How to choose a cloud CRM system?

Implementing a CRM system in the cloud is a very challenging undertaking. The move can touch almost every aspect of your company’s daily operations. In this article we will consider what factors to take into account when choosing a cloud CRM system.

Five tips for choosing a cloud CRM system

Here are five tips for choosing a cloud CRM system:

1 Determine what functionality is critical to you

Almost every organization is unique in terms of its business processes. Two companies in the same region, same industry and similar size and turnover may have quite different ideas for achieving the same business goals. It is important, therefore, to make a list of the expected functionalities of a cloud CRM system as accurately as possible, and then compare it with the features offered by the various cloud CRM solutions on the market.

It is a good idea to assign different weights to different functionalities, and then summarize the scores for each system separately. In addition, we recommend dividing the list of functionalities into mandatory, secondary and tertiary. It may turn out that a system that achieves a high score will not offer any of the key functionalities.

2 Check if your cloud CRM system is open to integrations

Rarely are companies able to base their business processes on a single IT solution that manages all elements of daily operations. So make sure that the CRM systems you are considering are open to integration with other IT solutions. For example, see if you can combine your future cloud CRM system with your ERP software (shared contractor database, issuing quotes based on indexes and inventory, recording orders and issuing invoices and warehouse documents) or tools dedicated to marketing – an email or SMS tool or for analyzing website traffic.

3 Check if the software works in your industry

If something is for everything then it is for nothing. Look for CRM solutions that are created with companies similar to yours in mind from the very beginning. A CRM system popular with retail companies may not necessarily work well for a logistics company or a real estate developer.
However, if the CRM software you are interested in does not advertise itself as dedicated to your industry, check references. You may find that many companies similar to yours are using it.

4 Pay attention to ease of use

CRM software can have a sizable number of functionalities, and an extensive reference list. However, all this is for naught when the system proves difficult to use. Implementing an incomprehensible IT system greatly increases the chance of failure. Employees will use it reluctantly and will make mistakes more often than with modern and ergonomic cloud CRM software.

5 Check the pricing and scalability of the CRM system

Analyze the price range of cloud CRM vendors and suppliers. Conduct analyses that take into account increasing the number of employees and tasks in the future. Count how they will affect the cost of operating the system – in other words, how expensive is the scalability of the offered product. Here you can estimate the budget for CRM implementation: CRM Implementation Calculator.