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    CRM SELECTION WITH A SYSTEM

    No agony of choice

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    There are several hundred CRM software systems. We help you with tips & tricks to make the right CRM choice and answer the following questions:

    • What is the best way to prepare?
    • Who is involved in the decision?
    • What should you not forget under any circumstances?

    For those in a hurry: download the content of this page, read it later and share it with others!


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    Download wiki page as PDF

    Who makes the CRM selection?

    So that you can find a consensus for the entire company

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    CRM software selection is actually a joint effort by various people. There are different roles for the entire decision-making process.

    CRM manager

    While the management naturally acts as the main decision-maker, it makes sense to integrate a CRM manager into the company structure.

    This person should have various qualities: a certain communicative and integrative skill as well as the ability to think across different departments. The CRM manager's task is to establish CRM sustainably within the company, coordinate processes and initiate the necessary adjustments.

    To do this, they not only need the full support of the management, but also that of the individual departments.

    CRM team

    This leads us to the next part of the puzzle. Because a CRM manager also needs a CRM team. This team is made up of key users from the areas of the company to be optimized, for example sales, service and marketing. The team and manager then work together to develop the CRM objectives and the criteria according to which a suitable system is selected.

    Involving the actual users of the CRM software is extremely important. On the one hand, because they know best what they expect from a CRM, and on the other hand because this increases the acceptance of the new CRM system in the company enormously.

    CRM consultant

    A CRM consultant is an external expert who provides you with advice and support throughout the entire CRM implementation process, including CRM selection.

    This is not a must, but can be a great help if this is your first CRM contact or if you are dealing with a particularly complex group of key users.

    CRM selection criteria

    Helpful guidelines from CRM practice

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    When selecting a CRM system, you, your CRM manager and the CRM team follow certain criteria that you define explicitly for your company and your CRM objectives. Unfortunately, we cannot take this task off your hands.

    But we do have some inspiration for you. Read the blog article 9 questions for comparing CRM systems. Use the CRM requirements checklist as a guide for your requirements and easily compare which providers meet your needs.

    Excursus: CRM in the cloud or on-premise

    Which is better for your company?

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    Both variants clearly have a raison d'être. Read the following blog articles to find out about the respective advantages of CRM in the cloud or on-premise? and Is it also available as CRM SaaS?

    For a quick start with CRM, you can find details on Gedys Intraware's CRM software-as-a-service offering on the Cloud CRM solution product page.

    How to proceed with the CRM selection

    The following steps serve as a guide

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    Once the CRM manager and his team have worked out the benefits and objectives of the CRM project, the next step is to select the appropriate CRM software. The required functions are often already included in standard solutions. However, it is quite possible that you will be missing special features or that the existing ones are not sufficient. In this case, you will need customizations that fit your individual requirements. So pay attention to the customizing services offered by the various providers.

    1

    Kickoff workshop

    At the kickoff, the manager and team define the specific requirements for your CRM system.

    • What technical requirements must be met?
    • What functionalities do users in the company need to optimize processes?
    • What is a must and what is nice-to-have?

    You record this in the specifications.

    2

    Long list

    As soon as the specifications have been drawn up, the search for possible CRM providers begins. You will already be able to exclude some of them based on the defined parameters. You should limit the resulting long list of possible providers to a realistic number. In the next step, you will send them your specifications in order to receive offers. You then need to view and compare the offers in detail.

    3

    Short list

    Use the offers to further narrow down your previous selection. Then make appointments for the software presentations. Don't underestimate this phase: we recommend only one per day, but all appointments should take place within a period of five to seven days so that you keep the important things in mind. As a guide: limit yourself to a maximum of three to five providers.

    Costs and benefits of CRM selection

    How much should your CRM cost?

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    What price should it not exceed under any circumstances? When selecting a CRM, it is of course also helpful to budget the project. This information can already help you during the provider research when sifting through the options. A rough guide is €3,000 per user including training.

    Finding key figures for measurable CRM success

    Think about how you can measure the ROI (return on investment) of your new CRM system in advance. Since every CRM system involves different optimizations from company to company, this calculation is not easy to generalize. However, certain key figures can be used to measure success. Use our "ROI checklist" for this purpose.

    You should not forget this when selecting a CRM!

    Important points that you should clarify with the CRM providers in advance.

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    CRM experience

    Even if innovation and modern functionalities are important criteria for the CRM system selection: Don't forget the value of an experienced CRM provider. They may have already managed projects in your industry.

    With the help of a wealth of experience, any obstacles can be identified and avoided in advance. Helpful tips and tricks pave the way to a happy CRM project conclusion.

    Service & Support

    Even the best CRM system can be stubborn and not want what you want. That's why it's important to be able to rely on appropriate service and support in an emergency. And preferably without horrendous bills. Therefore, clarify in advance what scope can be offered to you and at what price.

    CRM licenses

    For budgeting purposes, you should know how many users there will be in your company.

    The number of licenses required and their flexible scaling could be an important criterion for your selection.

    Data formats

    You should also pay attention to what happens to your data in the event of a contract termination. In which exchange format can you access your data? Is this format also readable for software alternatives that you might want to switch to?

    What happens after the CRM selection?

    What you need to know now about the CRM implementation

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    Once you have selected your CRM system, you have already done a lot of work. From now on, the ball is in the court of the provider of your choice. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to have an idea of the next steps when planning the entire project.

    See the CRM selection in context

    It is important to see CRM selection as part of the introduction of a CRM system. Our blog article 7 phases of CRM implementation will help you with this. No matter which choice you make: Maintaining and regularly re-evaluating your CRM system is half the battle on your road to CRM success. The various stages from strategy to selection to go-live are summarized in this e-book: 15 stages to CRM.