Understanding CRM Requirements: A Complete Guide

CRM Requirements Checklist: My Picks

There are many factors that you need to consider before deciding on a CRM, not the least of which are the features. A CRM system that’s a great fit for you could be a horrible choice for another company. That’s why it’s critical to clearly understand what your CRM requirements are, and take that into account when making a decision.

When you start your search, I would recommend including the following requirements: 

1. Features vs. Needs: Will the CRM system fulfill your business needs?
2. Cost vs. Budget: Does the cost fit your budget while still providing bang for your buck?
3. UI and Ease of Use: Is the CRM software easy for your team to use?
4. Customization: Can you adapt the CRM to fit your processes and workflows?
5. Scalability: Will you be able to scale CRM functionalities as your needs evolve?
6. Integrations: Is it possible to integrate existing tools with the CRM software?
7. Security: Does the CRM system offer excellent security and data protection?
8. Support Availability: Is there 24/7 support available from knowledgeable teams?
9. Implementation Assistance: Will the CRM vendor help with implementation and training?
10. Reputation: Does the system come highly recommended with good user reviews?
11. Device Support: Can you access your CRM from any device easily?

We will be diving into these in more detail later in the article, and for good reason. Again, it all comes back to your unique requirements, so it’s important to understand what each one means for you and your company.

What Is A CRM?

The first customer relationship management (CRM) systems were introduced in the 80s, where they were generally considered little more than information and data repositories. Essentially, glorified client databases. These tools were intended to help businesses sort and store customer information in a secure and relatively organized way, although many were extremely complex and required dedicated database administrators to function.

Over the last couple of decades, CRM solutions have evolved so much that they’re nearly unrecognizable compared to their predecessors. Today, they are sophisticated tools that can help businesses completely revolutionize their business processes and customer interactions, assist with lead management and sales pipeline insights, manage complex projects, and more.

The purpose of most modern systems is still to help you with contact management and tracking interactions. They’re also designed to increase customer satisfaction and retain customer relationships. But, while these functions remain at the core of a new CRM system, they usually also boast numerous other functionalities – just more things for you to consider.

To that end, let’s start taking a closer look at those CRM requirements I mentioned earlier.

The Top CRM Software Requirements

Features vs. Needs

If you’re hunting for CRM solutions, consider the ‘who’, ‘why’, and ‘what’, as in:

• Who will be using the system?
• Why will these teams use the CRM?
• What does the system need to do for those teams to achieve their goals?

Answering these questions will give you the best indication of what kind of features you’ll need to look for in your CRM. Just deciding the ‘who’ alone can be a major determining factor in what kind of CRM you need.

For example, who will be using the CRM? Your sales team members? The marketers and creative teams? Perhaps your administrators? Do you want your customers to be able to have access to a client portal?

If the use of the CRM is going to be limited to your sales team members, you’ll want your new CRM system to focus on advanced features such as:

• Integration with all relevant lead generation platforms and communication tools you use.
• Lead management and scoring tools.
• Sales pipeline monitoring and forecasting tools.
• Sales and sales process automation capabilities.
• Sales performance insights for your sales reps.

If your marketing or project teams are going to be using the CRM instead, you may want to prioritize a platform that includes:

• Task assignments and project management, including time tracking.
• Deep analysis of customer data, sales, and marketing activities.
• Business reporting and forecasting.
• Marketing hubs and tools for social integration.
• Billing management and online payments.
• Automation and integration capabilities to improve marketing campaigns.

While a CRM can include all of these features, and more, it doesn’t mean that you need one that can do it all. That’s why it’s so critical to really understand what your CRM software requirements are, and choose accordingly.

Of course, it’s also important to consider whether the features you need are worth the cost, which brings us to…

Cost vs. Budget

A CRM might help you boost your ROI and the efficiency and productivity of your teams, but that doesn’t change the fact that they come with a price tag. While there are many amazing affordable platforms available, the larger your team and the greater variety of features you need, the higher the price tag is going to be.

Because of that, you’ll need to ask yourself:

• Is there a free plan or trial available so that we can test the system?
• What is our hard maximum budget for a CRM?
• If it charges per seat/user, will that have a significant or acceptable impact on cost?
• Are its paid packages scaled reasonably for future growth?
• Are the features it provides worth the cost?

The big question, however, is this: do you compromise on cost, or on features?

Unfortunately, this is a question only you can answer. My advice would be to weigh your options and find a balance between features and cost. Investing in a great system that has all the features you want out-of-the-box is great, but not if you’re going to have to cancel your subscription in a few months. Consider carefully, and never compromise on your max budget.

UI and Ease of Use

Ever heard of ‘Garbage in, garbage out’? Also known as GIGO, this is one of the biggest challenges companies encounter when trying to implement new CRM software. Here’s the thing – you might be able to force user adoption amongst your staff, but if the system is a complex nightmare to use, your team is going to find ways to cut corners, no matter what rules or penalties you employ.

After decades of working with CRMs, this is just an undeniable fact. Unfortunately, this means that your CRM might soon be cluttered with worthless information that results in unactionable insights and reports, or worse yet, critical, reputation-ruining mistakes. In other words, garbage in, garbage out, and a lot of money wasted.

The question, then, is how do you avoid this before it becomes a problem? Well, before you invest a fortune in a good CRM that your employees will despise, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the CRM solution more complex than what my team needs?
• Is the interface intuitive and easy to use?
• Does my team have experience working with CRM systems?
• Can the system be fun to use (and can gamification motivate my team)?
• Does the system provider offer intensive hands-on training?

To be fair, you might be thinking that the right training can help any team use any CRM. However, unless you really need a big, complex monster of a CRM, always aim for ease of use. Otherwise, you’ll simply end up wasting your money on an underutilized tool.

Customization

All businesses are unique, so you’ll want to find a platform that will match your business and sales processes as far as possible. Ask yourself:

• Can I customize fields to match our internal processes?
• Can the workflows be customized and optimized to match our needs?
• Is customization required, or will a built-in template work (if available)?

Ideally, you want to be able to customize the system to match your CRM requirements. However, you don’t want to, essentially, build a new system from the ground up. Additionally, over-customization can even result in performance issues.

To find the best fit during your CRM selection project, try to strike a balance between what the system can offer natively, and what you need to customize.

Odds are good that there are a couple of CRMs that will match your processes and workflows out of the box, but if not, try to find one where the CRM vendors are willing to assist with customization rather than figuring it all out yourself.

Scalability

Scalability is a critical factor to consider, but it can also be an expensive pitfall if you over- or underestimate your current needs and future growth. You could end up with fewer features than you need if you start with a low end package, and find that scaling up becomes hideously expensive as you add more features or users.

In the same vein, you could start with a more expensive platform that has great room for expansion, but which offers a lot of redundant features, which can put unneeded pressure on your budget.

Consider asking yourself:

• Is the scaling of features reasonable?
• Do the budget-friendly packages offer the features I want?
• Are there reasonable increases in premium packages that make upscaling affordable?
• Do I expect to see an increase in headcount soon?

If you don’t carefully consider these factors, you might soon find yourself lacking critical capabilities or migrating to more expensive plans before you’re ready.

Integrations

If you’ve been running your business for a while, you’re likely already using tools for contact management, sales forecasting, communication, and marketing. If nothing else, you’re probably already using something like Gmail or Outlook to manage your emails.

When you’re evaluating a system, you need to consider integrations as part of your CRM functional requirements. For example, can the system integrate with existing:

• Marketing tools?
• Sales tools?
• Social media platforms?
• Communication tools and software?
• Lead generation tools?

Some platforms can only integrate with email providers, while others integrate with thousands of third-party applications. A few even rely on Zapier to facilitate all their integrations. Consequently, I suggest making a list of your most important tools that you don’t intend to replace, and ensure that the CRM software can integrate with them.

Security

Every now and then, news reports are filled with some major scandal where a company’s customer data is compromised by a cyberattack. While many CRMs are safe to use, security is still a major concern and, since you’re the one using it to store information, you need to ensure that it’s as secure as possible.

When you’re looking for a new CRM, take care to find out what security measures they employ. For example:

• Are they compliant with regulators such as GDPR and CCPA?
• Do they encrypt all stored data?
• Do they perform regular automatic backups that are stored off-site?
• Does the platform have strict access controls that require user authentication?
• What cybersecurity measures do they use?

You might not find all this information available on the sites of CRM vendors. However, I highly recommend scheduling a call or meeting with the provider, and ask them these questions. If they show hesitation or can’t provide evidence of their security measures, run fast and run far. This is a financial and reputational liability you just can’t afford.

Support Availability

Many challenges can be overcome if a CRM has excellent support. Now, if you’re going to have an on-site resource that’s familiar with the system and can perform maintenance, vendor support won’t be as critical. However, it’s always good to work with a CRM provider that’s easy to contact and provides excellent support.

Consider:

• Will I have an on-site resource?
• Does the CRM developer provide 24/7 support?
• Can I contact the team via email, support tickets, and live chat?
• Are customer support reviews positive?

That last one will be most telling. It doesn’t matter what the CRM’s website boasts – if customers are unhappy with the assistance they receive, they’ll be quite vocal about it online. Don’t be afraid to sniff around and see how people feel about the treatment they get.

Implementation Assistance

I’m not going to tell you that implementing a CRM is an easy and rewarding process. Nine out of ten times, it can be a right headache. From initial setup and customization to training and onboarding, it’s a time-consuming and tricky process. But there’s one thing that can make things much easier – a great implementation team from the provider itself. This is particularly true if you’re going to use a larger, complex system.

If you can, meet with a representative and ask:

• Will they provide training and assistance during onboarding?
• Is training on- or off-site?
• Can and will they help with implementing and customizing the system?
• What are their implementation timelines?
• What challenges do they regularly encounter during implementation, and how do they overcome them?

Don’t be afraid to ask these questions. It’s likely that the CRM software provider knows the most common issues you might face, and have ready-to-go solutions. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of their resources – you’re paying for it, after all.

Reputation

As I mentioned earlier when discussing support, you need to look at reviews. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should take each web or user review at face value; some sponsored reviews will offer up false praise, while a slighted user might lambast a vendor with fake critique.

That said, there will usually be a majority one way or the other. Additionally, there are some platforms, like Capterra and G2, that require users to give better reviews or allow them to vote on certain aspects of a platform. These types of reviews can be a good indicator of what you can expect.

When looking at reviews, ask:

• Does the system come highly recommended with good user reviews?
• Do review platforms give positive reviews backed up by facts?
• What is the general sentiment regarding the brand itself?

While I wouldn’t base my decision on reviews alone, they’re often how I pick off the last stragglers from my shortlist. If you’re using our CRM requirements checklist, it might just help you do the same.

Device Support

In many more traditional environments, it’s not uncommon for sales reps to take to the field for work. However, the last few years have had quite an impact on how and where we work in general as well. Today, you’re as likely to need access to your CRM next to the pool at home as you are at your laptop in the office.

If this is a situation you need to consider, then device support might be a critical factor in determining which CRM system you choose. Many good CRM solutions offer native applications, while others function well on mobile browsers.

CRM Requirements Template

Below, I’ve provided an easy checklist, which you can copy and turn into your own printable CRM Requirements document. Alternatively, you can save or print this page directly for a ready-made CRM requirements template.

The points below summarize what I’ve discussed within the article itself, and in a way that will allow you to quickly determine if the CRM software will suit your needs.

• Features vs. Needs
  • Who will use the CRM system?
  • What do you want users to achieve with the system?
  • Can or do you need to supplement existing features with integrations?
  • Will the CRM system’s features meet your business requirements?
• Cost vs. Budget
  • Is there a free plan or trial available so that we can test the system?
  • What is our hard maximum budget for a CRM?
  • If it charges per seat/user, will that have an (un)acceptable impact on cost?
  • Are its paid packages scaled reasonably for future growth?
  • Are the features it provides worth the cost?
• UI and Ease of Use
  • Is the CRM solution more complex than what my team needs?
  • Is the interface intuitive and easy to use?
  • Does my team have experience working with CRM systems?
  • Can the system be fun to use (and can gamification motivate my team)?
  • Does the system provider offer intensive hands-on training?
• Customization
  • Can I customize fields to match our internal processes?
  • Can the workflows be customized and optimized to match our needs?
  • Is customization required, or will a built-in template work (if available)?
• Scalability
  • Is the scaling of features reasonable?
  • Do the budget-friendly packages offer the features I want?
  • Are there reasonable increases in prices that make upscaling affordable?
  • Do I expect to see an increase in headcount soon?
• Integrations: can it integrate with existing…
  • Marketing tools?
  • Sales tools?
  • Social media platforms?
  • Communication tools and software?
  • Lead generation tools?
• Security
  • Are they compliant with regulators such as GDPR and CCPA?
  • Do they encrypt all stored data?
  • Do they perform regular automatic backups that are stored off-site?
  • Does the platform have strict access controls that require user authentication?
  • What cybersecurity measures do they use?
• Support Availability
  • Will I have an on-site resource?
  • Does the CRM developer provide 24/7 support?
  • Can I contact the team via email, support tickets, and live chat?
  • Are customer support reviews positive?
• Implementation Assistance
  • Will they provide training and assistance during onboarding?
  • Is training on- or off-site?
  • Can and will they help with implementing and customizing the system?
  • What are their implementation timelines?
  • What challenges do they regularly encounter during implementation, and how do they overcome them?
• Reputation
  • Does the system come highly recommended with good user reviews?
  • Do review platforms give positive reviews backed up by facts?
  • What is the general sentiment regarding the brand itself?
• Device Support
  • Can you access your CRM from any device easily?

Conclusion

Finding the right CRM isn’t a decision you can make quickly or easily. It takes a lot of consideration, research, and testing, and I would almost insist on asking for demos and trials whenever possible.

However, you can’t test every CRM out there, and that’s where our CRM requirements checklist comes in. This checklist isn’t meant to help you determine the precise platform to use (but if it does, excellent!), but to help you create a shortlist of two or three so that you can spend your time testing each one and finding your perfect match. Remember, you can print out our CRM requirements checklist, and good luck on your search!

Explore our additional blogs too! Our CRM experts consistently publish valuable content daily, covering everything from how-to guides to detailed discussions on various sales pipeline stages.