Sage Circle of Excellence Overall Winner 2009
SalesLogix Business Partner of the Year 2009
ACT! Business Partner of the year for 6 consecutive years
Deciding on the Right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
As part of our consultancy services DMC will analyse your company and advise you on the best Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to suit your operations, but as a general guide to taking the first steps towards implementation:
- Define the need, viability and benefits to justify the expense.
- Understand your goals and objectives.
- Decide on which business processes are in need of re-organisation.
- Analyse how your existing systems impact on the company overall and your customers
- Look at what is working and what is not.
Once you have identified these key points you can start to decide on which Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system will best achieve success.
Involving the right people from the start will help with things like, technical implications, resistance or doubts regarding the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and understanding the working practices that suit each department. Put together a team that represents all involved parties such as system managers, department managers or a representative for the operatives.
Always try and look for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that can work and integrate easily with your accounting packages and any other business systems you already operate, to ensure back office and front office integration. The best Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can be accessed from any location - your headquarters, other depots, mobile staff and any other remote location.
Be forward thinking if you intend to grow your company look for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with global facilities, even if it isn't an immediate consideration.
DMC Software Solutions started as a marketing company, over ten years ago and migrated into the re-selling of Customer Relationship Management systems through having a need ourselves. We feel this qualifies us as Customer Relationship Management consultants (CRM) especially as we implement, update and use the software here. DMC sell Sage products (in fact we are award winning Business Partners) because, having gone through the process you are now at, Sage Customer Relationship Management software such as ACT!, Sage MME and SalesLogix ticked the most boxes.
We are always happy to arrange demonstrations and this will definitely help with the decision making process choosing a customer relationship management system. Once you have coordinated your plan of action and evaluated various products there are finer details which you will need answering.
Costs
- Adaptation
- Implementation
- Support and Maintenance
Training
- Timeframes
- Acquisition
- Implementation
- Training
There are also fundamental things like how easy the software is to use, your company won't benefit from the system's full potential if your staff can't adapt easily to the new processes.
Functionality
A good CRM system will make the transition period painless, the systems we recommend are particularly user-friendly but ensure the system has:
- Easily navigated screens and modules
- Modifiable fields, screens, tables, views and security settings
- Complete integration with widely used programmes such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
- Flexible reporting
- Adaptability to existing working practices
- Linkage to most back office systems.
What you should ask DMC About Customer Relationship Management Software
We are confident in the service we provide but before any decision is reached please ask about:
- Customer/Technical Support
- Training
- Our hours of availability
- Options for out of hours queries
- Formulating guidelines that act as a blueprint to reach CRM goals
Other Considerations
The most cost effective systems are "out of the box" solutions. Make sure therefore that your system has the facility to be modified to your unique way of working and don't be afraid to make those modifications, don't try and limit any changes.
Work within your budget, determine which features or modules are essential for the success of the project.
Provide good training the investment is well worthwhile, not only does it instil confidence into your staff but also a sense of involvement.
Ongoing evaluation - it is important to evaluate your business processes to maximise the benefits of your CRM system.
Find out more about CRM Software.