Are you on the right track with your CRM?

Choosing and deploying the right CRM is never easy. If so, we wouldn’t come across so many CRM failure stories. Even topnotch applications don’t work sometimes. However, in nine out of ten cases, it is not the vendors fault; it is negligence, insufficient research or inadequate groundwork on the buyer’s side that causes the failure.

So, how to make the most of your CRM application?

Here’s how you can avoid a CRM catastrophe…

An in-depth study of your business functions is perhaps the first step to choosing a CRM for your business. Study your sales, marketing and customer support processes. Each business is unique, so, identify how your business processes can be integrated into a CRM application. Safe secure data migration and integration is definitely the top priority. Go for a CRM application which you can integrate with your existing business processes quickly and in a hassle-free manner. An easy way around in this process is a sure recipe towards a CRM disaster. You will most likely land up buying a CRM which does not meet your business needs.

A good CRM application is one that automates and integrates key business functions – Sales, Marketing and Customer support. You can manage sales activities, track marketing operations and control entire customer support issues from one centralized application. Checkout how the CRM you have in mind will help to accomplish the same. An in-depth step-by-step study of each involved process will help you gain better understanding so you can adopt informed decisions.

To this effect, it may do well to analyze where and how your business data is compiled; whether it is accurate; if there is duplication, if so, how to avoid them, etc. Next, determine your reporting needs. Make sure that the CRM solution you choose delivers reports in the appropriate format.

Lastly, never overlook security, ease of deployment, user friendliness, quick customization, cost effectiveness, and maintenance.