Deciding on a CRM system is an important decision and keeping in mind the number of options an average business has nowadays, it is bound to be a time consuming (not to mention confusing) task!
But, as the headline suggests, this article is dedicated to help you select a CRM in the fastest possible way with an all-around CRM checklist.
This checklist is made up of crucial components that you must look for in any CRM system that you might be considering at this point of time.
So, here’s the CRM checklist you have been looking for!
Sales Tracking is the basic function of a CRM, and any software that does not let you track your sales funnel with utmost clarity, is definitely up to no good. The ideal CRM should capture opportunities, manage contacts, generate quotes and more while ensuring seamless coordination between marketing and sales departments. Now, the sales process of different industries tends to vary a great deal. So, going for a specific industry CRM solution can be great way to save on the customization cost!
The second crucial component that you cannot afford to compromise on is the contact module of your CRM system. No matter the size of your business, no matter what industry you are operating in, you need a robust contact management feature that lets you import data from various platforms, allows work-flow creation, and real-time contact sharing.
CRM generated reports are often considered crucial by business owners for keeping track of various business metrics and taking important business decisions. Thus, it is essential that you invest in a CRM system that lets you create robust and customized reports and dashboards. The ease of customization, creation or dissemination of reports is another factor that you would definitely like to consider before signing up.
CRM is the depository of all your customer data. So, it is only but natural that you want to share them selectively. Look for a CRM with greater access control feature. This way you can have superior control over who can access which information and keep your customers’ information as confidential as possible.
CRM and marketing automation often work best when integrated closely. In case you already have a marketing automation system in place and are happy with it, your priority is to see how does that plug into the potential CRM solution. Seamless sharing of crucial information such as email campaigns (current, scheduled as well as the past), activity streams, lead scoring etc is essential for glitch-free operations. Here, opting for a CRM provider who also offers a robust marketing automation platform can be a great way to ensure seamless integration.
The whole point of getting a CRM is to create a more organized business process. Having easy access to your e-mails, right from the CRM system is an important aspect of achieving that. So, before you finalize the CRM you want to go ahead with, make sure to check the kind of e-mail integration facilities it offers.
Setting automated workflow rules helps a business in getting rid of manual entries as well as saves time and ensures maximum accuracy. Thus, checking out the workflow automation capabilities of the CRM system in question will save you a lot of time, labor and not to mention headaches in future.
Well, no matter how great an off-the-shelf product is, it cannot come with the exact specifications and requirements of your business. Thus, understanding the customization potential of the system in question is crucial. How easy is it to customize the system? Can you get professional help, if you need while customizing it? These are the questions you need to get answered before you zero-in on a CRM system.
In today’s age, when businesses are becoming increasingly mobile in nature, ensuring that your CRM system has a great mobile interface can go a long way. Check the mobile-browser or native app experience of the CRM solutions in question to make sure that you can run your business on the go.
Last but not the least, check and re-check (I cannot stress more on this point) the kind of customer support the CRM provider offers. Do they offer comprehensive tutorials to help you get started? What kind of technical support do they offer, in case the tutorials are not enough? Can you get help 24/7? These are the questions that need answerin before you make the plunge.