How to choose a CRM system — tips and selection criteria

Today, any business can barely stay afloat without IT solutions that automate various tasks. One of them is the CRM system. It helps companies effectively establish interaction with customers. We will tell you how to choose the CRM system that will meet the needs of your business.

So, in the simplest terms, CRM is a customer relationship management system. The main goals of the CRM system are:

• Creating a cloud office and moving sales online;
• Forming a comprehensive space for the interaction of all users;
• Creating a reliable and accessible place for storing documentation.

The CRM system has other useful features. And here is how to choose the right solution.

5 main criteria for choosing the CRM system

Scalability

When a business is actively growing, the system must keep up with the given trends. It is simply necessary to increase the scope of data proportionally, as the number of users and tasks increases. The basic functions of the CRM system get too limited. Therefore, there is a need for trouble-free expansion of capabilities, while the solution must work stably.

Considering the business specifics

There is a large classification of CRM systems — for sales, customer service, or marketing; cloud or local; and multi-purpose or industry-specific. You should select it considering a list of criteria. Multi-purpose solutions are good because they have a variety of functions for sales, marketing, analytics, and feedback to customers. Various plugins can be connected to these systems, which will allow you to customize the program to your specific needs.

Another challenging choice is cloud or local. The cloud provides great flexibility. You don’t have to think about updates, technical aspects, or expanding functionality — it is the developer’s responsibility.

Integration capabilities

The majority of CRM systems support integration with telephony, email, and SMS mailings. If you use corporate software or specialized programs for warehouse accounting, it would be good to integrate with the CRM system.

Another example is that you actively sell goods on well-known Ukrainian marketplaces. Just as the CRM system interacts with the website and calls, you can also easily integrate it with trading platforms. The best option would be to use CRM Uspacy.

Flexibility of settings

While it is good to have basic templates, each company is unique. Therefore, when selecting a system, take this aspect into account. We advise you to choose solutions where you can set up stages of interaction with customers, sales funnels, and service processes, and create custom modules. Moreover, the system should be convenient and user-friendly. For example, even startups will find it easy to get started with the Pipedrive CRM system.

Analytics features

The solution should both properly analyze data and forecast business development. Thus, you will find useful such tools as product and customer dynamics, formation of TOPs, manager productivity, and the possibility to repeat purchases.