There is a misguided belief that selecting the best CRM solution is what makes or breaks a CRM project. The truth is that CRM success depends just as much on the selected vendor as it does on the solution’s features suite.
Companies must keep in mind that when committing to a CRM solution, they are simultaneously committing to a long-term partnership with the vendor. But just like the solution, vendors come in all shapes and sizes and finding one that is attentive, reliable and trusted is not a simple task. In attempt to make things easier, this article will serve to highlight 5 elements all companies should consider when selecting the best CRM vendor.
Customer Service & Support Offering
A company can only reap the direct benefits and value of a CRM solution if the users are trained well enough and supported sufficiently. In evaluating CRM vendors, it is imperative for companies to take note of how much support the vendor provides and at what cost. While many CRM vendors, like us, offer unlimited ongoing support, others charge per support call. Knowing this information in advance can save your company a significant amount of money and will help to narrow down your search to the more cost-effective CRM solutions.
In-house or Out-sourced
If a vendor passes you on to one company to begin your purchase, another to get deployed and yet another to receive support, your so-called “partnership” with that vendor becomes less reliable and dependable than initially presumed. When a vendor provides the majority of their services in-house, companies can be rest-assured that the individuals behind their deployment are knowledgeable on their specific needs and requirements and will therefore provide the most quality and trusted customer service.
Customer Profile
By investigating a vendor’s customer profile, a company can gather what type and size of company the vendor typically works with. Not only does this help to identify whether they specialize in the small-medium sized or large enterprise market but it also indicates if they’ve served other companies within your industry. Selecting a vendor that has worked with an industry peer sheds light on their ability to customize and meet the needs of your company type. Selecting a vendor who has not implemented their solution within your industry might result in a longer and more difficult deployment and potentially an unsuccessful launch.
Case Studies and Reviews
Companies can accurately gauge the pros, cons and user experiences of working with a vendor by consulting customer case studies and user reviews. These resources can typically be found either on the vendor’s website or through a vendor directory and provides great insight into whether the vendor has sufficiently met and surpassed the user’s expectations and needs. These sources also identify the extent of support and hand-holding that the vendor provides companies, which is a crucial thing to consider if deploying a CRM for the first time.
Years in Business
Though some new companies can offer more attentive customer service than some industry veterans, knowing your software vendor has been in business for numerous years provides a level of comfort unmatched by the new guy’s quality service. A CRM vendor’s years in business are a direct testament to their experience and ability to deploy their solution to a variety of clients. Although this element is not the most crucial, is it a good indicator of their success rate and ability to accommodate the changing needs of a company over a period of time.
This article serves to highlight how crucial it is for companies to evaluate the vendor behind the solution so to ensure their success and satisfaction with CRM. Other important factors to consider include vendor partnerships, service models, method of implementation and the list goes on.
CRM is essential for growing businesses, but it is important to carefully select your CRM partner. This blog article “Don’t Make a CRM Buying Mistake : 7 Points to Consider Before Selecting Your CRM Solution” has advice on selecting a CRM solution. » Commence CRM Blog
http://www.commence.com/blog/index.php/2010/01/20/dont-make-a-crm-buying-mistake-7-points-to-consider-before-selecting-your-crm-solution/
Another feature not to miss is integration/cross-management aspect friendliness. Some business management applications are so minimal in their feature set that you’re eventually required to purchase other applications to do what the first application was supposed to. Before you know it, you’re paying ridiculous monthly fees!
Avoiding this means finding a better suited business management application for your company. WORKetc combines CRM, PM, support, billing, and other features so that users don’t ever have to worry about coming short in features – they can manage their entire business in one place. No need to integrate or pay high monthly fees when all information is stored centrally and you’re using one application to do everything from leads and projects to invoices and support.
-David
What a refreshing piece. It seems that most of the CRM information, columns and/or articles focus on the solution itself, what to look for, costs involved, needed preparation…etc. Rarely is there advise about the provider; what has seemed to me a huge understatement. The selection of a CRM solution is a decision that should involve a great deal of trust in the company who’s selling the product. You’re not just buying software, you’re agreeing to buy a new business strategy; and as such, a partner: someone you can entrust to sell you a solid product that meets all of your needs; who can help you fine-tune, if not identify, those needs; and ultimately, help you make on-going decisions as to potential growth and expansion, troubleshooting when something is not working, and other unforeseen bumps along the CRM road.