30 simple questions about CRM
At specialized forums, professional sites, Toster and even Mail-answers (what do they expect?), There are always questions related to CRM. Actually, these questions are no different from those asked by customers, choosing a system or being on a sales training. And so the idea came to collect the main ones and write small answers right in a chaotic manner. It turned out exactly thirty. Talk about CRM?
CRM-systems have been developing in the Russian market for more than a dozen years - during this time vendors managed to implement hundreds of customer requirements in their releases and use many successful user cases. Therefore, many systems have become universal, that is, in fact, directly “in delivery” covers the needs of a very large number of customers. And this vendor policy is justified. As they say, appetite comes with eating, and many companies are beginning to use more and more sections of the CRM system, for example, telephony, reports, mailings and pre-sales.
In most developed CRM systems, it is possible to disable unnecessary modules or fields in the settings. In addition, almost all vendors offer several versions with different amounts of functionality - there is a chance not to overpay for the implementation.
BEHIND:
')
VS:
Representatives: bpm'online , Freshoffice , amoCRM , etc.
BEHIND:
VS:
Representatives: KLEK CRM , RegionSoft CRM , old Terrasoft (partners have), etc.
There are CRMs that have both cloud and server versions: bpm'online , MS Dynamics CRM , etc.
In principle, there is no universal indication in choosing a system. Cloud systems are more convenient for those who change the company's scale, need remote work and use a small number of licenses. Desktop suitable for serious companies who do not want to depend on the Internet or fear for their data. Every year the border between the cloud and the desktop is erased, so when choosing a system, it is better to focus on other arguments: the profile and needs of the business, the developer experience and even the experience of similar implementations of the selected vendor.
It's simple - analyze business processes. You can use the services of a business analyst who will professionally study the processes within the company and recommend a solution, but often these guys are fed by vendors and can be cunning in the recommendations. You can choose a vendor and ask for help to it - the experience of developers allows you to quickly understand whether their system suits you. But the best way out is to create an internal implementation project: collect requirements from departments, jointly discuss and write down business processes step by step (not necessarily in notation), choose 2-3 main goals to be achieved following the implementation, create a list of tasks to achieve goals. The results of such self-examination will facilitate your choice and the work of the CRM provider employees.
Business processes are sequential chains of actions that occur in a company during repetitive routine work (mailing, contract signing, delivery, etc.). They exist in any company, but more often than not, they are not automated. Automating the process provides significant benefits: meeting deadlines, accuracy of actions, reminders, personal responsibility of each employee at his stage. Work becomes noticeably more coherent and transparent.
Some CRMs provide for automating business processes by building diagrams and launching the process at the right time. Processes can be designed in human-readable BPMN notation ( ELMA , bpm'online , Clic ), in notation close to BPMN ( Bitrix24 ) and in native developer notation ( RegionSoft CRM ). In principle, all the above notations are easy to understand, but it should be borne in mind that business processes should be modeled taking into account the smallest details - this is the case when it is better to spend time setting up, so that later you can easily pass the business process time after time.
It depends on the industry. How to create industry CRM? Once a vendor works with a profile company, makes a revision for it and, in a short time, produces releases: for real estate, advertising agency, printing house, beauty salon, and so on. As a rule, such programs have a price higher than the basic solution, and on board they have renamed card fields and report caps. It happens in a different way, when all industry-specific business logic is already included in CRM. In order not to overpay for three manual actions, download and compare demo versions of the base system and the industry version.
On the other hand, there are CRM, which have separate releases, sharpened under the finest details of the industry (for example, numerous solutions from Terrasoft , CRM for TV and Radio Holdings from RegionSoft or withdrawal and recycling from Clic ). Such systems, as a rule, are developed in conjunction with industry experts and, indeed, help to save on implementation, refinement and the final cost of the project.
Sometimes companies find cheap imported CRM with a good interface, but the implementations fail. There are two reasons for this. The first, banal, is the lack of knowledge of some employees of the English language and the resulting inability to navigate the non-localized interface. The second, weighty, problems with regard to the primary documentation: in Russia, the European invoicing system is non-living, there are difficulties in integrating with the Russian 1C. To its credit, Russian developers can be noted that there are domestic analogues of almost all foreign CRM. Well, top solutions ( Microsoft Dynamics CRM , Sugar CRM , Salesforce , SAP and even Zoho ) have already received the Russian-language interface and are being introduced by Russian partners. Another thing is that such implementations are quite expensive for medium and small businesses, but more on that later.
First of all, it’s convenient if you can call using native siphon or Skype directly from CRM - you don’t have to waste time launching additional software, organizing a storage of call recording files, etc. Secondly, this is an important communication point: in many systems, the client’s card is raised and the manager already knows exactly which client he is talking to, personifies his profile and communication. And this is a very powerful loyalty tool. Thirdly, as we have already discussed, CRM covers the needs of technical support and front-end (cold calls, help, call center), for which telephony is the main tool of work. In turn, the employees of these units form the pool of the most important commercial information in the system.
Yes, there are, that was even my review of those on Habré. As a rule, these are full-fledged versions of minor releases that prohibit network work and are designed for one user. Here it should be said that it is absolutely not recommended to do with free CRM:
Otherwise, these versions of the systems can serve the good service of a freelancer, a single entrepreneur or a sales person who wants to organize and organize their work in order to show an outstanding result.
It depends on the vendor. In large CRM ( Terrasoft , Click , RegionSoft , Sugar CRM , etc.) it is definitely possible, but it must be borne in mind that some progressive discounts on the cost of licenses may not work if you use a system with several connected databases.
Yes, as a rule, with one or another loss of time and nerves you can migrate between the CRM of different vendors. The possibility of transition is provided by the organization of databases that underlie each of the CRM. Many vendors have a list of competitors from which the migration takes place as quickly as possible. In other cases, additional operations with data tables are necessary. However, you should always state your claims to the supplier, and then make a decision on migration - as a rule, a way out of the problem situation can be found in the framework of working with one developer. So you will save both manpower and money (you will not pay for new licenses).
It depends on many factors. For example, the cost of owning a cloud project in a couple of years can easily outgrow the cost of a one-time “eternal” implementation of the desktop system. To estimate the cost of implementation, you need to set goals and identify needs, namely:
After that, the best tool is vendor sites: visit them, see version comparisons and prices, calculate the approximate cost of implementation. After that, you can start testing the demo version and consult with vendors. Do not be afraid to communicate with the developers - they are well aware of their product, they understand the desire of the client to save. Most well-known vendors avoid winding up prices and services - their reputation is dearer than a couple of tens of thousands of rubles.
If it seems to you that CRM is very expensive, calculate the expense of paying CRM per employee. I assure you, such a meager investment will pay off as quickly as possible. By the way, there is another non-trivial method of estimating the cost of implementation, especially for small businesses: compare the costs of implementation and the cost of the New Year's corporate party. As a rule, the conclusions are often astonished managers.
Depending on the specifics of the company's activities, it may be necessary to refine, that is, change the program code by a vendor or an own programmer / freelancer if it is technically possible. Refinement - it is always additional costs, but you get a system that solves problems with maximum consideration for the specifics of the company and do not waste time on building relationships with CRM.
As already mentioned, there are several types of customization, depending on the capabilities of the client and the system architecture:
Choosing a refinement method, remember: you pay for the labor of your hired programmer for refinement and pay the vendor. Sometimes the first amount is much higher than the second - weigh all the prospects and risks.
Sometimes there is no need to improve - just customize the system using the available settings. Only one piece of advice is applicable here: before you start drafting a technical task for additional functionality, work with the system and make sure that the necessary settings are missing.
If the revision is still needed and there is a clear vision of what is missing, pay attention to the technical task, in which the reasons, needs and desired state of the CRM system are given in as much detail as possible. Remember that in case of failure or misunderstanding, the developer will always point to the TK. And yes, the miser pays twice: it’s better to turn to the vendor than to the freelancer - he knows his program better, will do it quickly, efficiently, with a guarantee and without problems from the category “yes there is a need to pick oneself”, “a crutch on a crutch” and “I need a couple more months.
Yes you can. In narrow industries where the software is provided, in many areas where there are only a couple of suppliers and a couple of buyers. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Russian companies have not even heard of CRM. But if your Excel file has grown and become more complicated, if there is a risk that the customer base of the client is lost by managers or deliberate sabotage, if people steal from the warehouse and services are not provided, you should seriously consider choosing a CRM system and bringing order to business in several directions at once, in a complex .
All entity fields (customer card, product, contact, transaction, etc.) are the long-term experience of the vendor itself or, in the case of a young developer company, the experience of its predecessors. You can not fill in the fields or disable them, but experience shows that the more information about the entity, the better the data array. All these values ​​will help in the future to build a good analytics, to collect the most segmented groups for marketing mailings that will bring good results. Finally, you will get an excellent database and will be able to divide it into clusters and make pre-sales.
Yes, almost 100% of modern systems are omnichannel: they employ marketers, technical support staff, analysts and financiers. Information about leads, customers and transactions coming from the front end provides good material for the work of all departments. In addition, many CRMs can use mail and make mailings, including in HTML (for example, in Russian Clic systems (without HTML), Regionsoft CRM (HTML in the native mail client), bpm'online (HTML is possible)).
Yes, almost all. Another thing is that the level of change is different: from minimal adaptations of the interface to a complete "flashing" of CRM for you. Options options:
This is a very interesting market. We will not touch a big business, we will leave it to vendor giants. According to official statistics, there are over 4.5 million micro, small and medium businesses in Russia. The volume of the market, in general, is obvious. No wonder new CRMs are constantly emerging: only for online stores, only for social networks or one social network. Desktop CRM with a long history (Click, RegionSoft) continues to evolve and has already outgrown the CRM class, turning into XRM and ERP. Strong players Terrasoft (bpm'online ) and Freshoffice almost abandoned the desktop and built their powerful solutions in the cloud. New and aggressive ( amoCRM ) actively conquer the market at the expense of simplicity, clear and beautiful interface, and of good money for promotion. And they all have their loyal customers, meet the needs of the business of their segment. Surprisingly, some of them almost do not intersect in the market, although they have similar functionality. CRM is all different, so you should determine your goals and test the demo versions of several vendors - you will definitely find your solution, and at a good price.
It depends on the business profile. In general, mobile CRM is not very convenient: you need to fill in the fields using the on-screen keyboard, this takes time and is fraught with error. The only one for whom such a CRM is needed is for merchandisers who are shooting, for example, nomenclature positions. But for this specificity there is CRM, sharpened by the exchange of data with data collection terminals. The best that vendors for mobile versions can do is to create an unloading of operational contacts to the mobile for calls and correspondence by e-mail and a very simple data entry form. However, the client must remember that any mobility is a potential hole in the security of corporate data.
No, most CRMs have a completely user-friendly interface and clear logic of interaction with the system. In addition, most vendors conduct employee training for an additional fee. You should not refuse him, because it is very important to form an internal examination on CRM in the company. One or several people who have a good command of the system will later solve a huge number of problems and will always be able to train internal users.
It is better to immediately form a list like a check list.
This list does not pretend to be complete, each company may have its own additional requirements that need to be added to the list and presented to the vendor.
At 100% - it is the interface that determines the interaction of the system and the user, the speed and convenience of work. However, do not judge the interface of the corporate system by flat-design and muted tones. Pay attention to the speed, availability of reference books, convenience of filters, system desktop settings, the possibility of creating an entity inside another entity (for example, a product when creating an account), availability of primary documentation and printing forms. All the rest - bows that are pleasing to the eye, but almost no effect on the quality of work.
Ratings are compiled by company turnover and implementation costs. To catch up with SAP implementation in one, for example, a telecoms operator, an average vendor needs to work a year and automate dozens of companies. The fact of the participation of the vendor in the rating does not say anything about anything - everyone has successful and unsuccessful cases. But success lies in the interaction between the customer and the vendor.
Not. As mentioned above, forks or open source CRM settings require a high-class professional, and most often two: a programmer and a system administrator with good UNIX and / or Windows skills. Look at the salary requirements of specialists of this level and calculate how much the implementation will cost. But if you have people in your staff who know how to work with such a project and are ready to tell you about the timing of launching CRM, open source is very attractive.
Licenses are divided into competitive (by connection) and by name (by user). Competitive license is ultimately more profitable, because in most cases, all at the same time in CRM do not work and you can save on a license. This is especially true for firms with managers "in the fields", shift work, etc. Also, occasionally licenses may be used by logisticians, marketers, advertisers, and PR managers.
If you choose a cloud, pay attention to the minimum payment period and the minimum number of users - some tariffs are valid only if you pay immediately for a year, that is, the plan to spend money on subscription fees will not work - you will need to find money for a large payment. Desktop vendors now also offer installment plans and even rentals. This is convenient if you are not fully determined or are not ready to allocate a budget for the entire project. In any case, talking about the final cost in the vendor - he will point out the nuances and, perhaps, even offer the terms of the acquisition more favorable than the price cost.
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1. Why is there so much in CRM?
CRM-systems have been developing in the Russian market for more than a dozen years - during this time vendors managed to implement hundreds of customer requirements in their releases and use many successful user cases. Therefore, many systems have become universal, that is, in fact, directly “in delivery” covers the needs of a very large number of customers. And this vendor policy is justified. As they say, appetite comes with eating, and many companies are beginning to use more and more sections of the CRM system, for example, telephony, reports, mailings and pre-sales.
In most developed CRM systems, it is possible to disable unnecessary modules or fields in the settings. In addition, almost all vendors offer several versions with different amounts of functionality - there is a chance not to overpay for the implementation.
2. Cloud CRM: + and -?
BEHIND:')
- It is fast and mobile, there is access from most gadgets and at any point where you can connect to the Internet.
- This is most often simple: registered, entered the starting data and you can start working.
- It suits micro businesses that are not concerned about competitive intelligence and data security.
- This is a familiar web interface.
- It is easy to set up and scalable.
- Easier to work with remote employees.
VS:
- Often the cloud is expensive and over the course of a year and a half, the cost of renting a cloud solution begins to outpace the cost of owning a one-time license when licenses are purchased. Plus, vendors can change tariffs.
- The cloud is badly customizable - most often these are ready-made solutions for SMB.
- The cloud is unsafe from the point of data storage - even with full protection from external attacks, you can simply transfer the password from the system.
- Cloud is a vendor dependency. You just rent a service on the SaaS model, and if the vendor suddenly decides to repurpose the business, you will have to look for another system.
- Cloud is a dependency on Internet connection speed. If there is a problem with the speed of data transmission in your region or location, do not risk it.
- Remember that most of the time the server where the customer data is located does not belong to the CRM vendor. And as you know, the more nodes, the higher the risk.
Representatives: bpm'online , Freshoffice , amoCRM , etc.
3. Desktop (on-premise) CRM + and -?
BEHIND:- More developed functionality, wide possibilities of work with the cashier, warehouse, 1C, logistics and so on.
- Simplicity of completion, as in the case of an order from a vendor, and in the case of independent changes.
- Data security: all information is stored on your server, backups are created and saved.
- Lower cost of ownership (payment for the implementation project, without endless subscription fees).
- The absence of a third party (data center) in the relationship with the vendor.
VS:
- Most often it has difficulty with mobility.
- Requires administration.
- Sometimes (almost casuistry) is demanding of server configuration.
Representatives: KLEK CRM , RegionSoft CRM , old Terrasoft (partners have), etc.
There are CRMs that have both cloud and server versions: bpm'online , MS Dynamics CRM , etc.
In principle, there is no universal indication in choosing a system. Cloud systems are more convenient for those who change the company's scale, need remote work and use a small number of licenses. Desktop suitable for serious companies who do not want to depend on the Internet or fear for their data. Every year the border between the cloud and the desktop is erased, so when choosing a system, it is better to focus on other arguments: the profile and needs of the business, the developer experience and even the experience of similar implementations of the selected vendor.
4. How to understand what a company needs from CRM?
It's simple - analyze business processes. You can use the services of a business analyst who will professionally study the processes within the company and recommend a solution, but often these guys are fed by vendors and can be cunning in the recommendations. You can choose a vendor and ask for help to it - the experience of developers allows you to quickly understand whether their system suits you. But the best way out is to create an internal implementation project: collect requirements from departments, jointly discuss and write down business processes step by step (not necessarily in notation), choose 2-3 main goals to be achieved following the implementation, create a list of tasks to achieve goals. The results of such self-examination will facilitate your choice and the work of the CRM provider employees.
5. Business processes and their schemes - is it difficult?
Business processes are sequential chains of actions that occur in a company during repetitive routine work (mailing, contract signing, delivery, etc.). They exist in any company, but more often than not, they are not automated. Automating the process provides significant benefits: meeting deadlines, accuracy of actions, reminders, personal responsibility of each employee at his stage. Work becomes noticeably more coherent and transparent.
Some CRMs provide for automating business processes by building diagrams and launching the process at the right time. Processes can be designed in human-readable BPMN notation ( ELMA , bpm'online , Clic ), in notation close to BPMN ( Bitrix24 ) and in native developer notation ( RegionSoft CRM ). In principle, all the above notations are easy to understand, but it should be borne in mind that business processes should be modeled taking into account the smallest details - this is the case when it is better to spend time setting up, so that later you can easily pass the business process time after time.
6. Do I need industry CRM?
It depends on the industry. How to create industry CRM? Once a vendor works with a profile company, makes a revision for it and, in a short time, produces releases: for real estate, advertising agency, printing house, beauty salon, and so on. As a rule, such programs have a price higher than the basic solution, and on board they have renamed card fields and report caps. It happens in a different way, when all industry-specific business logic is already included in CRM. In order not to overpay for three manual actions, download and compare demo versions of the base system and the industry version.
On the other hand, there are CRM, which have separate releases, sharpened under the finest details of the industry (for example, numerous solutions from Terrasoft , CRM for TV and Radio Holdings from RegionSoft or withdrawal and recycling from Clic ). Such systems, as a rule, are developed in conjunction with industry experts and, indeed, help to save on implementation, refinement and the final cost of the project.
7. Why can not come overseas CRM?
Sometimes companies find cheap imported CRM with a good interface, but the implementations fail. There are two reasons for this. The first, banal, is the lack of knowledge of some employees of the English language and the resulting inability to navigate the non-localized interface. The second, weighty, problems with regard to the primary documentation: in Russia, the European invoicing system is non-living, there are difficulties in integrating with the Russian 1C. To its credit, Russian developers can be noted that there are domestic analogues of almost all foreign CRM. Well, top solutions ( Microsoft Dynamics CRM , Sugar CRM , Salesforce , SAP and even Zoho ) have already received the Russian-language interface and are being introduced by Russian partners. Another thing is that such implementations are quite expensive for medium and small businesses, but more on that later.
8. Why do you need telephony in CRM?
First of all, it’s convenient if you can call using native siphon or Skype directly from CRM - you don’t have to waste time launching additional software, organizing a storage of call recording files, etc. Secondly, this is an important communication point: in many systems, the client’s card is raised and the manager already knows exactly which client he is talking to, personifies his profile and communication. And this is a very powerful loyalty tool. Thirdly, as we have already discussed, CRM covers the needs of technical support and front-end (cold calls, help, call center), for which telephony is the main tool of work. In turn, the employees of these units form the pool of the most important commercial information in the system.
9. Are there any free CRM?
Yes, there are, that was even my review of those on Habré. As a rule, these are full-fledged versions of minor releases that prohibit network work and are designed for one user. Here it should be said that it is absolutely not recommended to do with free CRM:- Judging by the free version of the flagship product, as the functionality can be very different. To evaluate the current release, it is better to use the demo version.
- Download CRM from unverified sources. In the overwhelming number of cases, free CRM is located in a prominent place on the vendor’s website, from where you can safely and without viruses download it. Do not expect to find CRM cracks on torrents - protected systems are extremely difficult to crack, and you can stumble upon the troubles of the vendor or serious problems for an unprotected PC.
Otherwise, these versions of the systems can serve the good service of a freelancer, a single entrepreneur or a sales person who wants to organize and organize their work in order to show an outstanding result.
10. Is it possible to maintain several bases in CRM (several companies)?
It depends on the vendor. In large CRM ( Terrasoft , Click , RegionSoft , Sugar CRM , etc.) it is definitely possible, but it must be borne in mind that some progressive discounts on the cost of licenses may not work if you use a system with several connected databases.
11. Is it possible to change the supplier of CRM?
Yes, as a rule, with one or another loss of time and nerves you can migrate between the CRM of different vendors. The possibility of transition is provided by the organization of databases that underlie each of the CRM. Many vendors have a list of competitors from which the migration takes place as quickly as possible. In other cases, additional operations with data tables are necessary. However, you should always state your claims to the supplier, and then make a decision on migration - as a rule, a way out of the problem situation can be found in the framework of working with one developer. So you will save both manpower and money (you will not pay for new licenses).
12. Is CRM expensive?
It depends on many factors. For example, the cost of owning a cloud project in a couple of years can easily outgrow the cost of a one-time “eternal” implementation of the desktop system. To estimate the cost of implementation, you need to set goals and identify needs, namely:- the need for integration (1C, warehouse, cash, website, telephony ...)
- departments involved in working with CRM
- the number of employees who will constantly and periodically work in CRM
- the need for access outside the office (mobile, remote access)
- the need for special reports (billing, banking).
After that, the best tool is vendor sites: visit them, see version comparisons and prices, calculate the approximate cost of implementation. After that, you can start testing the demo version and consult with vendors. Do not be afraid to communicate with the developers - they are well aware of their product, they understand the desire of the client to save. Most well-known vendors avoid winding up prices and services - their reputation is dearer than a couple of tens of thousands of rubles.
If it seems to you that CRM is very expensive, calculate the expense of paying CRM per employee. I assure you, such a meager investment will pay off as quickly as possible. By the way, there is another non-trivial method of estimating the cost of implementation, especially for small businesses: compare the costs of implementation and the cost of the New Year's corporate party. As a rule, the conclusions are often astonished managers.
13. Does the company need to refine the system?
Depending on the specifics of the company's activities, it may be necessary to refine, that is, change the program code by a vendor or an own programmer / freelancer if it is technically possible. Refinement - it is always additional costs, but you get a system that solves problems with maximum consideration for the specifics of the company and do not waste time on building relationships with CRM.As already mentioned, there are several types of customization, depending on the capabilities of the client and the system architecture:
- Refinement by the programmers of the customer or freelancer - possible if you need to create several additional reports or CRM is a platform (roughly speaking, SDK). Here it must be remembered that interfering with the logic of an unfamiliar system for a programmer can lead to unpredictable consequences — be sure to perform regression testing before starting work.
- Refinement by the vendor - in all cases, the best option in view of the deep knowledge of the system from the developer and understanding of business processes.
- Creating a fork of the open source system is a long-term and expensive refinement (if you can still call it that). Requires a qualified programmer who wants good pay.
Choosing a refinement method, remember: you pay for the labor of your hired programmer for refinement and pay the vendor. Sometimes the first amount is much higher than the second - weigh all the prospects and risks.
Sometimes there is no need to improve - just customize the system using the available settings. Only one piece of advice is applicable here: before you start drafting a technical task for additional functionality, work with the system and make sure that the necessary settings are missing.
If the revision is still needed and there is a clear vision of what is missing, pay attention to the technical task, in which the reasons, needs and desired state of the CRM system are given in as much detail as possible. Remember that in case of failure or misunderstanding, the developer will always point to the TK. And yes, the miser pays twice: it’s better to turn to the vendor than to the freelancer - he knows his program better, will do it quickly, efficiently, with a guarantee and without problems from the category “yes there is a need to pick oneself”, “a crutch on a crutch” and “I need a couple more months.
14. Is it possible to do without CRM?
Yes you can. In narrow industries where the software is provided, in many areas where there are only a couple of suppliers and a couple of buyers. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Russian companies have not even heard of CRM. But if your Excel file has grown and become more complicated, if there is a risk that the customer base of the client is lost by managers or deliberate sabotage, if people steal from the warehouse and services are not provided, you should seriously consider choosing a CRM system and bringing order to business in several directions at once, in a complex .
15. Why are there so many fields in the systems to fill?
All entity fields (customer card, product, contact, transaction, etc.) are the long-term experience of the vendor itself or, in the case of a young developer company, the experience of its predecessors. You can not fill in the fields or disable them, but experience shows that the more information about the entity, the better the data array. All these values ​​will help in the future to build a good analytics, to collect the most segmented groups for marketing mailings that will bring good results. Finally, you will get an excellent database and will be able to divide it into clusters and make pre-sales.
16. Is there life in CRM after making a sale?
Yes, almost 100% of modern systems are omnichannel: they employ marketers, technical support staff, analysts and financiers. Information about leads, customers and transactions coming from the front end provides good material for the work of all departments. In addition, many CRMs can use mail and make mailings, including in HTML (for example, in Russian Clic systems (without HTML), Regionsoft CRM (HTML in the native mail client), bpm'online (HTML is possible)).
17. Is it possible to change the settings in the system?
Yes, almost all. Another thing is that the level of change is different: from minimal adaptations of the interface to a complete "flashing" of CRM for you. Options options:
- external paid connectors for work, for example, with 1C or warehouse ( Microsoft Dynamics CRM )
- external paid and free widgets for mail, messengers, warehouse and much more ( Bitrix24 , amoCRM )
- completion of reports, setting up fields, customizing the interface, setting rules for the execution of procedures on a schedule ( RegionSoft CRM )
- creation of modules and functions based on the platform solution ( Clic , Salesforce , Terrasoft )
- full customization (open source, for example, Sugar CRM ).
18. Are all CRM the same? Why are there so many of them?
This is a very interesting market. We will not touch a big business, we will leave it to vendor giants. According to official statistics, there are over 4.5 million micro, small and medium businesses in Russia. The volume of the market, in general, is obvious. No wonder new CRMs are constantly emerging: only for online stores, only for social networks or one social network. Desktop CRM with a long history (Click, RegionSoft) continues to evolve and has already outgrown the CRM class, turning into XRM and ERP. Strong players Terrasoft (bpm'online ) and Freshoffice almost abandoned the desktop and built their powerful solutions in the cloud. New and aggressive ( amoCRM ) actively conquer the market at the expense of simplicity, clear and beautiful interface, and of good money for promotion. And they all have their loyal customers, meet the needs of the business of their segment. Surprisingly, some of them almost do not intersect in the market, although they have similar functionality. CRM is all different, so you should determine your goals and test the demo versions of several vendors - you will definitely find your solution, and at a good price.
19. How important is mobile access?
It depends on the business profile. In general, mobile CRM is not very convenient: you need to fill in the fields using the on-screen keyboard, this takes time and is fraught with error. The only one for whom such a CRM is needed is for merchandisers who are shooting, for example, nomenclature positions. But for this specificity there is CRM, sharpened by the exchange of data with data collection terminals. The best that vendors for mobile versions can do is to create an unloading of operational contacts to the mobile for calls and correspondence by e-mail and a very simple data entry form. However, the client must remember that any mobility is a potential hole in the security of corporate data.
20. CRM - is it difficult to learn?
No, most CRMs have a completely user-friendly interface and clear logic of interaction with the system. In addition, most vendors conduct employee training for an additional fee. You should not refuse him, because it is very important to form an internal examination on CRM in the company. One or several people who have a good command of the system will later solve a huge number of problems and will always be able to train internal users.
21. What to pay special attention to when choosing a CRM?
It is better to immediately form a list like a check list.
- Availability of ready-made integrations with 1C, website or other necessary software company.
- Type of licensing (cloud / desktop, by connections / by users).
- DBMS - the database on which the system is built. MS SQL is much slower open source, compact and completely free Firebird SQL or flexible, open source and powerful in all PostgreSQL implementations. If the company has more than 10 people, and your CRM is working on MS SQL, you can easily run into +70 thousand rubles. and higher to the cost of implementation. You only need to worry about the DBMS if you buy a desktop or place a cloud product on your server. In the case of a cloud, it is better to take care of the speed and stability of the Internet connection.
- Having your own email client and the possibility of mailing. Ask the vendor how many emails you will potentially get in spam.
- Integration with Skype and IP-telephony. Specify what tools for telephony are there, whether integration with a virtual PBX (for example, Asterisk) is possible, whether there is logging and recording of calls.
- The reputation of the vendor and the experience of its implementation, preferably in the companies in your area.
- Availability of paid or free technical support.
- Additional mandatory payments and hidden opportunities to change the rental price in the case of SaaS.
- Integration, database, environment and ownership costs, training, TP.
This list does not pretend to be complete, each company may have its own additional requirements that need to be added to the list and presented to the vendor.
22. How important is the CRM interface?
At 100% - it is the interface that determines the interaction of the system and the user, the speed and convenience of work. However, do not judge the interface of the corporate system by flat-design and muted tones. Pay attention to the speed, availability of reference books, convenience of filters, system desktop settings, the possibility of creating an entity inside another entity (for example, a product when creating an account), availability of primary documentation and printing forms. All the rest - bows that are pleasing to the eye, but almost no effect on the quality of work.
23. Why in the leaders of the implementation of expensive CRM?
Ratings are compiled by company turnover and implementation costs. To catch up with SAP implementation in one, for example, a telecoms operator, an average vendor needs to work a year and automate dozens of companies. The fact of the participation of the vendor in the rating does not say anything about anything - everyone has successful and unsuccessful cases. But success lies in the interaction between the customer and the vendor.
24. Is open source CRM free?
Not. As mentioned above, forks or open source CRM settings require a high-class professional, and most often two: a programmer and a system administrator with good UNIX and / or Windows skills. Look at the salary requirements of specialists of this level and calculate how much the implementation will cost. But if you have people in your staff who know how to work with such a project and are ready to tell you about the timing of launching CRM, open source is very attractive.
25. How many licenses do I need to buy?
Licenses are divided into competitive (by connection) and by name (by user). Competitive license is ultimately more profitable, because in most cases, all at the same time in CRM do not work and you can save on a license. This is especially true for firms with managers "in the fields", shift work, etc. Also, occasionally licenses may be used by logisticians, marketers, advertisers, and PR managers.
If you choose a cloud, pay attention to the minimum payment period and the minimum number of users - some tariffs are valid only if you pay immediately for a year, that is, the plan to spend money on subscription fees will not work - you will need to find money for a large payment. Desktop vendors now also offer installment plans and even rentals. This is convenient if you are not fully determined or are not ready to allocate a budget for the entire project. In any case, talking about the final cost in the vendor - he will point out the nuances and, perhaps, even offer the terms of the acquisition more favorable than the price cost.
26. How to save on implementation?
It's simple:
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/297132/
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