When it comes to customer relationship management (CRM), it’s important to choose the right CRM system with capabilities that suit your business before embarking on your selection process.
No matter what size your company is, or the industry you operate in, the correct CRM software will help you stay competitive by allowing you to:
- Keep track of all your interactions with all your customers
- Consolidate all your customer data into one easy-to-access location
- Maintain powerful customer relationships with greater and faster communication
- Sell more products and services
- Improve your processes
- Enhance communication between sales and marketing teams
- Acquire new customers and retain existing customers
- Refine your customer segmentation process
As you've probably realised, selecting the perfect CRM system is no simple process.
The challenge lies not only in the fact that there are so many potential CRM solutions and technologies to choose from, but you also have to consider CRM system deployment options, ability to customise, cost, scalability, and business value, before you make your choice.
That‘s precisely why we created this blog—to provide you with the essential information you need to make the best decision possible for your organisation.
Consider the 7 following criteria when selecting a CRM software:
1. User-friendly software is important
Your employees will need to work with your CRM on a daily basis, so you should emphasise the importance of the user experience during the selection process. Regardless of the number of features your system guarantees, if your system is not user-friendly, your staff won’t be able to maximise the full benefits, leaving them discouraged and resistant to the software change, causing delays and affecting productivity. Make sure you select a system that’s accessible and easy-to-use.
- Ask these questions during your demo:
- How easy is it to use the software interface?
- How long does it take to adjust to the software?
- Can the interface be customised to more closely match the needs of my organisation?
- What type of software documentation and training will be provided?
2. Ensure that there is a local partner for Support, Consultation, Training and Implementation
Since a CRM application is such a major investment, it's critical to implement and maintain it effectively. Your software consultant or customer success manager will be a good resource for technical queries or for other questions that may arise. In addition, you may still need to rely on the consultant to assist you with modifications later down the line. Therefore, ensure your consultant is a certified South African partner.
- Here are some important questions to ask regarding support for your CRM software:
- How quickly are support calls handled?
- Is there an SLA agreement?
- What options are available for after-hours questions or concerns?
- Are there customer service plans available?
- What level of support can I expect?
3. Flexible reporting
Look for a system with the capability to produce the reports your organisation requires. When reviewing your options, find out if customised reports can be created with minimum time and effort, or even automatically updated. Also, find out if the system will allow you to manipulate the data according to your business's needs. Your CRM system needs to show you reports of your data in graphs and statistics that make sense for your business.
- Here are some important questions to ask about reports in your CRM software:
- How quickly are reports generated?
- Can reports in the CRM system she shared and exported?
- It is possible to customise the report dashboard?
- Can reports be embedded to third-party dashboards?
- Are there analytics features?
4. Are growth and scalability supported?
A good software company invests heavily in engineering and develops new product features and enhancements regularly. It stays abreast of new technologies and makes sure that its customers do too. Often, software upgrades cost far less than the retail price of the full program. Some CRM vendors even provide upgrades within their support programs. A superior CRM software manufacturer will provide product upgrades at reasonable prices or as part of a yearly service agreement. It is imperative to have a CRM software that grows with your business.
5. Does the price of the CRM system fit your budget?
Remember that your CRM system is a business investment. As such, your return on investment (ROI) should be a major component in determining which CRM system you select and how you choose to deploy it. Spending too little could result in an inadequate system that does not meet the needs of your customers or your organisation, while overspending may put your business at risk. If you are honest with your reseller about the factors that will ultimately influence your decision, you should be able to make an informed decision that fits comfortably within your budget.
6. Adopt a highly customisable CRM
A truly customisable solution should be adaptable to fit the needs of your business, such as modifications to fields, buttons and sales cycle processes and managing complex data sets and layouts. For adaption, growth and prospective strategies, focus on getting a CRM System that is a highly adaptable and enables businesses of all sizes and industries to create a platform perfectly tailored to their teams’ processes and unique business needs.
- Questions you should be asking:
- Does the software allow you to modify and customise all aspects of the CRM system?
- Are the customisation tools easy-to-use?
- Do you have the ability to create and modify fields, screens, buttons, tables, views, script, and security settings on the go?
7. Does the CRM software integrate smoothly with the programs you are already using?
A great CRM platform needs to be able to work in harmony with your existing applications. This is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a CRM for your business. You’re not buying a CRM application as yet another item to add to your collection of different work systems. You’re buying it to help streamline and integrate your business operations! It is important to list the third-party software that your company currently uses and look into CRMs that offer the relevant integration tools.
Pro Tip: In order to ensure you're making the right choice for your business, many CRM systems offer a free trial for a sufficient period of time. In this period, you’ll be able to understand if the CRM system match your requirements.
Zoho Software is expanding in South Africa
In 2020, the leading global cloud business software provider, Zoho, announced its plans to expand its footprints in South Africa in order to help African businesses in their digital transformation journey.
DSL Telecom is a South African Zoho Premium Partner. Zoho CRM System covers all of the above criteria and more! Zoho CRM Software empowers a global network of over 150,000 businesses in 180 countries to convert more leads, engage with customers, and grow their revenue. Transform your business with the world’s favourite Customer Relationship Management software.
Try your Zoho CRM Free Trial today: