{"id":221,"date":"2015-03-24T09:20:14","date_gmt":"2015-03-24T09:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/viennaadvantage.com\/blog\/?p=221"},"modified":"2021-12-17T14:12:37","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T14:12:37","slug":"how-to-evaluate-a-crm-customer-relationship-management-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/business-hacks\/how-to-evaluate-a-crm-customer-relationship-management-software\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Evaluate a CRM \u2013 Customer Relationship Management Software?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When a company makes a decision to invest in a <strong>CRM &#8211;<\/strong> <strong>Customer Relationship Management Software<\/strong>, it should inevitably involve key personnel from top management, sales and marketing departments, which would eventually use the system and help realize its value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Investing in the right <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/crm.php\" target=\"_blank\">CRM solution<\/a> would most probably increase productivity, cut operating costs, boost efficiency and increase revenue. But with so many options available today, a company needs to have clear selection criteria in order to make the right decision and choose the <strong>CRM <\/strong>that best suits its business needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following steps would help corporate officers, senior management and marketing and sales personnel jointly discover and evaluate a CRM solution that best suits their business needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>STEP 1:<\/strong> Select maximum 5 CRM vendors you want to evaluate<\/li><li><strong>STEP 2:<\/strong> Choose a list of selection and evaluation criteria<\/li><li><strong>STEP 3:<\/strong> Provide score for each criteria<\/li><li><strong>STEP 4:<\/strong> Fill out a score card to receive a total score for each CRM vendor<\/li><li><strong>STEP 5:<\/strong> Compare results and choose the vendor with the highest scores<br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 1: Select maximum 5 CRM vendors you want to evaluate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you start the whole process, it\u2019s important to understand why your business needs a <strong>CRM<\/strong> in the first place? A well planned <strong>CRM strategy<\/strong> supported by the right technology can deliver powerful results &#8211; but what goals do you want to achieve through CRM?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Is it to produce powerful sales and business insights?<\/li><li>Is it to have a history of your contacts, leads, deals and conversations?<\/li><li>Is it to scale your operation and make you more productive?<br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"323\" src=\"http:\/\/viennaadvantage.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step1_CRM-1024x323.png\" alt=\"Step1: Evaluate a CRM\" class=\"wp-image-223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step1_CRM-1024x323.png 1024w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step1_CRM-300x95.png 300w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step1_CRM-1170x369.png 1170w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step1_CRM.png 1221w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever your goals are, write them down! You will be able to better evaluate your options if you know what your goals are.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 2: Choose a list of selection and evaluation criteria<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With so many options available today, a company needs to have a clear selection criteria in order to make the right decision and choose the CRM that best suits its business needs. Here are just a few important criteria that we believe every <strong>CRM evaluation<\/strong> should address to:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Annual cost: What is the annual cost of the CRM?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Annual cost is a good starting point when you evaluate a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/crm.php\" target=\"_blank\">CRM solution<\/a>, because it\u2019s important to know if you can actually afford the CRM services from the shortlisted vendor. Here is how to calculate your <strong>total annual cost:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Number of Users <\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">x<\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"> <\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-luminous-vivid-amber-color\">Cost per Month<\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"> <\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">=<\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"> <\/span><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-green-cyan-color\">Annual Cost<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>First you need to figure out how many people in your company will be using the <strong>CRM<\/strong>, then find out the subscription fee per month of the companies you are evaluating.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Implementation: How long does the CRM take to implement?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Some <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/crm.php\" target=\"_blank\">CRM systems<\/a> take a lot longer to implement than others. What good is a CRM, if you have to wait for nearly a year, to use it? Be sure to ask your CRM vendor how long they expect implementation to take. And do not forget that your job isn\u2019t done when the <strong>CRM<\/strong> is working, it\u2019s done when your team is actually using it.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does it cost anything extra to implement?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Some CRM systems cost extra to implement, while some are easy to set up and don\u2019t require any extra implementation costs. For small businesses and start-ups, avoid expensive CRM implementations. You can find great CRM solutions that are cheap to implement.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mobility: <strong>How important is mobility to your team?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A CRM that works when you\u2019re sitting at your desk will not necessarily work anywhere, like in the field. Mobility is a key-driver for CRM selection so you can make sure the experience is seamless from desktop to mobile. When you evaluate a CRM, look for a system that is easy to access from anywhere, anytime, even offline.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Integration: Does it integrate with the tools you already use?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>CRM isn\u2019t the only software your company uses. Select a CRM that integrates with the tools your company already uses, making it a flexible partner for all of your responsibilities. Here are some key considerations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Can you attach or create invoices, proposals and sales quotes?<\/li><li>What are the key tools or programs you need the CRM to work with?<\/li><li>What email marketing tools does the CRM integrate with?<\/li><li>Does it offer document storage?<br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Analytics: Does it provide the reports that the management needs?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The data that you can glean from a CRM system is only as good as the data entered. Think about what metrics you as the manager, need to see \u2013 and make sure the <strong>CRM<\/strong> you choose will readily provide you with those insights.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Automation: How well does it automate for you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/crm.php\" target=\"_blank\">CRM system<\/a> you choose is able to automate certain tasks such as: Call Logging, Task Reminders, Calendar and Alerts, Email Automation, Workflow Automation, etc.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Scalability: Will the CRM grow with you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You need a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/crm.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CRM solution<\/a> that is simple to implement and use, yet intelligent and powerful enough to benefit your bottom line and grow with you. When rating a CRM vendor you should take in consideration the following points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Permissions\/ Roles:<\/strong> Does the CRM offer state of the art user permissions and team management? Look for a CRM that allows you to assign visibility to individuals, teams, superiors, divisions\u2026<\/li><li><strong>Geo-location:<\/strong> Some modern CRM\u2019s offer geo-location functionality, which allows you to visualize your contacts, leads, and deals on a map and reach them with one-touch driving directions.<\/li><li><strong>Cost to Grow:<\/strong> Just because a CRM works for your company today, it doesn\u2019t mean it will be a fit in 1, or 5 years. Think about how a CRM will scale up as your business grows. Look for a CRM that will be a long-term partner.<br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Customizability: Is it easy to customize it to suit your business?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When you evaluate a CRM, look for a solution that allows you to easily customize your sales stages and add custom fields, filters and tags, so it makes sense to your business.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Data Access: Can you easily import and export your data?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re already using a CRM system and you\u2019re looking to change you vendor, a big concern would be how you would get your data out of one system and into another. Here are some key considerations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do you need your IT department to import and export data &#8211; or can users complete this process themselves?<\/li><li>Can you run your current system and the system you\u2019re switching to, in parallel?<\/li><li>How well does the company document the import\/export process?<br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Customer Support: Will you receive the customer support you need?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to remember that when you\u2019re selecting a CRM, you\u2019re not only selecting a product, you\u2019re selecting a partner. How would you rate your interactions with each company you are evaluating? What is their customer service and support options like after you\u2019re up and running?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 3: Provide score for each CRM evaluation criteria<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After shortlisting the CRM vendors and creating a list of all relevant criteria, you should now rate every vendor for each criterion and draw up a score card. See the example on the picture below:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step3_CRM-1024x276.png\" alt=\"Step3: Evaluate a CRM\" class=\"wp-image-234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step3_CRM-1024x276.png 1024w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step3_CRM-300x81.png 300w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step3_CRM-1170x316.png 1170w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step3_CRM.png 1837w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 4: Fill out a score card <strong>to receive a total score for each CRM vendor<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this step you should collect all scores for each vendor and each criteria in one table. Fill out the score cards and sum up the numbers for each <strong>CRM<\/strong> vendor. In that way you will get a total score for each CRM vendor. Consider the vendors with the highest scores. Below you may find a table where you can add the scores for each vendor and each criteria:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/viennaadvantage.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Step4_CRM-1024x545.png\" alt=\"Step4_CRM\" width=\"840\" height=\"447\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 5: Compare results and choose the vendor with the highest scores<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After filling in the above table and summing up the results, choose the vendor with the highest score!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>VIENNA Advantage CRM \u2013 Customer Relationship Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By following this article you will be on the right track to select the <strong>best CRM solution<\/strong> for your company. Do not forget to add <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/crm.php\" target=\"_blank\">VIENNA Advantage CRM<\/a> to your vendors list.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5_-GF4-FBO4\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Watch video overview of VIENNA Advantage CRM <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5_-GF4-FBO4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few facts why you should take in consideration <strong>Vienna Advantage CRM:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Covers complete set of CRM features<\/li><li>First Mid-Market CRM, based on Model Driven Architecture<\/li><li>Choice between On-premises and Cloud editions<\/li><li>Integrated with <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/erp-crm-overview.php\" target=\"_blank\">ERP<\/a> &amp; <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/erp-crm-overview.php\" target=\"_blank\">DMS<\/a>, on demand<\/li><li>Inbuilt Workflow Management System<\/li><li>Integrated Collaboration &amp; Productivity Features<\/li><li>Highly Scalable and User-Friendly<\/li><li>Inbuilt Dynamic Reporting Capabilities<br><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Download our free CRM brochure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sourceforge.net\/projects\/erp-crm-advant\/files\/Other%20Files\/CRM-Sales-Marketing-Brochure.pdf\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/www.viennaadvantage.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CRM-Brochure-VIENNA-Advantage_1200x627--1024x535.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2091\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CRM-Brochure-VIENNA-Advantage_1200x627--1024x535.png 1024w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CRM-Brochure-VIENNA-Advantage_1200x627--300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CRM-Brochure-VIENNA-Advantage_1200x627--768x401.png 768w, https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CRM-Brochure-VIENNA-Advantage_1200x627-.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a company makes a decision to invest in a CRM &#8211; Customer Relationship Management Software, it should inevitably involve key personnel from top management, sales and marketing departments, which would eventually use the system and help realize its value. <a href=\"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/business-hacks\/how-to-evaluate-a-crm-customer-relationship-management-software\/\"> Read more&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-hacks","tag-customer-relationship-management-crm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2095,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions\/2095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onfinity.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}