Published: 28 February 2024
A CRM vendor selection process should start not with an external search but with an internal assessment of why CRM technology is needed and how it will help achieve business objectives. We detail a process that application leaders can use to conduct this assessment as part of a transparent approach.
Organizations generally lack comprehensive, objective and departmentally inclusive processes for evaluating CRM vendors and software. This is due primarily to the presence of functional silos in which managers and employees have narrow and rigidly defined responsibilities.
CRM investment decisions often lack transparency and a definitive total cost of ownership (TCO) or clear ROI justification because no business objectives have been established. This makes it more complicated to explain to internal stakeholders, external auditors and vendors how and why decisions were made.
The lack of a structured evaluation process can result in slow decision making, poor long-term outcomes and capability gaps
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Analysts:
Ilona Hansen, Price Christian
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