What should we do before choosing a CRM tool?

Most people start by looking at systems. In our experience, that is the wrong order: once the choice has been made, you inherit the vendor’s assumptions about how you work. Four things should be clarified first, and together they rarely take more than a few weeks.

1. Agree on what the problem is

“We need a CRM” is not a problem; it is a proposed solution. Is the problem that no one knows what has been promised to the customer? That the forecast is inaccurate? That inquiries go unanswered? Different problems point to different solutions, and some of them do not require a new system at all. Write down the three or four things that actually need to improve.

2. Describe the process as it is today

Not as it should be — as it actually is. Who does what when a request comes in, where it is logged, and who takes over when. This usually reveals that practices vary between individuals and departments, and that variation must be addressed regardless of which tool you choose.

3. Clean up the data before moving it

Customer records are usually scattered across an accounting system, a few spreadsheets, and a couple of inboxes. Get an overview of how much data there is, how much of it is duplicated, and how much is outdated. Migrating poor-quality data results in a new system that feels just as unreliable as the old one, and adoption quickly drops off.

4. Clarify who owns what in relation to the accounting system

Customers, products, and orders often exist in both CRM and ERP systems. Decide which system is the source of truth for each before integrating them. Making this decision now is inexpensive; making it a year from now will be costly.

Once you have this in place, your conversations with vendors will be completely different too. You can ask to see your own process in the tool instead of watching a standard demo and trying to imagine the rest.