



Some CRM solutions work with, and even within, the email and productivity applications you already use. This is a key feature that will make some solutions stand out from others. Now that you’ve done some foundational thinking, you can look at the features that make a top CRM solution the best CRM for you. Does this solution provide the support you need and have room to grow with your business when your needs change?.Is the solution intuitive so that employees will readily accept it and you can get a better ROI faster?.How much training will be required to get everyone up and running?.Can it work the way your people do without a bunch of extra steps or repetitive data entry?.Does this solution easily integrate into each user’s workday?.Be sure to think through the day-to-day impact of a CRM solution by considering questions like these: The last thing your teams want is a new, cumbersome system to learn, or one that interrupts their productivity instead of enhancing it. Mobile access-Workstyles and workplaces have changed, and employees need to be able to access data and systems on any device, from anywhere, at any time.Cloud delivery-A SaaS (software as a service) solution delivered through the cloud means less IT maintenance, ongoing updates to keep your software current, and stronger security than most organizations are able to provide on their own.Data connectivity-Any CRM solution you consider should have the ability to connect to all of your data sources and business processes and make that data available to all who need it.Now that you understand your current situation and have done some thinking about how a top CRM solution could improve things, let’s look at some of the basics that any quality CRM system should have. Do you understand how customers are interacting with your brand across the customer journey?.What are you doing to get a 360-degree view of your customers?.How much time are employees spending on routine, repetitive tasks and CRM data entry?.How are you using the data you already have about customer and potential customer relationships?.Is your customer data available across sales, marketing, field service, and customer service teams?.Do you have the kind of security and controls you need to maintain privacy and compliance?.Where is your customer data currently? Who has access to it?.Start your search by considering some questions about your current processes, needs, and goals. The place to start is by assessing your business needs, because the best CRM solution is the one that’s best for you.
