At a company, one of the constant goals is to improve the employees’ efficiencies and free up their time. Therefore, picking the correct Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is important.  The two most important factors while choosing a CRM program are that your customer database is protected and it’s easy to use by your employees. If you don’t pick the right CRM for your team you will end up with a CRM program that is just another piece of useless software. This will result in reduced employee morale and losses. 

Here we’ve listed out 5 basic requirements for you to choose the right CRM program for you. If you follow these basic requirements while choosing a CRM software, you will be able to pick the correct CRM.

1 Goals

The essential thing while choosing a CRM program is to identify the problem you need to solve. To pick the right CRM tool, you will need to prioritise your business’ problems. This way you will be able to pick a CRM program that will be the most effective. We have listed a few of the most common goals that you should consider while deciding on the perfect CRM package. They are as follows:

• Track Leads and Lead Activity
• Track Customer Base
• Track Opportunities and Closing Rates
• Offer Connectivity Between Teams
• Manage Relationships
• Generate Customized Reporting
• Organize Business Operations
• Increase Profitability
• Increase Productivity

2 Implementation costs

This requirement is very integral in choosing and setting up the correct CRM. Since you will be introducing new software, there is going to be a period of implementation and there will be costs associated with it. There is a chance that you may need an outside consultant or a dedicated employee who is leading the project. In either case, you should budget for a substantial period of time spent on training and testing while the system bugs are worked out and best practices are established.  Therefore, set up results in substantial costs and will also take time away from your teams’ current obligations, so do not underestimate this requirement. Thus, when exploring CRM programs, check how much manpower would be required for implementation

3 Mobility

Mobility is important in today’s world. Your employees will most likely be mobile and will use numerous devices, such as phones, tablets and laptops, to access the CRM program. Therefore, choose a CRM program that can be easily accessed using a variety of web-enabled devices. Also, the platform should be updated regularly and remain current with new technology.

4 Customization

: CRM programs are created with a multitude of business processes in mind. It is essential that the CRM you choose is flexible and will handle all the operations and processes.  Moreover, you should choose a CRM that will adapt to your business and will be able to accommodate your company’s new processes or operations without having to be replaced.

5 Reporting

While all the functionality of CRM programs is important, it is the product’s reporting capabilities that are the most important. Your data management and reporting capabilities will help you set yourself apart from your competition in the long run. The feature to customize reports based on your unique data will portray your successes, losses and opportunities for improvement. Data management and reporting from your CRM program can be used for decision making and future strategies. Therefore it’s very important the customer data has been entered correctly and that results are reported without any errors.