified CRM platform that provides businesses with the tools they need to drive growth, improve customer engagement, and streamline operations. Learn more about Salesforce implementation from ENWAY.
