#1 Will the Cloud PBX Solution support your business needs?

#2 What about sufficient bandwidth?

 #3 User training

#4 Scalability and flexibility

Zoho has over 13 million users, a good portion of them being South Africans, due to this Zoho now offers all 45 plus business software applications at a fixed South African rand price. This was implemented as part of the brand's global survive-and-serve strategy to ease the impact of currency fluctuations, especially on small businesses. Zoho seeks to make this adoption both simple and affordable by providing its world-class software solutions at a fair price, protected from exchange rate fluctuations.

Zoho’s product portfolio consists of more than 45 apps in nearly every major business category, including:

> Sales

> Marketing

> Support

> Finance

> HR & Operations
> A range of productivity & collaboration tools

Zoho's most revolutionary offering is Zoho One, a single platform that includes 45+ software applications that can run an entire business for as little as R450pm per user (billed annually) 

Zoho One Pricing

Paul Wilson is the Technical Director at DSL Telecom and is one of the most experienced Zoho Consultants in South Africa and Africa. He has developed skills and expertise in most industries in SA due to the range of projects he has worked on. His primary focus is helping customers make smart technology investments and improving their Zoho Software business practices that ultimately save time and money. 

Paul's Zoho application expertise spans across popular Zoho applications namely: Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Zoho Campaigns, Zoho CRM Plus, Zoho Recruit, Zoho Books, Zoho Workplace & Zoho Projects. He has helped implement Zoho's technology to a wide range of companies across various industries including education, construction, transportation as well as finance. 

For more information about our Zoho offerings: 

Zoho Software Training 👉 https://www.dsltelecom.co.za/zohotraining

It's tough to pick a CRM solution and invest significant time and money into that process. Don't we all love a little guidance in making the important decisions in life? With this blog, we'll help you choose the right Zoho CRM edition to fit your business. 

Now that your organisation is on the look out for a CRM system, you will need to start with gaining a deeper understanding of your software requirements and what features you can expect from CRM software vendors.

Zoho CRM offers compellingly affordable plans for small businesses, but it also offers the Enterprise tier to satisfy the demands of larger businesses. Designed to easily scale users up or down as your business requirements fluctuate.

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.