So you, too, have jumped on the trend and opted for a CRM to boost your customer service and to better manage your customer relationships... What now? Is it time to tune it up? And how do you know for sure if you need to upgrade your enterprise CRM software?
To upgrade it to... what, more precisely? How do you know what type of upgrade best suits the business you run today? Not the one you started with a while ago, nor the one that you hope that it will grow to... 5 years from now?
Here are the 3 major signs (plus a few more) that your CRM software might just need a tune-up. Or the 3 critical... milestones that you should hit before you decide to upgrade your system:
The Challenge of Choosing the Best CRM for Your Business
From:
- follow-ups reminders
- to referrals tracking
- to storing content information in one place
- to various automation options
- to sales tracking
- to managing various complex workflows
… customer relationship management software can go from basic to... mega systems shipped with tons of add-ons and powerful features.
And it's here that your common sense comes in: do you find it reasonable to opt for such a robust enterprise CRM solution, packed with lots and lots of features that... might be too challenging for your team to handle?
It all depends on your current CRM needs, on your business' current size, as well.
And I know what you must be thinking right now:
“I can always opt for a powerful, feature-rich CRM software now and... scale it to my small business needs.”
In such a case, here are the 2 risks that you're running:
- you may not have that consultant or specialized developer in your team that's needed to set up such a complex system, so you just let the dust settle over it for a... while
- the new software might be too complex to navigate, so your team will be reluctant to use it
The best solution in this case?
Always upgrade your enterprise CRM software to one that suits your current CRM needs, not your... anticipated ones.
But here are some clear signs that you do, indeed, need to run such an upgrade.
1. Upgrade Your Enterprise CRM Software If...There's Money for It
Always, always plan with your budget in mind!
In other words: there's a need to upgrade your enterprise CRM software if... there's money for it.
In this respect, do keep in mind that:
There's more that goes into a CRM's price, ranging from training, implementation, various future integrations.
Once you've considered these additional expenses and you've set its real price against your own budget and you're sure you can afford it, go for it.
In the long run, it will surely be worth it.
Yet, it's not worth it to opt for a new CRM solution if that leaves a black hole into your budget...
2. Your Current CRM No Longer Fits Your Needs
Yet, make sure you don't fall into the trap of reaching out to a CRM that's... too much for your team to handle.
If your current system doesn't suit your CRM needs any longer, it doesn't always mean that you should adopt the latest “supermachine” in terms of CRM solutions:
- it might turn out to be too complicated for your team to use it
- you risk investing/wasting too much money on a new robust system when you're better off with a less complex one (but still superior to the one you're currently using)
In short, make sure you have the technical know-how in your team to handle a too powerful CRM upgrade.
And always, always put usability first when selecting a new CRM, above all other cool features. Your team should be comfortable with using it on a daily basis...
Also, start asking yourself these questions before making your choice:
- Is there a new specific feature that you need and have you already deep-scanned your current CRM for it?
- Isn't there any chance that you could buy an add-on for your current system or maybe just reconfigure it?
3. Your Whole Team is Ready to Play Part in This Initiative
Another major sign that you're ready to upgrade your enterprise CRM software is that your whole team is ready for it.
So, are they?
Do they all know what a CRM is? Will they be able to use to its full potential after proper tech training? Do they see the benefits of this upgrade? Do you have IT staff and consultants “on the bench”, ready to monitor the whole process?
If your answer is “no” or “not sure”, then you might just want to reconsider your decision.
It's probably wiser for you to stick to a less complex software, that can still track sales and help you manage all your workflows, but that's not that feature-rich and is simpler to use.
7 More Signs that You Do Need to Upgrade Your Enterprise CRM Software
And now, here are a few more specific signals that it might just be the time that you tuned up your current system:
- a customer has placed an order, but it's just when he tells you that you discover that he has a quote
- you take an existing customer for a “new customer”
- accessing the due information and your supporting systems becomes a cumbersome... “adventure” every time a customer calls you
- tracking down a customer's order and purchase history takes (much) more than a few seconds
- your customers are forced to go over their entire history with you every time they contact you
- you don't have a clue who your customers are
- you ship an order to one of your customers' competitors instead
Do any of these signals ring a bell to you?
Then you might just need to upgrade your enterprise CRM software...