- Customer relationship management (CRM) suites are an indispensable part of a holistic strategy for managing end-to-end customer interactions.
- After defining an approach to CRM, selection and implementation of the right CRM suite is a critical step in delivering concrete business value for marketing, sales, and customer service.
- Despite the importance of CRM selection and implementation, many organizations struggle to define an approach to picking the right vendor and rolling out the solution in an effective and cost-efficient manner.
- IT often finds itself in the unenviable position of taking the fall for CRM platforms that don't deliver on the promise of the CRM strategy.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- IT needs to be a trusted partner in CRM selection and implementation, but the business also needs to own the requirements and be involved from the beginning.
- CRM requirements dictate the components of the target CRM architecture, such as deployment model, feature focus, and customization level. Savvy application directors recognize the points in the project where the CRM architecture model necessitates deviations from a "canned" roll-out plan.
- CRM selection is a multi-step process that involves mapping target capabilities for marketing, sales, and customer service, assigning requirements across functional categories, determining the architecture model to prioritize criteria, and developing a comprehensive RFP that can be scored in a weighted fashion.
- Companies that succeed with CRM implementation create a detailed roadmap that outlines milestones for configuration, security, points of implementation, data migration, training, and ongoing application maintenance.
Impact and Result
- A CRM platform that effectively meets the needs of marketing, sales, and customer service and delivers value.
- Reduced costs during CRM selection.
- Reduced implementation costs and time frame.
- Faster time to results after implementation.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.5/10
Overall Impact
$33,312
Average $ Saved
12
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Pasadena City College
Guided Implementation
10/10
$64,999
20
Bush Brothers & Company
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
5
Alfred H. Knight Holding
Guided Implementation
8/10
$31,160
20
Was a productive meeting. We never finished which is why I gave an 8, but that could be our fault! Ben was great as always.
Baldwin Wallace University
Guided Implementation
10/10
$3,779
3
We received some good validation from Chad and he charted a good course/next steps.
Brethren Benefit Trust
Workshop
9/10
N/A
120
BEST: The methodology gets everyone engage in the workshop WORST: n/a
M. Holland Company
Guided Implementation
10/10
$11,339
5
Ben was very knowledgeable about the topics I wanted to cover and talked to me in a manner that I could understand.
Benchmade
Guided Implementation
9/10
$12,599
10
Customer Relationship Management Platform Selection Guide
Speed up the process to build your business case and select your CRM solution.
Table of Contents
Analyst Perspective
A strong CRM platform is paramount to succeeding with customer engagement.
Modern CRM platforms are the workhorses that provide functional capabilities and data curation for customer experience management. The market for CRM platforms has seen an explosion of growth over the last five years, as organizations look to mature their ability to deliver strong capabilities across marketing, sales, and customer service.
IT needs to be a trusted partner in CRM selection and implementation, but the business also needs to own the requirements and be involved from the get-go.
CRM selection must be a multistep process that involves defining target capabilities for marketing, sales, and customer service, prioritizing requirements across functional categories, determining the architecture model for the CRM environment, and developing a comprehensive RFP that can be scored in a weighted fashion.
To succeed with CRM implementation, create a detailed roadmap that outlines milestones for configuration, security, points of implementation, data migration, training, and ongoing application maintenance.
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Ben Dickie
Research Lead, Customer Experience Strategy Info-Tech Research Group |
Executive Summary
Your Challenge
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suites are an indispensable part of a holistic strategy for managing end-to-end customer interactions. Selecting the right platform that aligns with your requirements is a significant undertaking. After defining an approach to CRM, selection and implementation of the right CRM suite is a critical step in delivering concrete business value for marketing, sales, and customer service. |
Common Obstacles
Despite the importance of CRM selection and implementation, many organizations struggle to define an approach to picking the right vendor and rolling out the solution in an effective and cost-efficient manner. The CRM market is rapidly evolving and changing, making it tricky to stay on top of the space. IT often finds itself in the unenviable position of taking the fall for CRM platforms that don’t deliver on the promise of the CRM strategy. |
Info-Tech’s Approach
CRM platform selection must be driven by your overall customer experience management strategy: link your CRM selection to your organization’s CXM framework. Determine if you need a CRM platform that skews toward marketing, sales, or customer service; leverage use cases to help guide selection. Ensure strong points of integration between CRM and other software such as MMS. A CRM should not live in isolation; it must provide a 360-degree view. |
Info-Tech Insight
IT must work in lockstep with its counterparts in marketing, sales, and customer service to define a unified vision for the CRM platform.
Info-Tech’s methodology for selecting the right CRM platform
1. Understand CRM Features | 2. Build the Business Case & Elicit CRM Requirements | 3. Discover the CRM Market Space & Prepare for Implementation | |
Phase Steps |
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Phase Outcomes |
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Guided Implementation
A Guided Implementation (GI) is a series of calls with an Info-Tech analyst to help implement our best practices in your organization.
The CRM purchase process should be broken into segments:
- CRM vendor shortlisting with this buyer’s guide
- Structured approach to selection
- Contract review
What does a typical GI on this topic look like?
Phase 1 |
Phase 2 |
Phase 3 |
Call #1: Understand what a CRM platform is and the “art of the possible” for sales, marketing, and customer service. | Call #2: Build the business case to select a CRM.
Call #3: Define your key CRM requirements. Call #4: Build procurement items such as an RFP. |
Call #5: Evaluate the CRM solution landscape and shortlist viable options.
Call #6: Review implementation considerations. |
Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs
DIY Toolkit |
Guided Implementation |
Workshop |
Consulting |
"Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful." | "Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track." | "We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place." | "Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project." |
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options |
INFO~TECH RESEARCH GROUP
Customer Relationship Management Platform Selection Guide
Speed up the process to build your business case and select your CRM solution.
EXECUTIVE BRIEF
Info-Tech Research Group Inc. is a global leader in providing IT research and advice. Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.
© 1997-2022 Info-Tech Research Group Inc.
What exactly is a CRM platform?
Our Definition: A customer relationship management (CRM) platform (or suite) is a core enterprise application that provides a broad feature set for supporting customer interaction processes, typically across marketing, sales and customer service. These suites supplant more basic applications for customer interaction management (such as the contact management module of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform or office productivity suite). A customer relationship management suite provides many key capabilities, including but not limited to:
A CRM suite provides a host of native capabilities, but many organizations elect to tightly integrate their CRM solution with other parts of their customer experience ecosystem to provide a 360-degree view of their customers. | ![]() Info-Tech InsightCRM feature sets are rapidly evolving. Focus on the social component of sales, marketing, and service management features, as well as collaboration, to get the best fit for your requirements. Moreover, consider investing in best-of-breed social media management platforms (SMMPs) and internal collaboration tools to ensure sufficient functionality. |
Build a cohesive CRM selection approach that aligns business goals with CRM capabilities.Info-Tech InsightCustomers expect to interact with organizations through the channels of their choice. Now more than ever, you must enable your organization to provide tailored customer experiences. | Customer expectations are on the rise: meet them!A CRM platform is a crucial system for enabling good customer experiences.CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS EVOLVING
(Source: Forbes, 2019) |
Identifying organizational objectives of high priority will assist in breaking down business needs and CRM objectives. This exercise will better align the CRM systems with the overall corporate strategy and achieve buy-in from key stakeholders. |
A strong CRM platform supports a range of organizational objectives for customer engagement.
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Succeeding with CRM selection and implementation has a positive effect on driving revenues and decreasing costs
There are three buckets of metrics and KPIs where CRM will drive improvements
The metrics of a smooth CRM selection and implementation process include:
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A successful CRM deployment drives revenue…
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A successful CRM deployment decreases cost…
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CRM platforms sit at the core of a well-rounded customer engagement ecosystem
![]() Customer Experience Management (CXM) Portfolio |
Customer relationship management platforms are increasingly expansive in functional scope and foundational to an organization’s customer engagement strategy. Indeed, CRMs form the centerpiece for a comprehensive CXM system, alongside tools such as customer intelligence platforms and adjacent point solutions for sales, marketing, and customer service.
Review Info-Tech’s CXM blueprint below to build a complete, end-to-end customer interaction solution portfolio that encompasses CRM alongside other critical components. The CXM blueprint also allows you to develop strategic requirements for CRM based on customer personas and external market analysis. Build a Strong Technology Foundation for Customer Experience Management
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Considering a CRM switch? Switching software vendors drives high satisfaction
Eighty percent of organizations are more satisfied after changing their software vendor. |
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Over half of organizations are 60%+ more satisfied after changing their vendor. (Source: Info-Tech Research Group, "Switching Software Vendors Overwhelmingly Drives Increased Satisfaction", 2020.) |
IT is critical to the success of your CRM selection and rolloutToday’s shared digital landscape of the CIO and CMO | Info-Tech InsightTechnology is the key enabler of building strong customer experiences: IT must stand shoulder to shoulder with the business to develop a technology framework for customer relationship management. |
CIO
IT Operations Service Delivery and Management IT Support IT Systems and Application IT Strategy and Governance Cybersecurity |
Collaboration and Partnership
Digital Strategy = Transformation Customer Experience Insight (Market Facing) Marketing Integration + Operating Model Customer | Audience | Industry | Digital Marketing Assets |
CMO
PEO Media Brand Management Campaign Management Marketing Tech Marketing Ops Privacy, Trust, and Regulatory Requirements |
(Source: ZDNet, 2020)
CRM by the numbers
1/3Statistical analysis of CRM projects indicates failures vary from 18% to 69%. Taking an average of those analyst reports, about one-third of CRM projects are considered a failure. (Source: CIO Magazine, 2017) |
92%92% of organizations report that CRM use is important for accomplishing revenue objectives. (Source: Hall, 2020) |
40%In 2019, 40% of executives name customer experience the top priority for their digital transformation. (Source: CRM Magazine, 2019) |
Case StudyAlign strategy and technology to meet consumer demand. |
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INDUSTRY
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SOURCE
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Challenge
Beginning as a mail-out service, Netflix offered subscribers a catalog of videos to select from and have mailed to them directly. Customers no longer had to go to a retail store to rent a video. However, the lack of immediacy of direct mail as the distribution channel resulted in slow adoption. Blockbuster was the industry leader in video retail but was lagging in its response to industry, consumer, and technology trends around customer experience. |
Solution
In response to the increasing presence of tech-savvy consumers on the internet, Netflix invested in developing its online platform as its primary distribution channel. The benefit of doing so was two-fold: passive brand advertising (by being present on the internet) and meeting customer demands for immediacy and convenience. Netflix also recognized the rising demand for personalized service and created an unprecedented, tailored customer experience. |
Results
Netflix’s disruptive innovation is built on the foundation of great customer experience management. Netflix is now a $28-billion company, which is tenfold what Blockbuster was worth. Netflix used disruptive technologies to innovatively build a customer experience that put it ahead of the long-time video rental industry leader, Blockbuster. |
CRM Buyer’s Guide
Phase 1
Understand CRM Features
Phase 1
1.1 Define CRM platforms 1.2 Classify table stakes & differentiating capabilities 1.3 Explore CRM trends |
Phase 2
2.1 Build the business case 2.2 Streamline requirements elicitation for CRM 2.3 Construct the RFP |
Phase 3
3.1 Discover key players in the CRM landscape 3.2 Engage the shortlist & select finalist 3.3 Prepare for implementation |
This phase will walk you through the following activities:
- Set a level of understanding of CRM technology.
- Define which CRM features are table stakes (standard) and which are differentiating.
- Identify the “Art of the Possible” in a modern CRM from a sales, marketing, and service lens.
This phase involves the following participants:
- CIO
- Applications manager
- Project manager
- Sales executive
- Marketing executive
- Customer service executive
Understand CRM table stakes features
Organizations can expect nearly all CRM vendors to provide the following functionality.
Lead Management | Pipeline Management | Contact Management | Campaign Management | Customer Service Management |
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Identify differentiating CRM featuresWhile not always “must-have” functionality, these features may be the final dealbreaker when deciding between two CRM vendors.![]() |
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