Does anyone have a recommended program/platform for managing customer relationships? We are in the process of switching to a new platform (third platform in five years) in hopes of increasing our engagement and improving tracking. Does anyone use one that they feel is “as close to perfect” for their business? Any tips on managing the data migration?

@joanmuschampfagnani  Good questions!

What do you need your CRM to do for your business? Track sales? Project management? Accounting?

@alexandrabriggs @amyhallbiz In my past experience “failure” of CRM systems has been less about the features and functions, and more about the implementations. Very little attention is paid to the importance of user adoption.

By user adoption, I do not only mean training, I mean the true organization-wide understanding of its benefits to everyone, so people WANT to use it. Lack of a cohesive vision, not being included as part of an onboarding program, and no peer support all contribute to poor adoption, or improper use.

Also another key issue is poor database maintenance- also should be part of a “Governance” plan – who is responsible for maintaining/updating/deduping. I cannot tell you the number of times (as the Marketing Director) I would find contacts in the database who had left that firm years prior.

@joanmuschampfagnani Amazing enough we have always had excelled user adoption of the systems. Information is audited regularly and adjustments are filtered through a team of us. We ran into issues with the company offering the platform iteself in their lack of response and assistance when needed. We had a meeting (after many smaller ones) and laid out exactly what we were promised and what we need the system to do and they came back with basically no solutions. Their recommendations were additional manual implementation steps or waiting for the often promised “next update” that never came. 

@joanmuschampfagnani Thank you for the tip on Microsoft CRM! We used Salesforce initially and really liked the capabilities and reporting but ran into issue when they were unable to accommodate multiple “programs” email addresses. Our call center representatives must have a different email to send from based on the program the prospect is interested in so we had to switch to a more education based CRM that we are in the process of leaving. We are switching to Leads360 right now and in the process of preparing for data migration and the switchover. 

@alexandrabriggs Msoft CRM is available in the cloud, and is supposed to be “Inexpensive” but I do not know pricing. If you are on Exchange, there would be a way most likely to select and switch between Exchange accounts I presume. I know there is in the client version; I used to do that about 4 years ago for campaign management

We also recommend AddressTwo to our clients. For the cost its a solid solution. I’ve worked on ACT, Goldmine, InfusionSoft, SugarCRM, VTiger, FileMakerPro, Insightly and Outlook (which isn’t a CRM, but people try to use it like a CRM)!

The devil is in the implementation and building the system so that it’s easy to use, makes sense to the user, and you can get the data you need out of it.

I’m lucky/unlucky because my husband uses to build data bases, back in the day. Because of his knowledge I get a superior CRM, but he likes to try out the new, shinny ones to see how they work.

CRM…a relatively new term for me. I’m use to salon management software like SalonIris, SalonMagic, Millennium, etc. which was used to manage appointments, schedules, inventory, client history, accounting, services, sales and so much more. Help me to understand and put this into prospective. Based on what I’ve been reading, both CRM and the software we used in the beauty industry sound rather similar. Am I correct in my assumption?

@alexandrabriggs I was beginning to notice the similarities. There are so many great solutions available for the beauty industry, maybe it’s worth looking into for other business industrys’ needs. Thanks for starting this discussion, I’m learning so much. I hope you find a solution that works for you. 

Warning is a mini-Rant…

@alexandrabriggs – Asking what CRM we use is a lot like asking if we prefer boxers of briefs. It’s not really relevant to making an informed decision for a CRM system. In this thread you’ve mentioned several key areas of need/want from tracking information, marketing automation, reporting, automated tasks / workflows and email campaigns.

Most professional CRM/CEM systems do these basic functions. What experience do you want your potential customers to have? In my experience, it’s the system design and engineering on the front end that makes or breaks the success of a CRM project. Specifically: What is your sales process? What are the key measurements and reporting your require? What are the performance measures and metrics for your staff that are tracked?

In the old days, CRMs were 3×5 cards and tickler files (folders with 1-31, Monthly & Yearly) which could be used very effectively by a person properly motivated and trained in the system. Today too many businesses/management teams have false expectations that a CRM or other software solution will increase productivity and/or results while at the same time unwilling to “systemitize” the selling process, customer service systems, accounting practices and management reporting.

Heck, who wants to spend the time and money resources on a system that’s destined to fail anyway.

@kc_kreative Thank you for your insight! I have used SalesForce and I am very curious about OracleCRM as I am hearing more about it. It is helpful to learn the different types everyone is using so I appreciate it!