What are they key questions to ask a vendor when evaluating which CRM to purchase and implement?

First off, you have to understand where you are as a company, whether you're a startup or a more mature organization. Your requirements will differ based on your current state and future plans. It's crucial to consider not just where you are now, but where you want to be. What's your five-year or ten-year roadmap? You want a CRM that can scale with you and won't require significant changes or replacements down the line, which can be disruptive. You also need to involve other stakeholders in the business and consider whether the CRM can integrate with other systems or perform dual functions that you haven't thought about.

Data integration is a big one. I've come across issues with poorly integrated systems, which can be highly disruptive and cause you to lose salespeople. So, how will the CRM be implemented, what does the implementation timeline look like, and can the vendor provide proof of successful implementations with other programs? I'm also interested in the role of AI in the CRM. How can AI be added, and what features can it provide, whether for research, calling, or data management? I want to know about the future potential of the CRM.

First, what security measures are in place to protect customer data? Second, what kind of ongoing training and support will my team and I receive? What does onboarding look like? And finally, I want to speak to someone who has gone through the process of migrating from one CRM to another, to understand what to expect in terms of time and effort. Sales pitches can sometimes be misleading, so it's important to get a real-world perspective.