So Many CRM Options

With so many CRM’s in the marketplace how do you whittle your important purchase down to make sure you find the right one?

You know your company needs one. The whole team would benefit from one. You have convinced the boss. You have found the budget – now what?? It is an important responsibility and with so many CRM’s available in the marketplace, how do you go about choosing the best CRM for you and your company. Google alone returns 13.4 million entries for CRM software! Just how do you find the right one amongst all this choice? 

There are loads of big-name brands. There are also ‘free to use’ products out there. Everyone has feature guides, tick boxes and online videos. There is information overload, and yet you are not certain which product really fits your business.

So many CRM Options – ProAptivity’s recommendations

Start by looking at your whole business, not just the sales team. The sales team should not operate in a silo, but rather be an integrated part of your overall business. What does your marketing department do? How do they ensure that they are marketing to current contacts?  How is the after-sale customer service experience for your clients? What visibility do accounts need on client records? Who has the most up to date contact record? Where does the single version of the truth reside?

CRM may start in the sales team. However, with a good CRM product at the heart of your business every department will perform better. The organisation and everyone in it will be more informed and be able to better service client interests. All client information is available at their fingertips.

Sounds expensive? Doesn’t have to be!

• Eliminate the ‘pay per module’ CRM offerings. These often claim to be free to use . However, the additional modules that you’ll need to pay for, e.g., reporting, will soon add up to be more expensive than a licenced software that offers you all features for a single price.
• Then look at the big brand names, how much does licensing, training, and development cost year two onwards? Be cautious of offers that subsidise the initial purchase price. Often there may be charges that are applied once the initial offer has expired. What are the development costs? Would you need bespoke software developed? All these areas add up.

Now you are left with the middle market CRM offerings.

Try and evaluate how the interface feels to use for the departments who will be using the CRM. Does the user training offered include the knowledge to change and modify the software inhouse? As processes change and your business grows, you’ll need to iterate the CRM and the processes initially implemented. This growth is often a spin off benefit of having a good CRM system supporting your team. Will you need to rely on going back to the software vendor, paying for development and having to wait in queues, or will you be able to do this inhouse? 

So, in summary, you need a product that has a fixed price over multiple years. It should offer ‘out of the box’ solutions for your core Marketing, Sales and Customer Service teams. You also want a product that has an intuitive user interface with a training package that builds in house knowledge. This prevents you from getting stung by return visits to the training or development desks.

How ProAptivity can help in choosing your CRM  

ProAptivity are an independent CRM solutions provider with over 30 years’ experience in helping clients successfully onboard user-customisable CRM solutions. We focus on the implementation, training, and support of highly customised CRM software solutions. Our CRM software supported by our training provide customers with the tools needed to deliver successful business process management.

Fundamentally, we help organisations embed CRM best practice throughout their organisation. This helps organisations become more competitive, customer focused and ultimately more profitable.

If you need help in understanding why my business needs CRM, maybe some of our video’s or  eBooks could help! Alternatively visit Maximizer CRM for more information. You can contact us today on 0330 223 6362 or via email at  info@proaptivity.com. Contact us today for a free CRM consultation that will assess if your business is CRM ready.