There have been CRM failures for more than one reason. The better prepared you are, the less likely you will have to deal with it. Here are some questions and points that should be addressed prior to making the leap:
1. What if you are unable to migrate your current system data to your CRM system?
2. What if the solution does not solve your business problem? How will it impact your existing operations?
3. Lack of ability to integrate seamlessly with 3rd party applications.
4. Lack of ability to create custom screens, fields and automated business rules that are specific to the way you do business.
5. Employee perception is not addressed and employees are unwilling to use system.
6. Lack of service received to implement the solution successfully. Services include configuring the system the way you do business and receiving sufficient end-user and manager training to be self-sufficient and not completely rely on the vendor for every minor adjustment.
7. Does your current computer system meet the minimum system requirements for yourCRM software?
8. Can you afford for your CRM system to go down? If not, how will operations proceed?
9. How easy is it to move to another vendor? Can you export your entire database? Can you upgrade your application to an enterprise level product without too much inconvenience and cost?
10. System security – this may not be a concern when you are small but as you grow, it will come to play.
Go evaluate and ask !
