When I pull up the internet, my homepage has a link to my daily horoscope. I look to the left and then the right to be sure my dogs aren’t watching me and quickly click to what it says. After all, today just might be my lucky day and I don’t even know it. Shucks…it’s not my lucky day so I decide to consult the stars on my sign’s compatibility. I laugh as I read my compatibility with one sign, “This is a doubtful connection and extremely complicated”. Don’t you feel that way when you’re looking to find the right fit for your software needs?
Rather than consulting your Magic 8 Ball or your daily horoscopes, here are a few tips for evaluating a potential and provider:
- Be honest and realistic about what you need your system to do and what you want it to do. Then go through and rank those features. If push comes to shove, what are you willing to give up?
- Set a budget including software cost, implementation & customization services, and training.
- Research, Research, Research. Research the product by visiting their website, blogs, and software publications. Talk to your network of business contacts to see what they are using and ask for their recommendations.
- Many partners offer a “FREE BUSINESS REVIEW” like we do at DFC Consultants. I would recommend that you take advantage of this opportunity to sit down together and define your list of needs and wants and then prioritize what’s most important in a CRM solution so you can rate solutions accordingly. At the same time, get to know the individuals of the company as you will be working closely with them. Are you compatible with the people you are talking to? Are you going to be able to have straightforward conversations when things aren’t going smoothly? Do they have the expertise you require?
- If you are ready to go with their CRM solution, come together to set clear expectations through a business process meeting. Who is going to be accountable for driving the project on each side? What is your timeline? What is your definition of success?
DFC Consultants is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with over 22 years of experience working with clients in industries like Distribution, Manufacturing, Non-Profit, Tribal, Casinos. We offer a free business analysis meeting to understand the needs and wants of potential clients to determine if our products and services are a fit. If they are, then we can show you how CRM can meet your organizations’ requirements. To set up a Business Analysis Meeting contact DFC at 800-277-5561 or email us at [email protected]
DFC Consultants will be hosting a where you can see a high level overview of the functionality of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.
By following these tips and others, hopefully you will find a “connection is usually "nice" and a long union also is possible.”
By Vanessa Veflin, DFC Consultants,
