CRM Platform Evaluation Checklist

Selecting a CRM Platform

As a business leader, it’s imperative to make the right investment when it comes to selecting a scalable customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

Do you know what questions to ask when weighing your options?

With numerous platforms out there, finding a CRM that meets your company’s unique needs is challenging.

This Systems & Functional Requirements Checklist provides areas to evaluate when considering an all-in-one CRM solution for marketing, sales, and customer service that can grow and evolve with your business as your needs change.

When reviewing this checklist, check only the features that are absolutely essential to your business and its operations.

It may be tempting to check the boxes of all functional and systems requirements; however, selecting a platform with features you won’t need or use leads to high software subscription costs, overly complicated user experience, and poor user adoption.

You can set yourself up for success by choosing the right CRM platform with functionality that aligns with your business goals, and the flexibility to scale as you grow.

CRM Functional Requirements

  The application must be easy to use with a simple user interface and a positive user experience.

  The ability to access and use the application on a mobile device.

  The ability to import and export data or exchange data via an interface with other applications.

  The ability to collect data within the application and report on key metrics reflective of strategic initiatives.

  The ability to collect, manage, and share client, lead, or deal information.

  The system must be able to gather and store digital and non-digital intelligence on leads and contacts.

  The ability to associate or link lead and deal information to a company.

  The system must have a way to mark the location of the client, lead, or deal.

  The ability to create actions and assign tasks with a priority factor.

  The ability to automate sales and marketing processes (e.g. email marketing, engagement notifications, lead routing/handoff procedures).

  The ability to collect, store, and act on Voice of the Customer data.

CRM Systems Requirements

Marketing

  List Management

  Marketing Lead Management

• • Demographic data capture
  • Behavioral data capture
  • Source attribution

  Lead Qualification

• • Lead qualifying & scoring
  • Lead routing & handoff

  Campaign Management

• • Paid Ad management
  • SEO (keyword) management
  • Email drip/lead nurture management

  Content Management

• • Automated email triggers
  • Smart content (personalization)
  • Landing page creation

  Reporting

• • Website analytics
  • Lead-opportunity/deal conversion rate
  • Lead-customer conversion rate
  • Campaign performance

Sales

  Sales Team Management

• • Regions
  • Divisions

  Lead & Contact Management

• • Source attribution
  • Sales activity

  Lead Qualification

 Task Management

 Deal (Opportunity) Management

• • Funnel tracking
  • Deal likelihood to close

 Territory Management & Lead Routing

 Company Associations (Parent-child Relationships)

 Organizational Chart Visualization

 Document Sharing

  Vendor Management & Associations 

  Referral Management & Associations

 Reporting

• • Sales activities
  • Forecasting
  • Source attribution

Customer Service

  Voice of the Customer

• • Net Promoter Scores
  • Customer Surveys

  Service Desk

• • Ticketing
  • Chat 
  • Knowledge Base

Choosing the right all-on-one CRM platform is pivotal to efficiently scale your business. You’ve defined your requirements — now what?

If you’re not sure where or how to begin your search for a CRM system, we can help.

Schedule Time with Our Team >>