Finding a potential CRM-system is easy, but choosing one that will help grow your business can be tricky. Here’s a checklist that’ll help you make sure you go with the right one.

1. User-friendly?

   It’s easy to go with the software that does the job in theory, but not in practice. Just because the box lists all the features you’re looking for, it doesn’t mean that the tool itself is easy to use for everyone. A good CRM should be easy to set up in your organization, and with a good software you should be able to throw away all of those stacks of sticky notes and loose pieces of paper on your desk. The right software guides the user through the workflow.

2. Does it motivate you?

   Few people cheers with joy when they need to get to learn and familiarize with a new system, but salespersons are usually competitive and thus, should take advantage of it with the help of gamification. By choosing a CRM-system that visualizes and rewards the user when they’re being active, you no longer need to ask your team repeatedly to collect data manually. If you fail in to get your team to break previously used patterns and and working methods during the first few weeks, you’ll most likely have to start all over again. The collected data generated by the continuous usage is crucial for the system to benefit you and your team. So make sure to reward and encourage usage activity and data quality!

3. Are your own needs made visible?

   In order to succeed with your new CRM-system, not only do you need to motivate your sellers, but also support the sellers who have yet to start using it. If your new system can keep track of the usage level this will be much easier to do. With that information it’s easy to identify the ones needing a little more support and the true ambassadors – the ones already utilizing the system regularly who, in turn, will be able to assist the users needing an extra push to get started.

4. Can we work smarter?

   Getting a hold of ongoing and won deals in a CRM is basic. What you should look for is a system that can help you see and understand why your team is successful. For example, a great CRM-system can help you see exactly which customers who bought a certain product within a certain geographical area. What sales efforts have been achieved with the customers? How frequently do we keep in contact with them? And in what way? By combining buying patterns with relationship data, you will be able to know more about the customers behaviours and your sales process – which is key if you want to be able to make your efforts more efficient.

   What you should look for is a system that can help you see and understand why your team is successful.

5. Will our customer segments be clearer?

   In many businesses, the 80/20 applies – this means that 80 percent of revenue comes from 20 percent of the customer base. With the help of a compliant CRM system of course! Make sure your new CRM system automatically categorizes your customers and that the relevant account manager gets notified when the customer changes its buying pattern. Automatic and accurate customer categories not only give you a good basis for analysis, it also helps you to better prioritize your efforts and take care of the right customer in the right way.

6. Will the sales representatives be helped when out in the field?

   Visiting potential customers is not only a costly effort, it sometimes ends with meetings being unexpectedly short or even cancelled. In that case, you want to make sure the team has access to a CRM that, at the push of a button, gives the sales rep information about existing and potential customers to visit nearby. By always having important geographical data at hand, your team will be able to carry out more customer meetings and your travel costs will decrease in relation to created opportunities. The geographical data can also be used to plan upcoming trips, or to ensure that you have enough KAM’s in each area based on your customer base.

   By always having important geographical data at hand, your team will be able to carry out more customer meetings

7. Does it fit our business?

   It doesn’t matter how many specifications you look at – you will most likely never find a CRM system tailored to your particular business from the get-go. The key is instead to find a supplier who can not only customize the software, but who can also contribute knowledge about how the system is used efficiently. Remember: It’s not your job as a buyer of a CRM-system to know how to succeed with CRM, but it’s your job to find someone to help you get started, guide you and make sure you achieve the things you want to achieve.