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What to do before selecting a CRM system

Written by Stijn Toonen | May 3, 2024 10:21:57 AM

When you set out to pick a new CRM system, your preparation is of vital importance

Selecting a new CRM is a process that should include more steps than doing some demos. Preparing correctly can save you a ton of hassle during implementation and boost your chances of success in the long run.

Here are some steps to take before inviting vendors:

𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 to make sure that you understand what they need from the system. Have them take you through their current workflow so you understand what functionality they need and what problems they are facing.

𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 so you will obtain an idea of security and compliance requirements, this will save you lots of hassle later.

𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 so you know what integrations must be possible and /or what extra work needs to be done during implementation.

When you have done all this, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 and present it to the people you talked to for validation.

Once the list is complete, you can invite vendors that can match the requirements.