5 Must-Haves For Your CRM Buying Checklist

pcmag.com:

So you've decided to purchase customer relationship management (CRM) software. You probably already have a good idea of which CRM vendors you'd like to work with, what you'd like to pay, and how you'd like your software to look. But before you sign any contracts, it's crucial that you look beyond the brand and instead focus on the deeper features you'll need.

For example: When speaking with vendors, make sure you ask about things such as automation, dashboard customization, whether there are dedicated Apple iOS and Google Android mobile applications, and especially which third-party integrations are available and how those integrations work. These are important features that, if missing, you'll wish you had asked about before making a purchase decision. To help, we've compiled a list of five key feature sets, how they work, and why they're essential to factor into your CRM purchasing decision.

This might not seem like a major requirement, especially for CRM newbies, but eventually, you'll want to organize your lists and data in a coherent way that's specific to how your company sells. Imagine opening up your software each morning and having to scroll past two or three lists that aren't even relevant to your work. This would be a consistent and annoying waste of time. With the best CRM tools on the market, you'll be able to customize almost every aspect of your dashboard.

For example, Salesforce lets you not only organize what you see when you log into your dashboard, but you can also add, subtract, and alter data on the fly. You can click on user files, add them to new opportunities, view their records, see contact information, and open sales activities. You can also view that customer's history, related emails, and