The document discusses important questions to ask when selecting a CRM partner. It summarizes research that found common issues with CRM implementations like difficulties with deployment and planning, poor integration with business processes, and lack of appropriate technology. Selecting the right partner can help overcome these issues. The document then lists and explains 10 key questions to ask partners around their methodology, team, resources, experience, support, user adoption process, upgrades, benefits to the business, and service levels. It emphasizes that the right partner will be able to clearly explain how their solution will deliver benefits across the business.

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