CRM
Software
Choosing Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
software.
Here are key considerations when evaluating a CRM
software package or a help-desk package:
- Does the CRM package have the
functionality that you need?
- Will it accommodate your
volume?
- Does it have the flexibility to
adapt to business model changes?
- Is it not overcomplicated?
- Can it integrate with your
other software such as a relational database as appropriate?
- Can the data be migrated to
other packages for processing?
- Does it allow distributed work
like UCN inContact?
- What are the implementation
costs?
- How long does implementation
require?
- What is the training period
initially and for new hires?
- What support is provided?
- What is the upgrade and update
cycle?
- What is the cost of
modifications?
- What is the cost of upgrades?
- What control do I have over
configuration?
Once you have narrowed your
choices of CRM software packages down to a short list of three to five, ask
for on-site client demonstrations at one of their reference installations.
Be sure to ask the client what their experiences have been.
Benefits of a good CRM software package or a
help-desk package may include:
-
Increased
productivity
-
Improved customer
satisfaction
-
Improved customer
response time
-
Increased employee
satisfaction = reduced employee turn-over
-
Better and more
efficient employee scheduling
-
Improved
productivity improved
-
Options for
employees working from home with higher satisfaction
-
Cost reductions
-
Profit improvement
-
Increased sales
There are dozens of CRM vendors that can be readily reviewed on the
Internet. Check them out and then talk to people who are in the same
business as you are (but are not competitors) and find out what they are
using and how satisfied they are.
Get your
costs and bottom line profits
under control now
