Is it time to upgrade or change your CRM?
Your CRM or Customer Relationship Management system is likely the most critical database system outside your finance and payroll software. After all, it contains (or should contain) everything you know about your members and key stakeholders. As such, investment decisions about your CRM are important and usually challenging.
Despite this, all organisations should regularly evaluate their CRM’s “fit for purpose” due to technological advances, changing business and member needs, and cybersecurity threats.
How do you know when it’s time to upgrade or change your CRM?
Here are some signs to consider:
- The provider is no longer supporting or will not support the current version soon.
- Staff are constantly complaining about the CRM.
- You’re hosting the CRM database on a server at your premise or with a outsource provider resulting in increased cybersecurity risks.
- There are PCI compliance issues with the existing system that cannot be easily fixed.
- You’re spending more on break/fix services than licensing costs.
- The lack of easy integrations with your other systems/tools is causing significant pain – usually resulting in manual processes.
- Members’ interactions are not recorded in the system automatically.
- Reporting is unreliable or difficult. Spreadsheets are therefore used a lot.
How do you choose a CRM?
So, if you need to make a CRM decision, how do you decide if you should upgrade or migrate to a different vendor?
As an independent consultant, I help Not for Profits make these decisions all the time. To learn more about my approach, head to Selecting a Software – Roundbox Consulting.
Tammy Ven Dange is a former charity CEO, Association President, Not for Profit Board Member and IT Executive. Today she helps NFPs with strategic IT decisions, especially around investments.