10 Essential Questions to Ask Potential CRM Vendors

Searching for the right customer relationship management (CRM) software vendor can be pretty overwhelming, especially with all of the vendors out there to choose from. Having a list of questions to ask them can help you easily narrow down your choices to a select few. Take a look at 10 questions that are essential to ask when investigating CRM software solutions.

1. What Kind of Setup/Transition Services Do You Provide?

To ensure that the implementation of your CRM software is a success, you’ll need to know that the vendor is 100% prepared to handle the installation. You should also consider asking how long the onboarding process is going to take.

2. What Does a Standard Implementation Look Like?

Getting a complete overview of how the entire onboarding process works will help you better understand what your business needs to do to be prepared, as well as how prepared the vendor is to implement the software. The vendor should have a standardized implementation example on-hand.

3. Tell Me About Your Company’s Mission

Selecting a CRM vendor isn’t just about purchasing a software package – it’s also about finding a business partner. How did the company start, and what are some of their major goals/mission statements? In addition to cost, service, and features, an often overlooked aspect of vendor selection is the business behind the software.

4. What’s All Included in the Monthly Fee?

You need to know what you’re actually going to receive in return for purchasing CRM software. While the vendor likely has a plethora of product-specific information on their website, or they’ve sent you detailed features, it’s best to hear it directly from a sales rep. They’re more likely to go into detail about the specific functions included in your monthly fee.

5. What Does My It Team Need To Know?

With a software implementation, the IT department will likely be involved in the process. By knowing exactly what needs to be expected of the IT team before the software installation, you’ll be as prepared as possible and reduce the chance of unexpected riffs between departments.

6. How Can Your CRM Software Be Adapted To Meet Our Unique Needs?

For many businesses, flexibility in a new CRM is a necessity. Is the vendor willing to customize the software to make it work perfectly for your business’s unique needs? If not, you should look elsewhere, as vendors should be able to cater to the exact needs of their clients.

7. What Kind of Support Does Your Software Come With?

As is common with CRM vendors, there’ll be a number of support options available to your business. You’ll need to know what all of these options are, how you’ll be able to utilize them, and the quality of the support services (responsiveness, availability, etc.).

8. Do You Provide a Demo Or Free Trial?

Purchasing CRM software is a major business investment, so it’s crucial to be able to see how the software works and get a walk-through before making the decision. If the vendor doesn’t offer a free demo or free trial, it’s probably wise to look elsewhere.

9. Tell Me About the Overall Costs

Make sure you’re aware of any and all charges that will be made if you decide to implement the software. When looking at a company’s website or other information source, it’s not always 100% detailed and exact in terms of the overall costs, beyond the monthly fee.

10. How Will the Software Help Our Team Deliver Great Customer Service?

This is a great question to ask to get to know the vendor beyond facts and data. Is the company really driven to help businesses succeed with quality CRM software? Or do they simply want to make an extra dime by providing you with their services?

Sincerity in sales goes a long way but once your vendor selection process is complete then, congratulations, you are now ready for the next step of CRM implementation.

 Want to find out how our customer relationship management software, Aptean CRM, can help your business? Contact us today to chat with one of our experts or schedule a demo.