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How to Select the Right CRM System |
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Posted by Segun
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How to select the right CRM System |
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Selecting any software package can be tricky. Early mistakes can be costly to put right. CRM implementations often require you to re-engineer your business processes, human resources and operational systems to achieve the best results.
The most successful CRM implementors take a simple and systematic approach to package and vendor selection.
This guide will provide useful information to assist you to select the right product and service providers. Instead of high level strategy below we offer a simple yet effective checklist and access to quotes from our own shortlist of pre-qualified suppliers.
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Checklist
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Needs Assessment: All levels of your organisation and all departments must be engaged in this process. This is important not only to recognise departmental objectives, but also to communicate the importance of the CRM initiative.
Budget: Make sure you look for hidden costs in addition to costs for items such as licenses, hardware and other infrastructure. These could include costs for implementation, training employees and customers, business re-engineering, increased service requirements from infrastructure vendors and internal IT support.
Implementation: This involves tasks such as system installation, printer installations, user configurations, preliminary training and system testing. While planning, keep in mind the importance of effective implementation. Many companies do not get the expected results out of a CRM solution simply because of faulty implementation by the vendor. Take references and cross-check success rates of prior implementations done by your short-listed vendors. You may also consider purchasing the application from an OEM and having it implemented by a specialised provider.
Technical and Functional Considerations: Ensure you have considered the product both from a functional as well as usability perspective. Functionality will tell you what a product can do and usability tells you how user-friendly it is.
Some other considerations may be:
- Scalability – such as volumes of data it can handle
- Supported communication channels – such as phone, WAP and SMS
- Interoperability – such as the ability to import and export data to and from other applications
- Help resources – ample self-help resources during implementation and future advanced learning
Support: Product support refers to both functional as well as technical support. Negotiate both as a package. If you are using different consultants for product implementation and IT infrastructure, make sure you clearly define responsibilities and vendor accountability.
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