The 10 Most Important Questions to Ask When Selecting the Right CRM Partner

Redspire Ltd
Redspire LtdRedspire Ltd
The 10 most
important
questions
to askwhen selecting the
right CRM partner
CRM challenges
Bill Band, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, undertook some
research into the causes of CRM implementation failures by asking
150 companies what they found so problematic about it all.
18% 27%22% 33%
The study found that:
of the respondents
said they had
trouble deploying
and planning the
solution;
said their business
processes were
poorly integrated;
of staff resisted,
either unwilling
to workwith or
finding it a struggle
to adopt or use it;
felt they didn’t
have the right
technology.
Working with the right partnerwill
help you to overcome some of these
common issues. To determine who
the right partner is for your business,
there are some important questions
you need to ask.
Questions to ask
your potential CRM
partner:
What is your
methodology
and approach
to CRM?
The right CRM partnerwill offer a
system and processes that fits
your business and delivers
an approach that helps
you to achieve your
business goals.
What does your
team look like?
A good CRM partnerwill have a team
who are highly specialised, including
consultants who are good at
speaking to customers
and developers who
are skilled in technical
integration. Look for
Microsoft Certified
Professionals and other
qualifications relevant to CRM.
What resources
do you have
available and
where is your
location?
It’s important to check that
your CRM partner can come
and visit you on-site when
needed. It will benefit your
business if partners and
support teams are both UK
based.
Have you
worked
with other
businesses in
my industries?
Look at the past experiences of your
CRM partner and workwith them to
determine how it translates to your
own business. If they haven’t been
successful in the past, this could be
detrimental to your business.
Howwill you understand my
requirements and objectives?
The right CRM partnerwill be able to speakwith Sales and Marketing to understand
what they need from the system in order to deliver on targets and goals.
What support
do you offer
pre and post
implementation?
CRM is complicated to install and so
you should partnerwith someone who
understands your business’s needs and
can help you to meet your objectives.
Howwill you
help me to
ensure user
adoption?
Many CRM projects
fail due to slow, or
lack of, user adoption.
Selecting a partnerwho
promotes the benefits
of the CRM system will
help you to drive user
adoption, maximising
its benefit throughout
the company.
How do
you handle
upgrades?
CRM is complex and technology
is continually updated. This
can be time consuming
when done in-house,
so you should work
with a partnerwho can
manage upgrades foryou,
whether that’s automated
or them visiting you on-site.
Howwill your
CRM solution
actually
benefit my
business?
Selecting and investing in a CRM
partner means that you should expect
ROI. Many vendors are keen to talk
about features, rather than benefits.
The right partnerwill help your business
become more efficient and effective,
offering capabilities that drive results.
What service
levels will you
make available
to me?
It is important that your partnerwill
workwith you to achieve your goals.
You should be able to workwith them
to lay out an agreement ofwhat their
service will provide.
When approaching a potential CRM partner,
they should be open to discuss these points
with you. If they can provide the answers
you’re looking for and can highlight the
benefits they deliver - rather than just
the features - you’ll be one step closer to
selecting the right CRM partner.
Takeaways
The right CRM partner
will deliver benefits
throughout your business,
rather than just features.
Consider how your
partner’s methodologies
fits in with your business
goals and objectives - they
need to be aligned for true
success.
A partner should
understand what your
team requires to meet
objectives and ultimately
generate return on
investment.
The Ultimate
Guide to:
Assessing and
choosing the
right CRM for
your business
CRM is becoming increasingly important
to businesses, but with such a variety
available and low success rates, choosing
the right one can be complex. We outline
essential steps to follow, helping you to
assess and choose the right CRM foryour
business.
ULTIMATE SERIES
Choosing a partner is an important part
of assessing and choosing the right
CRM foryour business - find out more by
downloading:
Ultimate Guide to:
Assessing and choosing
the right CRM for your
business
Download Now
Sources:
http://www.dmnews.com/crm/63-of-crm-initiatives-fail/article/303470/
http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Web-Exclusives/Viewpoints/Dont-Let-Bad-Data-Ruin-Your-CRM-103043.aspx
http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/forrester-customer-experience-management-and-13-emerging-crm-trends-014749.php
1 sur 18

Contenu connexe

Similaire à The 10 Most Important Questions to Ask When Selecting the Right CRM Partner(20)

Leads360 WP - Why CRM FailsLeads360 WP - Why CRM Fails
Leads360 WP - Why CRM Fails
Lead 360837 vues
Sage - HOW TO CHOOSE A CRMSage - HOW TO CHOOSE A CRM
Sage - HOW TO CHOOSE A CRM
Vinh Nguyen602 vues
CRM Review.pdfCRM Review.pdf
CRM Review.pdf
Muhammad Waqas15 vues
17 rules of CRM17 rules of CRM
17 rules of CRM
Wael Zekri332 vues
Advantage of CRM.pdfAdvantage of CRM.pdf
Advantage of CRM.pdf
Elatesoft29 vues
PivotalCRM - The essential guidePivotalCRM - The essential guide
PivotalCRM - The essential guide
Pivotal CRM452 vues
Fore Cis CrmFore Cis Crm
Fore Cis Crm
abdulzaheer_85370 vues
CRM The Essential GuideCRM The Essential Guide
CRM The Essential Guide
gregmgaffney4K vues
Crm SuccessCrm Success
Crm Success
craig1201325 vues
A guide to scoping a crm projectA guide to scoping a crm project
A guide to scoping a crm project
Catherine Carlyle6.3K vues
crmcrm
crm
Ankit Szenzacios2.7K vues
Automotive Crm For Impatient Car DealersAutomotive Crm For Impatient Car Dealers
Automotive Crm For Impatient Car Dealers
Social Media Marketing397 vues

The 10 Most Important Questions to Ask When Selecting the Right CRM Partner

  • 1. The 10 most important questions to askwhen selecting the right CRM partner
  • 2. CRM challenges Bill Band, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, undertook some research into the causes of CRM implementation failures by asking 150 companies what they found so problematic about it all.
  • 3. 18% 27%22% 33% The study found that: of the respondents said they had trouble deploying and planning the solution; said their business processes were poorly integrated; of staff resisted, either unwilling to workwith or finding it a struggle to adopt or use it; felt they didn’t have the right technology.
  • 4. Working with the right partnerwill help you to overcome some of these common issues. To determine who the right partner is for your business, there are some important questions you need to ask.
  • 5. Questions to ask your potential CRM partner:
  • 6. What is your methodology and approach to CRM? The right CRM partnerwill offer a system and processes that fits your business and delivers an approach that helps you to achieve your business goals.
  • 7. What does your team look like? A good CRM partnerwill have a team who are highly specialised, including consultants who are good at speaking to customers and developers who are skilled in technical integration. Look for Microsoft Certified Professionals and other qualifications relevant to CRM.
  • 8. What resources do you have available and where is your location? It’s important to check that your CRM partner can come and visit you on-site when needed. It will benefit your business if partners and support teams are both UK based.
  • 9. Have you worked with other businesses in my industries? Look at the past experiences of your CRM partner and workwith them to determine how it translates to your own business. If they haven’t been successful in the past, this could be detrimental to your business.
  • 10. Howwill you understand my requirements and objectives? The right CRM partnerwill be able to speakwith Sales and Marketing to understand what they need from the system in order to deliver on targets and goals.
  • 11. What support do you offer pre and post implementation? CRM is complicated to install and so you should partnerwith someone who understands your business’s needs and can help you to meet your objectives.
  • 12. Howwill you help me to ensure user adoption? Many CRM projects fail due to slow, or lack of, user adoption. Selecting a partnerwho promotes the benefits of the CRM system will help you to drive user adoption, maximising its benefit throughout the company.
  • 13. How do you handle upgrades? CRM is complex and technology is continually updated. This can be time consuming when done in-house, so you should work with a partnerwho can manage upgrades foryou, whether that’s automated or them visiting you on-site.
  • 14. Howwill your CRM solution actually benefit my business? Selecting and investing in a CRM partner means that you should expect ROI. Many vendors are keen to talk about features, rather than benefits. The right partnerwill help your business become more efficient and effective, offering capabilities that drive results.
  • 15. What service levels will you make available to me? It is important that your partnerwill workwith you to achieve your goals. You should be able to workwith them to lay out an agreement ofwhat their service will provide.
  • 16. When approaching a potential CRM partner, they should be open to discuss these points with you. If they can provide the answers you’re looking for and can highlight the benefits they deliver - rather than just the features - you’ll be one step closer to selecting the right CRM partner.
  • 17. Takeaways The right CRM partner will deliver benefits throughout your business, rather than just features. Consider how your partner’s methodologies fits in with your business goals and objectives - they need to be aligned for true success. A partner should understand what your team requires to meet objectives and ultimately generate return on investment.
  • 18. The Ultimate Guide to: Assessing and choosing the right CRM for your business CRM is becoming increasingly important to businesses, but with such a variety available and low success rates, choosing the right one can be complex. We outline essential steps to follow, helping you to assess and choose the right CRM foryour business. ULTIMATE SERIES Choosing a partner is an important part of assessing and choosing the right CRM foryour business - find out more by downloading: Ultimate Guide to: Assessing and choosing the right CRM for your business Download Now Sources: http://www.dmnews.com/crm/63-of-crm-initiatives-fail/article/303470/ http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Web-Exclusives/Viewpoints/Dont-Let-Bad-Data-Ruin-Your-CRM-103043.aspx http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/forrester-customer-experience-management-and-13-emerging-crm-trends-014749.php