Purchasing a CRM for your business is a big investment. As such, you want to make sure the one you choose is fit for your purposes. You generally need to consider 5 main things when choosing CRMs:
- Your goals
- Is it easy to use?
- Your budget
- Scalability
- Integrations
Let’s take a more detailed look at why these factors are important for your CRM choice.
What are your main goals?
All businesses are different, and that’s why there are so many different CRMs out there. In reality, all of them do the same thing – broadly. However, some are more targeted to certain actions and even certain types of businesses. So, you firstly need to consider your reasons for wanting a CRM in the first place.
Do you need to generate more leads? Are leads getting lost, and you want additional sales automation features? Or are your needs mainly focused on improving customer service? Whatever your main goal, choose a product that’s targeted accordingly.
Ease of use
While CRMs all do roughly the same thing, their actual functionality is very different. Often, the user experience is developed in line with a CRM’s target audience. So, while there are some basic CRM solutions out there for start-ups and SMEs, they tend to get more complicated as you go up the chain. Enterprise options, for example, usually have more features and that comes with added complexity.
In addition, some CRMs are more visual. This means they provide clear visual workflows to help your staff understand what to do next, and how every action links together. But perhaps the most important aspect of the user experience is creating workflows. If it’s easy to do this, you’ll likely get a lot more out of your product.
Consider your budget for CRMs
Naturally, your budget is a consideration for every business expense. You need to weigh up how much benefit you’ll get before just jumping into the most expensive one on the market. For SMEs, consider whether you really need every single feature that the best CRMs offer. Perhaps a cheaper alternative will help you reach your goals just as effectively.
Most have a monthly subscription fee based on the number of users and additional features. So, choose wisely, and make sure you can afford the one you choose.
Is the product scalable?
Most CRMs are scalable, which is great for businesses focused on growth. But, it still pays to check how the scalability actually works. For example, can you easily add a few features here and there? Can you grow your list of users gradually? Or, do you need to jump straight to a different pricing platform to access the features and user limits you need?
Which CRMs give you the right integrations?
Finally, integrations are crucial to getting the most out of your CRM. Ensure that your CRM can link seamlessly with other software, such as email clients, calendars and ERPs. You’ll also benefit greatly if your CRM connects to your phone system.
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