There are many factors you must consider when evaluating a CRM - things like features, ongoing costs, implementation costs, ability to customize and many more.
Let's take a look.
Top Priorities When Evaluating a CRM
We'll start by asking ourselves, what are (or would be) top priorities when evaluating a potential new CRM solution?
In order to be sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck, you need to know that your money is being spent on satisfying your actual needs and not being spent on flashy, shiny things you might not ever use.
That's not to say that you won’t want to invest in flashy, shiny things you WILL use - of course you want that!
This just means that there is no sense in throwing your dollars at what is advertised as the reasons a CRM is perfect for you. But, instead, invest your dollars in what YOU have determined are the reasons a CRM is perfect for you.
Evaluating Your Priorities
Start by making a list of your must-haves regarding features, automation, the size of your database, and primary performance goals.
If you start from a baseline like this, you can then dig into the realities of the costs each CRM would incur to meet your needs. Maybe one CRM doesn’t have all of the functions you need, but another has more than you could ever use. Does it need to be an either/or situation? Could integrations help you make one CRM more effective while additional personnel might be needed to make a more complex CRM usable?
According to a recent survey, looking at the Total Cost of Ownership of HubSpot vs. Salesforce, the following is how users rank their top priorities when evaluating a potential new CRM. The most common priorities listed among active CRM users include:
42% Features/functionality
41% Ease of use
34% Ability to customize to meet specific needs
33% Ongoing cost
31% Customer support
30% Implementation cost
27% Timeline to implement
26% Additional tools/integrations needed
20% Amount of training required
This data tells us that features/functionality, ease of use, and customization are among the top priorities for CRM users.
Features and Customization
Let's look more into those top priorities.
When evaluating new solutions, sales and marketing professionals report that their top priorities will be features and functionality, ease of use, and ability to customize. (Nearly as important are ongoing costs, customer support, and implementation costs).
The extent of the use of a CRM solution is a critical consideration when it comes to the overall cost of ownership. When evaluating potential new technology, companies not only need to ensure that the features and functionality align with their specific needs, but also that these tools will be adopted by end-users.
How Do You Evaluate Your CRM?
The bottom line here is really taking the time to determine what is important to you. From there you'll want to look at which CRM will allow you to accomplish your goals with the best possible cost-to-performance ratio?
Interested in learning more?
Oftentimes, an outside perspective can be incredibly beneficial - that's where our team at Aptitude 8 comes into play!
Maybe you're dissatisfied with your current CRM and looking at other options or maybe you're looking to implement a CRM and comparing a few. Whatever the case, we can help you determine what your top needs and priorities are and which software would be the right fit for you!
Contact us here and let's chat!
