There are a myriad of CRM systems on the market from those integrated into big ERP systems like SAP, through to specialist online systems focussed on retail and shop fronts, and on to global generic systems that can be configured like Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce. So which one do you choose?
Well it all depends on your business, size, structure, customers, channels to market, how you communicate with your customers, handle leads and much more. Equally implementation is dependent on the approach you want to use and the partner that you select. Traditionally implementation required a detailed and structured full system specification that was signed off and then delivered to specification, and that can be difficult and restrictive if you are not entirely sure what you want and how you will work in the future. More and more companies are moving to an Agile approach where systems are designed and implemented in a series of stages as you learn and develop the needs along the way.
It can also be helpful if the chosen partner has some experience of similar businesses or your sector and therefore some prior knowledge of configuring the way you might work, or what is best practice in the industry. This might not be your final chosen path, but it is a good benchmark.
Most importantly choose an experienced consultant who works on your behalf, in the interest of getting you the best solution for your company’s needs, and can guide you along the right discovery path, to get a system that can optimise your overall business front end performance.
