So, you´re in the process of buying a CRM system, whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, CRM software is a necessary tool for growing and becoming more customer-centric. It can be difficult to know where to start. With so many CRM tools on the market, working out which one is best for you is no small feat.
To help you decide on the best CRM for your business here are five things to keep in mind.
As we already have a few blogs on this topic, I’m going to dive right in.
1. Know Why You Need a CRM
What do you really want to get from a CRM? Yes, it is a necessary tool for any business, but getting one for the sake of it is the wrong place to start.
CRM systems come in all shapes and sizes, some are built for a certain type of business in a certain industry, some are built so that can easily be configured to suit a specific business, and some provide all the bells and whistles (for a price).
If you don’t know what you’re looking for it can be very easy to get lost in the world of CRM.
2. Decide on a Budget
Your budget will be a significant deciding factor for your CRM. There will always be CRM software out there that matches your budget, but keep in mind you get what you pay for.
If what you are looking for is the basics – calendar, pipeline management, email campaigns, etc. then you won’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get that. If, however, you want seamless integration, automation, machine learning and more, then prepare to spend. That’s not to say the benefits won’t outweigh the costs, but you should always be mindful of this.
3. Decide on a Long-Term Goal
Any CRM worth its salt will be able to scale and grow with your business. As your business grows you will change your processes, the data that you are collecting and how you work. It is worth thinking about how easy it will be to customisation your CRM to suit your ever-evolving needs.
Can your chosen CRM easily add new:
- Dashboards
- Fields
- Forms
- Processes
CRM is an investment, so make sure that when your business is growing, your CRM system can keep up.
4. Consider Your Existing Software Stack
CRM is here to change things up and improve your business. Changing things does not mean you have to completely disrupt every other aspect of your business. Many CRM systems will fully integrate with your accounting systems, marketing systems and so on. Some CRM systems will even come with their own.
So, when buying a CRM system, make sure you evaluate how it will fit into your current software stack.
It is worth keeping in mind, integrations aren’t always cheap and there are a few ways to go about it. In some cases, you can use tools like Zapier to, relatively affordably, connect your CRM to whichever tools you need. In other cases, you might need to build an API integration, or one already may be built for you.
Linking your CRM system to the other systems in your software stack can be a game-changer. It can save you time, money and let you focus on the more important money-making work that will help your business grow.
5. Talk to Someone
You’re not expected to have all the answers about CRM, that’s where we come in. CRM has been around for a while, starting with the Rolodex and now we have incredibly advanced systems with machine learning, marketing automation and more. Collier Pickard has been around for almost as long and it’s our job to keep on top of all these changes.
So, if you’re in the process of buying CRM but don’t know which CRM is best for you and how it should fit into your business, give us a call and we’ll help you from start to finish.
