Questions To Ask Before Buying CRM

10 Questions To Ask Before Buying CRM

We hear the same thing from so many customers when they start their research into CRM software. “We want a CRM solution, but we don’t know exactly what we’re looking for.” Many people know they need CRM, but they don’t know which product is right for them or why.

We’ve always told people that most CRM products are fairly similar, but they all have individual nuances that tailor fit them to a business’s specific need. Finding CRM software is easy. Finding the right CRM software is difficult, but will pay you back with huge dividends.

That’s why Softwarefit has created a list of 10 questions you should ask before taking the next step in CRM selection. These questions will help eliminate software that doesn’t fit your specific requirements and point you in the direction of software that suits your needs.

If finding the right CRM is something you are seriously interested in, this whitepaper is a great place for you to start.

Here are a few examples of questions that should be asked:

Do you want your CRM system to be hosted or on premise?

Interested in an on-premise solution? If yes, you should think about why you’re considering an on-premise software. Some people think it will cost less if they host it themselves on site, which isn’t necessarily true, and dependent on the software. Often times, it takes several years for on-premise solutions to “pay for themselves” after licensing, server fees, and yearly maintenance fees are accounted for. Some businesses have sensitive data and worry about security issues on the cloud. If you want to host your CRM software, make sure the reason makes sense.

What Department is driving the CRM search?

It’s important to know why you need your CRM software. Is the push for new software coming from your IT department, sales team, marketing team, or customer service department? Each department has very specific needs out of a CRM solution. If the push for new CRM software comes from your marketing team, then it’s important your CRM solution has great Marketing Automation integration. If it comes from your customer service department, then ticketing, field service, and case escalation is vital. Make sure you know which department is spearheading this purchase so you know what features are the most valuable to you.

To read a list of all the questions to consider before buying CRM download our white paper here.