Your CRM project is really taking shape! In a few months, you’ll be able to work much more efficiently thanks to this new software. But first, you have to choose THE solution, the one that will take you to the very top of customer relationship management… Anyway!
Let’s rein it in a bit and define the main rules that a CRM solution must follow.
To start, a CRM must be designed to boost productivity for as many people as possible. This means it must serve the needs of the sales team, but that’s not all. A CRM with little or no marketing functionality, for example, is not a safe bet!
In addition, it has to be simple and intuitive enough to make users’ day‑to‑day work easier. The goal isn’t to saddle yourself with a monster of a system that just makes everything more complicated.
Of course, it also has to be able to adapt to your company’s specific requirements (multi‑site, multilingual or multi‑currency, for example).
You’ll be able to choose from the best CRM solutions on the market such as Odoo, SugarCRM, Salesforce or Hubspot.
Then, your future CRM has to be forward‑looking. Don’t think only about your needs right now. You won’t be switching CRMs every year, so plan for future needs and make sure the solution you choose will stand the test of time.
Looking to the future also means your CRM must keep pace with new technologies (AI, marketing automation, etc.). Implementing a new CRM solution is often the perfect time to review and improve your processes with new features.
Finally, your CRM has to win over your CIO.
This is a nice way of saying that it must be technically efficient. Whether it’s in relation to interoperability or security issues, check with your CIO to ensure that the solution you choose meets the technical criteria essential for proper operation over the years.
To discover the 10 key factors of a successful CRM project for sales and marketing departments, read our B2B CRM Guide. It’s a great read!
