What are Key CRM Selection Critieria?
Finding the best CRM solution for your business is determined by the key requirements of your company and your customer base. There are certain selection criteria that you need to consider in your process to support your decision-making.
Key steps in your selection process
to find the best CRM
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Step 1
Steps list section: Title 1
- Reflect the requirements of key stakeholders and end users during the scoping process. A formal interview step in your CRM project should address these needs (current state to future state). End users are better informed about the inefficiencies and gaps in current ways of working plus management will be able to provide a steer on business strategy for future-proofing the CRM. An additional benefit of this step is to motivate and engage users from the start, increasing their job satisfaction, boosting adoption and ROI and improving the service they provide to customers. Capture these feature requirements in a CRM requirements document.
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Step 2
Steps list section: Title 2
- Assess customer needs by segment. If your business hasn't formally captured the needs of your audience, take the time now to carry this out – a Customer Experience survey. This should then be added to the user and management feedback in order to provide context and importance and inform your CRM evaluation criteria.
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Step 3
Steps list section: Title 3
- Make a current audit and data analysis of requirements. Organize and classify the feedback and capture data insights by business area and severity. Trends will start to emerge in order for you to build a picture of common themes and business critical levels. Ensure that validation is carried out by end user peer groups and management of all requirements.
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Step 4
Steps list section: Title 4
- You can then move on to prioritize requirements which will help in any RFP (Request for Proposal) process or vendor scoring and shortlisting. You can do this by group interviews, workshops and discussions. You will make a CRM Project Scope document from this exercise that outlines your must-have features and nice-to-have features.
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Step 5
Steps list section: Title 5
- Create a vendor ranking system. You will see below what vendor selection criteria you need to include, balanced with your prioritized requirements and what to look for in a CRM solution itself. Be specific in this vendor scoring, it needs to be focused on functionality and the ability of each vendor and platform to specifically address requirements, rather than on general features and benefits. Even if you do not engage in a formal RFP process, a scoring system will help you cross reference these multiple elements and ultimately save time in your project.
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Step 6
Steps list section: Title 5
- Perform digital research (including free trials) on relevant vendors and CRM platforms and make a shortlist. Brief the shortlisted providers of your current state and your ambitions (this is where your documented requirements are very useful) in advance and schedule calls and demonstrations. Whilst a generic demonstration is useful at vendor shortlisting stage to show you what is possible and indeed might reshape your requirements, you should move to tailored demos from your shortlist in an efficient manner.
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Step 7
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- An optional step, that requires budget and time on your part, is a "Proof of Concept", where your business data is input into the preferred CRM solution by the vendor within key functional areas, often within a limited and agreed scope. This can be as much time as both parties are willing to engage in as there are business costs associated with jobs required for you to undertake such as data migration and cleansing.
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Step 8
Steps list section: Title 7
- CRM selection, procurement and negotiation. This is where you and your preferred vendor need to clearly understand license requirements, costs associated, any storage needs, and contracts determined based on SLAs, length of service etc. You can then forecast your CRM budget based on projected and phased costs from implementation timeline through to maintenance.
Essential factors for selecting the right CRM solution
Essential factors for selecting the right CRM solution
- Ease of implementation – you need to have a software solution which can be deployed quickly and easily with minimal disruption.
- CRM pricing – the solution needs to meet your budget and provide a return on investment – consider license costs, implementation costs, and ongoing maintenance costs when putting your CRM budget together in your selection process.
- Scalability – the software needs to be scalable and constantly updated to be able to expand along with your business needs and the modern needs of customers and users.
- Functionally rich – the software needs to provide comprehensive functionality that supports and improves your business processes but not over-complex that it affects your ROI and lowers user adoption. Look for must-have features like sales automation, marketing automation, and customer support automation.
- What systems in your business would you like to replace or integrate with your CRM? Consider ERP systems, quote-to-cash processes, and collaboration tools like email, calendars, and document management. These may not all be customer-facing but do impact the customer experience. Evaluate the integration capabilities of potential CRM solutions.
- Ease of use — if users don’t see the benefits or find the CRM difficult, the project can fail. Ensure your CRM has an intuitive user interface that is familiar and simplifies their daily tasks from the start.
Start assessing your CRM requirements now!
- The software vendor’s reputation – Ensure the vendor has successfully implemented software for similar businesses. Know if your competitors use it and how specialized the vendor is in your sector. Request case studies and testimonials.
- The implementation process suggested by your software vendor, how does it meet industry best practice?
- What credentials, skills and certifications does the CRM vendor hold? If they are an official partner of a leading CRM solution for example, what level of accreditation has been awarded and on what basis?
- Vendor support – Ensure the provider can provide technical support during and after implementation. What SLAs do you want to negotiate to ensure your business objectives are met?
- Additional services – Align your CRM vendor’s services with your goals and values. Consider if you need ongoing support, coding development for customization, strategic CX advice, or ongoing training.
Matching the right CRM vendor to your business
Matching the right CRM vendor to your business
Discovering CRM capabilities
to suit your needs
Do your research when selecting the best CRM system, shortlisting CRM vendors and finally in your CRM selection process of a CRM vendor to be your partner. There are a plethora of whitepapers and websites which will help you understand CRM solutions and functionality on the market which you may not have considered, that will help your business either evolve or be revolutionized. Evaluate options for cloud-based CRM vs on-premise CRM and determine the best deployment method for your organization.
When considering your CRM selection criteria, you need to prioritize functionality: in terms of essential, nice to have or a future consideration once your organization is ready for such change. Look for industry-specific features that align with your business. Ensure the CRM can handle your customer data management needs.
It will also help if you phase your CRM functionality in order to increase user adoption and provide quick wins on ROI. Assemble a diverse CRM selection team to provide input throughout the process.
