Posted by Patricia Jones
How to choose crm solution a discussion unravelling the mysteries of business and corporate growth. Having discussed the first six steps to evaluate a CRM, let’s proceed to the remaining six which will sail you to the right CRM selection.
Think about what metrics you as the business owner/manager need to see – and make sure the CRM you choose will readily provide you with those insights.
It will include the number of deals registered over a period of time.
It will tell you the total number of deals in the pipeline and how much of that amount your business can realistically expect to bring in.
It will tell you where your team stands at all points in your sales pipeline and what your business has to lose or gain.
Data import and export is a common activity that takes place while using the CRM. Since data is a key business asset, it cannot be overlooked.
Here are 2 basic queries you need to consider:
Your business is unique. Make sure the CRM you choose can adapt to your line of business. For example sales cycle of a real estate agent is different than the sales cycle of a service based company. Consequently, look for a CRM that allows you to customize your reports, drop downs and add custom fields, so it makes sense for your business.
Looking for a CRM solution now, in all probability you would not like to go through the same task again in a year. Isn’t it?
Hence, considering this fact, it should be your #1 priority to select a CRM solution that can scale you’re your enterprise. In the words of a CRM strategist – ‘’Irrespective of the nature and size of your business, you have customers to manage, sales to track, marketing to execute and teams to coordinate. Thus, business entrepreneurs should always opt for a CRM solution that is simple to use, intelligent and powerful to benefit the bottom line and most importantly grows with the enterprise.’’
Example – With time, your team will grow and most likely you’ll want to assign different permission sets to different users. In such a scenario, you will benefit only if you have CRM solution that enables you manage sharing of information at different levels.Using role based permissions feature, you can easily create hierarchy and set data security rules on who can access what information, (depending on your business’s evolving need).
Make sure the CRM system you choose is able to reduce redundancy by automating certain tasks.
Key automation features to look out for:
DRIP Automation
ConvergeHubCloud CRM solution offers DRIP marketing manager which is a powerful tool to schedule your campaign. Using Converge, you just need to set the trigger for the date and set a span for the campaign to run. The rest will be taken care of by Converge DRIP marketing automation.
Task Reminders
You’re busy and you need help staying on top of everything and so you have decided to invest in a CRM right? Find a CRM that allows you to take a quick look at your day’s activities.
In precise you should be able to
When you’re selecting a CRM, you’re not only selecting a product, you’re selecting a partner. With this thought in mind, you cannot afford to ignore but answer these questions before making the final plunge:
Note: Most CRM vendors can try to hard sell, only to neglect you once you actually become their customer. Be sure to select the right vendor who shows you the true light to CRM success.
Patricia is a full time CRM consultant at ConvergeHub and part-time blogger. She has earned herself quite a fame as a specialist and market expert in CRM software. In the last five year she has worked with various companies as CRM consultant to help them move their businesses to cloud. Her expertise lies in offering cloud CRM consultation, CRM customization and integration solutions to small enterprises. For last one she is engaged in building ConvergeHub, cloud-based CRM solution for SMBs, as a consultant.Follow her at Twitter: @convergehub
