User Review
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Ancient CRM- Not a week goes by without a new software company or third-party add-on solution entering the CRM marketplace. Gartner continues to find that CRM is not only the largest enterprise application software segment but also the fastest growing. Being that proven, larger, and leading CRM platforms, such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365, help improve client attraction, acquisition, retention, and loyalty en route to increasing corporate profits, the continued growth and popularity of CRM software is not surprising. The influx of new offerings and the speed at which vendors are now releasing new features and functionality make it challenging to keep track of all your existing code and future options for sure!
In light of all the innovation in the CRM and cloud technology sector, how do you know when it’s time and absolutely necessary for a CRM upgrade, to switch to a different system, and/or to perform a deep diagnostic of your end-to-end marketing, sales, and service processes?
Perhaps you find yourself often thinking, “Are we the only company still using this ancient, clunky CRM system that will soon be obsolete?”
If that is the case, it may appear, at first glance, that your antiquated, inflexible CRM system is the root cause of all your problems. It certainly always helps to have a more robust, configurable, user-friendly, and scalable system, but more often than not you also have widespread customer-centric culture, strategy, and business process issues. That’s where you’ll need to start before you address your technical limitations.
While “All of our competitors use the ‘XYZ’ CRM system,” might be true and seem like a compelling motivator to evaluate moving to a new and improved CRM platform, you’ll need far more justification than that, particularly if you still need to secure funding from your Investment Committee.
Also, it’s best to shy away from promoting and getting too attached to the latest “bells and whistles” that were just released or featured in a certain system’s product release roadmap. Promising that the forthcoming new functionality will be your firm’s “silver bullet” could backfire as it may not completely operate and deliver as your unique environment desires. Moreover, it might be a while before those hot new features are “live” and truly solid.
