This checklist accompanies our article on the pitfalls you’ll encounter when using CRM templates, and why you should think twice about using templates.
Due Diligence Checklist
- An online demonstration of a template isn’t enough for you to make a purchasing decision. Make sure you can perform a full evaluation against a live system for 30 to 60 days before committing. All of these solutions are in the cloud… this shouldn’t be a significant ask. If the vendor can’t provide a trial, you should be concerned about the fragility of their solution’s infrastructure.
- Know what you need up front, and learn as much as you can about the capabilities of the tools you are considering.
- Understand what you can and can’t configure/customize.
- Make sure your licensing obligations are clear and unambiguous.
- Know where your data will live, and know your exit strategy.
- Find out when your templates were created, and when they were last significantly updated.
- Dig Deeper! Don’t rely solely on others to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership — the first number is almost never correct.
Remember… a CRM or template vendor’s motivations are to show you why their particular product will work for you, highlighting the best features. That’s great… but the reasons it WON’T work for you are equally important.
Talk to an independent consultant to help you weigh the advantages and disadvantages (and total cost of ownership) of each platform and solution. Read our article on the pitfalls of CRM templates first for a great primer to fuel your conversation.
Perhaps … Incite Automation could be a good place to start? Cough, cough.