CRM Selection Mistakes to Avoid

When a business grows, it is fairly inevitable that it will need to begin using Customer Relationship Management software. This may not happen instantly, but will develop over time, when the business begins to identify pitfalls in the present way they are managing their business. CRM software can streamline processes within a business with more accurate measurement, therefore providing a more accurate level of management.

With there being an estimated 800 CRM solutions available on the market, many business owners can become quite overwhelmed with the choices presented to them, that their decision can become frustrated and wrong choices are made. There are definitely CRM selection mistakes to avoid and these can be followed very closely.

Identify the needs of the business

The first step in understanding the CRM selection mistakes to avoid, is to know very clearly what the goals of the business are, that necessitate the introduction of a CRM program. For instance, is the business launching a new telemarketing campaign whereby there are ten telemarketers across the country with their own areas to call? How are the results of this campaign going to be collated so that the business can generate more sales from these leads?

Is there going to be an email follow up given to these leads? Will they receive some sponsorship material in the post? By first understanding the end result, then it becomes clear what CRM selection mistakes to avoid. Don’t buy one that doesn’t do what you need. Also, don’t assume the business will cope the way it is, without the CRM implementation, and don’t view the admission that some present manual systems just aren’t efficient enough, as a failure. See it as the catalyst for improvement.

Don’t go overboard on CRM functionality

The second step in understanding the CRM selection mistakes to avoid is to resist the temptation to be over impressed with the functionality of a particular CRM package that actually will give no benefit to your business. If there is a process that is already functioning, and the workflow is acceptable, there is little point in introducing an automation system just for the sake of it that runs the risk of disrupting the flow simply because staff don’t know how to make the adaption to the system.

CRM Price is only one Consideration

Another example of CRM selection mistakes to avoid is to base a decision on cost alone. As the saying goes, if you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys. It is worth calculating the additional benefits that can be gained by investing a slightly higher amount towards a CRM package, if it is defined that the net cash flow from operations will increase as a direct result of the CRM package.

Managing Customer Expectations

One more consideration when it comes to CRM selection mistakes to avoid is that of expectation. Many businesses identify the need for a CRM package that will meet their needs, and because of the enthusiasm for the program after seeing how it can make such a difference to the running of the business, this can sometimes cause the business owners to go off on other tangents with their business development and lose sight of the original reason for implementing the CRM. And then they begin to wonder why the CRM they chose suddenly doesn’t do what they want. This is definitely the worst of the CRM selection mistakes to avoid.

Video: CRM Project Mistakes to Avoid

Free TCO Pricing Calculator for CRM Implementations

Click here to receive our Free CRM TCO Cost Matrix.

With this TCO matrix, you will be able to identify the chief Cost issues that are crucial for any CRM project. We have also included data for evaluating CRM software systems such as Microsoft CRM, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and more. You will be able to view the 5 Year Total Cost of Ownership for both Online and OnPremise models.

Pricing Items addressed:

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3. Implementation
4. Staff
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6. Network (incl. Server/Users)
7. iPad
8. and much more.

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Managing SugarCRM Activities and Activity Reports

One of the best features in SugarCRM is the ability to drive your business forward with Activities. Sugar provides 4 different kinds of Activities: Calls, Meetings, Tasks, and Emails.

Calls enables the user to track and categorize calls as either (a) Planned (b) Held or (c) Not Held. Every Call falls into one of these 3 categories. And the more these are defined and used in the business process, the higher quality the KPI reports can be that are generated by the Executive Team.

Fields on the Calls layout include the Subject line, the Start Date and Time, the Duration of the Call (15 Minute increments), Call Direction (Inbound vs Outbound), Call Status (Planned, Held, Not Held) and Description (Note field to capture details of the call).

To read the entire article, including Screenshots, click here.

SugarCRM Options for Managing Activities

Assigning. Just as in other Modules, Users are able to Assign Activities to other Users. For example, Will is able to schedule a technical call for Jason.

Security. Users are also able to make an Activity viewable by other Teams. This is not to be confused with Assigning Activities. While Assigning an Activity places the Activity on the Calendar of the other User, adding more Teams to Activity allows Users on those Teams to be able to view the details of that Activity.

Reminders. This allows the User to set an Alert to remind her of the upcoming call. This is especially useful when assigning the call to other users.

When the Alert Message pops up, the User is able to either View the Activity or Dismiss the message.

Related To. Users are able to relate Activities to records on other Modules. Simply choose the Module and then select the record. Keep in mind that Sugar is a relational database. This means, for example, that if you relate an Activity to a particular Contact, then that Activity will also automatically be visible on the Account record that the Contact is a member of. Thus, the User is not required to relate the Activity to both the Contact as well as the Account. By relating it to the Contact, SugarCRM does the rest of the relating for you!

Adding Invitees. Users are able to add Invitees from among (a) other Users (b) Contacts (c) Leads. In the list below, the User “Will” has added another User (Jason), his Contact (Johnny) as well as a Lead (Jerry).

To begin adding Invitees, simply start searching for a First Name, Last Name or Email. You can type in just the first letter if you choose. For example, to find anyone whose First Name begins with “J”, simply type J into that field.

Availability. SugarCRM also informs you of Availability for all Invitees. In the above screen, we see that all Invitees are available for the requested time slot. Will’s time is blocked out because he is the organizer.

Sending Invites. The scheduling screen (only visible within the Activity Edit Mode) allows Users to Send Invites. Once you have finalized your list of Invitees, hit the Send Invites button to send each recipient an invitation to the Activity per E-mail.

Accept Status. Now that the User has sent out the Activity Invitation, they are able to view the Accept Status (None, Accepted).

Free SugarCRM Evaluation

Click here to access and download our Free Sugar CRM Evaluation PDF.

With this document, you will be able to identify the key enhancements within Sugar CRM.

Topics addressed include:

1. Calculated Fields
2. Favorites and Favorites Dashlet
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5. User interface improvements (there are many!)
6. Sugar Mobile 1.0 details
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SugarCRM Review and Overview

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MAXIMIZER CRM VS AVIDIAN PROPHET

Both maximizer and Avidian Prophet have been around for a long time. They are serious players on the CRM market place. Maximizer was one of the original competitors to ACT in the world of contact management. And Avidian finds its niche in the world of integration between Outlook and CRM.

Maximizer CRM Pros and Cons

The Maximizer CRM software package can help large business organizations where customer relationship determines the success of the business. It is a central management system which keeps track of every customer/lead/prospect. On top of that, users can have access to the entire history of the sales funnel – instantly.

Avidian Prophet Pros and Cons

CRM software by Avidian prophet is available for use by individuals and companies separately and it has received a top/4 star rating from PC world magazine.

Avidian Prophet CRM on demand is available at a low price point, and all major functions needed to keep track of sales like full contact management, sales opportunity management, sales and work flow automation are available.

For personal use Avidian Prophet personal edition offers sales management tools for outlook to enable easy management of keeping track of customer. For small business use Avidian Prophet professional for easy contact management, sales report which enables keeping track of sales history.

Premium versions are available with features like automated work flow is available. All the CRM software from Avidian Prophet is easily configurable as per the individual needs and it integrates business management with Microsoft Outlook in a cost effective manner.

Free Excel Matrix to Compare CRM Systems

Click to get our Free Excel CRM Feature Comparison Chart.

With this grid, you will be able to identify the key differences between 8 of the top CRM providers, including Sage ACT!, Sage SalesLogix, Goldmine, Pivotal, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and more.

Comparison Functionality topics covered:

1. Chief CRM Functions
2. Cost and Pricing
3. Available Modules (e.g. SFA, Marketing, Service, etc)
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