BigContacts Product News

Choosing the right CRM software for your business

CRM software has so many features and dimensions to it that it is more important than ever that you take a systematic approach to the process of choosing a vendor.  This is the only way to ensure you find the best fit for your company.

If you look at this review process on two levels, you can better evaluate and rank your options.  There is the provider level, and the product level.  There are certain things you want to look for and demand that the provider offer to you if you are going to purchase software, and there will be a certain set of features that the product will need to offer in order to meet your specific business needs. 

Below are a few of the questions that you will want to cover as you go through this review process.

Provider Level Criteria

1. Customer Self-service – are there resources available that make it easy for you to locate answers to your questions 24/7?
   
   
2. Help Functionality – you want a help/support suite that is intuitive, yet comprehensive in nature.  You should be able to find answers to virtually any question you may have about the software.
   
   
3. Support – a minimum level of support should be included with the price of the software; including email ticketing support and live chat.  It’s good to pay attention to how responsive a vendor is during your selection process.
   
   Keep in mind that you are buying more than just the software - you’re also buying the service and support that this vendor will deliver. If you’re uncomfortable with the service or support, then don’t invest in the software.
   
   
4. Training –Training videos should be available so that you can learn at your own pace, and the company should at least offer live training to you and your team even if it is for an additional charge.  This is very important as there may be situations that are specific to your business that you need answers to that a generic video cannot deliver.

Product Level Criteria

1. Intuitiveness of system – the system should be so easy to use that anyone on your team can jump right in and start using it.  A good system should require very little training to at least get started.
   
   
2. System navigation – really pay attention to how many clicks & tabs (on average) you need to use to perform your key functions within the system.  These are the things that you will be using day in and day out to manage your prospect and customer relationships.  It may not seem like a big deal at first but over time the number of clicks and tabs you must navigate to perform your key tasks each day can have an impact on how much you can get done and the ground you can cover as you work through your day.  
   
   
3. System Features - when evaluating any system, it helps to look at it from the perspective of the Customer Lifecycle, which encompasses the essence of managing and growing your business. 
   
   The Customer Lifecycle is made up of 3 main phases:
   
   
   
   
   
   I.  FINDing the right prospects
   What tools/ modules does the system offer to help you to more effectively capture and organize leads?
   
   II.  CONVERTing more Prospects to Customers
   What tools/ modules does the system offer to help you more effectively:
   
   Organize key information about your prospects
   
   Track opportunities through each stage of your sales process
   
   Deliver targeted and timely messages to ensure that you stay top of mind to your prospect and they move through their buying process
   
   Manage automated tasks/ reminders to your sales people to ensure that they touch base with the prospect at just the right times throughout the sales process – ensuring that no opportunity falls through the cracks
   
   III. KEEPing more customers
   What tools/ modules does the system offer to help you more effectively touch base on a regular schedule with your customers?  All this with the goal of:
   
   Staying top of mind with your customers so that next time they go to make a purchase they will think of you
   
   Reminding customers that you care about them and appreciate their business
   
   Managing your workflows and tasks to ensure timely customer service and follow-up

Making your final decision  

After you have completed your review and ranking of several systems, you should now have a thorough side-by-side comparison to make your most informed decision.    

Every decision has its advantages and disadvantages.  The challenge is to figure out which choice will provide you with the greatest net advantage based on your priorities and specific business needs.

Questions? Give us a call

For answers to your important CRM questions, give us a call at 1.888.286.6578 - (Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm EST).  We would be happy to help.