The quest for the best CRM software is not an easy one. With the profusion of solutions on the market, picking the right one takes time.
Apart from the features and pricing, your strategy and way of working matter the most. Indeed, you’d better not consider the choice of a crm software as a one shot. In our opinion, you need at least 3 years to see real and sustainable results.
We have compiled a list of advices to guide you through your selection.
1. The scope
First, you need to have in mind the scope: what do you want to do with your crm software? Several stories here:
– you’re looking to increase lead acquisition. For this purpose, ensure that your crm software onboards solid marketing features. Softwares as Hubspot and Pardot clearly focus on Marketing as the starting point.
– you’re looking to improve deal closing. In this case, select a software that offers advanced managing capacities of your pipelines. Salesforce and Pipedrive are good for this purpose.
– you’re looking to optimise your customer retention. For this, a software like Zendesk makes a perfect choice.
But what if you want to do everything?. Well, this is where reality doesn’t follow. A pretty good example is Hubspot. Of course, with the constant development and addition of new features, Hubspot CRM tends to cover the sales side. But the heart of the Hubspot approach is clearly inbound marketing oriented. Included sales features, such as pipeline management, remain pretty basic for now.
2. List your priorities
The CRM market is highly competitive and fast-moving. Apart from the big players, there are lots of effective solutions that would bring you the same results, sometimes at half price. So how to choose the best CRM software for you?
Once you have defined the scope, take some times to list all features you’re expecting to see in your next CRM solution. A few advices at drafting your wishlist:
- keep in mind to list only the features you are really using. Of course, we all are interested in Artificial Intelligence, but is it really useful for the daily life?
- give a weight to your different priorities, in order to help you see which features matter the most.
- double check with the teams which operations they are really doing on a daily basis, and which features are a must-have.
- check if the solution enables to reach your long-term plan, at least for three years.
Once this priority list drafted, you will be able to compare the different solutions. This grid will also be a basis for a pricing comparison.
3. User experience
Any CRM is a major solution your teams are going to use every day. User experience is key in your choice: select a solution that is easy to use and understand. When testing a CRM, if you feel it’s getting too technical and complex, don’t expect your teams to adopt it easily.
A full trial involving the teams is always a good idea. At least, to gather first feelings about the interface and questions about the features.
Needless to say this third point is always a decision maker. Despite a competitive market, most CRM solutions still onboard a complex user interface. Most of the time, a proper user experience within the CRM will require some intensive training and a long learning curve.
4. Integrations
Last but not least, the best CRM softwares are often the ones that easily connect to your ecosystem.
When choosing your next CRM solutions, pay attention to the different connectors available. There are several ways to connect applications and softwares: you can’t go wrong with a solution which has a robust, documented and opened API.
