One of the more common mistakes in CRM implementations is overlooking the business assessment phase. The title of this blog may seem like common sense to some, but many organizations try to proceed with just a high level view of what they need the software to do. It’s extremely important to be specific, thorough, and patient!

If you don’t specify your requirements beforehand, you’re bound to run into two issues:

1. Miscalculation of Costs: Your software vendor can only estimate the costs they’re aware of. If something comes up in the middle of implementation, there’s no way they can foresee additional costs until they happen. This unexpected shift in budget can greatly affect your implementation and ultimately your bottom line.
2. Insufficient Technology: You run a much higher risk of deciding on a CRM solution that can never really meet your needs. This issue brings about even more costs that you hadn’t planned for or your stuck with a solution that doesn’t really even make anything better.

We understand software implementations can be overwhelming and it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness. This is why choosing a software vendor that can walk you through the process is so important. A trusted partner can help you with software implementation best practices and help keep costs low and functionality high.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida