More must-know CRM rules

To ensure a successful CRM project, planning is a must. Begin by defining the need for a CRM solution. Arm the company with the background information needed to justify the investment costs and to demonstrate where the benefits, savings and ROI will come from.

Next, define the stakeholders in the project and use the needs analysis and benefits projections as a foundation for establishing a common, company-wide goal for CRM. This will be the groundwork used to establish a budget. Plan for the costs associated with identifying vendors, testing solutions, implementations, integration, training and support.

Forming a team is then essential to begin the drive towards completion of the project - a drive that begins with a clear description of the company's CRM objectives and any processes that will require adjustments to make the project successful. Make sure the head of this team is a CRM champion: someone who completely believes that CRM will make a difference.

Good planning involves discussions with internal and external customers. What are the best practices for the sales force, marketing team, customer service? Also consider the various types of data that will be needed to track for each group involved. Data required by different groups of system users, such as field sales representatives, may be different to that used by customer service agents. Planning for the needs of each group thus requires a complete data requirement list.

Once possible products and vendors are identified, a demonstration will be a critical factor in determining which solution is best. Before inviting vendor representatives to perform their demos, however, be sure they have been told exactly what the company is looking for. Why waste time evaluating a product that may be functional but just will not work in that particular environment?

It is also useful to find out from the vendor what platform is required to run the demo. Again, don't waste time scheduling a demo only to find out the company does not have the right hardware or operating system to support the product.

When comparing several products, establish a scoring system that helps to record benefits and shortcomings of each product. By tabulating these scores, the decision process is often simplified. Qualitative information such as the vendor's history of innovation, customer satisfaction or financial stability should also be accounted for in the evaluation.

Finally, make sure the CRM implementation team attends the demo, and encourage honest feedback. If the vendor or reseller cannot immediately address the issue raised, make sure they do so within a reasonable timeframe.

Make sure the CRM implementation team attends the demo, and encourage honest feedback.

Ashley Ellington is MD of Softline Enterprise.

When choosing a CRM system, it is essential that it is based on current technology. Don't let a salesperson talk the company into product vapourware based on future promises. Instead, insist on seeing a current version of the product as it is implemented today. Similarly, don't accept old technology that's past its peak performance curve. Look at what's in the product roadmap, including planned enhancement that ensures it is a product being invested in by the vendor for the long-term.

Take a view on the product's integration capabilities and its relevance to the back-office system, and then decide whether the interface and usability are suited to the user type. For a power user, keyboard shortcuts might be better, but for ease of use, a Web-based interface might be more appropriate. A good business consultancy should be able to help the company make the right decision.

CRM solutions should provide company-wide benefits. Be ambitious. Consider the product's ability to enable sharing of information across the company, as this will make it indispensable in creating cross-selling opportunities. While custom code can be written to integrate products, a true CRM solution provides the functionality of a single function solution, as well as being a cost-free, seamless way to add features and capabilities whenever needed.

So, if the company needs require it, go for a comprehensive solution that delivers on marketing campaign management, sales force automation, customer care, contact management and task management.

* Ashley Ellington is MD of Softline Enterprise.