Selecting an enterprise CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software solution is a significant undertaking that requires careful planning and managed execution. In this white paper we have distilled our experience conducting selection projects for enterprise organizations into a Five-Step Guide to assist you in making the right decision the first time. We begin with the process of analyzing and developing weighted requirements. Second, well help you incorporate these requirements into an overall request for proposal (RFP) that you can issue to a qualified group of CRM software vendors. We provide practical methods to evaluate the RFP responses and compare solutions as part of a structured software demonstration. Finally we address contract negotiation and closing the deal as the final step in the process. Throughout the paper and in the associated appendices we have included examples of actual tools we use during projects. Happy software hunting.
1. Requirements Definition: Requirements First Software Second
Selecting a new CRM software solution is often much like remodeling your house - painful, untimely and expensive - unless you carefully evaluate your requirements before you start. Done correctly, the process can be relatively pain-free and will provide the expected results within a predictable time-frame and budget. It sounds simple enough, know what you want before you start. Yet in business situations with competing resources and limited time, and especially when selecting software solutions, the cart is all too often so far ahead of the horse that the two barely know theyre part of a joint-solution to a common problem. Why is it so hard to clearly define business requirements at the outset? There are many quite common, and equally misguided, responses to this age-old question.
In our experiences, one of the most common and misguided frustration responses is I dont know what I dont know. Having never selected an enterprise CRM or SFA (sales force automation) software solution how can I tell what I want when I have no idea what is available?
The problem with this statement is that it is not what is available that should guide your thinking at this stage (yes this comes later for those of you who enjoy reading ahead). The real question at this early point is what do you need to accomplish your customer relationship management objectives? Approaching this question from the whats available perspective will almost certainly lead to a myopic view of your actual requirements that is driven by the capabilities of the first cotton-candy-wonderland (client quote) vendor that you meet. When software vendor tools and capabilities lead well defined business requirements, users identify fathom or artificial business requirements which displace meaningful user needs and detract from achieving truly strategic customer relationship and business objectives. Do not let a software vendor tell you that that the tool you need is a hammer because thats the tool they have for sale.
Developing a list of weighted requirements to support prioritized business objectives can however be a daunting task. Many project teams struggle to define what a process is for their business. This challenge is not unusual and we have developed a guideline for clients to develop a meaningful requirements list. This example serves as a foundation for developing a customized requirements list for your organization. The functionality-matrix breaks the CRM software solution into its core modules: Sales Force Automation (SFA), Marketing Management and Customer Support. Each core module is then broken down into the major sub-processes. For example, SFA breaks down into Account Management, Contact Management, Activity Management, Opportunity Management and Sales Forecasting.
1. Requirements Definition: Requirements First Software Second
Selecting a new CRM software solution is often much like remodeling your house - painful, untimely and expensive - unless you carefully evaluate your requirements before you start. Done correctly, the process can be relatively pain-free and will provide the expected results within a predictable time-frame and budget. It sounds simple enough, know what you want before you start. Yet in business situations with competing resources and limited time, and especially when selecting software solutions, the cart is all too often so far ahead of the horse that the two barely know theyre part of a joint-solution to a common problem. Why is it so hard to clearly define business requirements at the outset? There are many quite common, and equally misguided, responses to this age-old question.
In our experiences, one of the most common and misguided frustration responses is I dont know what I dont know. Having never selected an enterprise CRM or SFA (sales force automation) software solution how can I tell what I want when I have no idea what is available?
The problem with this statement is that it is not what is available that should guide your thinking at this stage (yes this comes later for those of you who enjoy reading ahead). The real question at this early point is what do you need to accomplish your customer relationship management objectives? Approaching this question from the whats available perspective will almost certainly lead to a myopic view of your actual requirements that is driven by the capabilities of the first cotton-candy-wonderland (client quote) vendor that you meet. When software vendor tools and capabilities lead well defined business requirements, users identify fathom or artificial business requirements which displace meaningful user needs and detract from achieving truly strategic customer relationship and business objectives. Do not let a software vendor tell you that that the tool you need is a hammer because thats the tool they have for sale.
Developing a list of weighted requirements to support prioritized business objectives can however be a daunting task. Many project teams struggle to define what a process is for their business. This challenge is not unusual and we have developed a guideline for clients to develop a meaningful requirements list. This example serves as a foundation for developing a customized requirements list for your organization. The functionality-matrix breaks the CRM software solution into its core modules: Sales Force Automation (SFA), Marketing Management and Customer Support. Each core module is then broken down into the major sub-processes. For example, SFA breaks down into Account Management, Contact Management, Activity Management, Opportunity Management and Sales Forecasting.
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