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Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Author: TechShortcut Staff | Article updated: January 18, 2009

3. Next Steps

It is not possible to offer general direction on which implementation option to choose because there are simply too many functional and technical factors to consider. While an Internet service will greatly simplify the technical management of the solution, it may not necessarily be the cheapest option. On the other hand, an in-house solution may require you to create or rent your own data center which has the potential to be a technical management issue.

If you are pursuing an enterprise-wide solution to help you streamline your customer relations, the solution may represent the largest technology investment for your business. It can not be stressed enough that you need to carefully evaluate how you currently do business and how new software may affect your business process. You must know what you are getting before it is implemented which is no small feat. You should also plan for what you will need over five years to ensure you don't outgrow the solution too quickly.

Estimate the Benefits
Do you expect to save costs through increased efficiency or do you expect to be able to handle more business? If possible, make projections of gains to get an idea how long it will take the investment to pay off.
Document your Key Business Processes
Documenting your business processes will help you and any tech service providers ensure that business needs are identified and met.
Do a Fit/Gap Analysis
Evaluate each business need against each application to identify whether there is a fit. If a gap is identified, specify how it can be addressed.
Schedule Demonstrations
Try to get a demo that walks though a business process similar to yours.
Compare Costs Carefully
Both in-house and Internet services have many cost considerations so ensure that you are looking at the entire picture.

For more on evaluating implementation options and finding help see the following guides:

	1. In-House CRM Software	2. Internet CRM Service
Find Local Tech Specialists Search TechShortcut's tech profiles for specialists in your area	CRM "Customer Relationship Management"
Find More Information Use Research Helper to find related web articles	CRM Application Software	CRM Online Service
Examples of Products and Services These are not endorsements, simply some product or service names we encountered in our research to get you started finding your best fit.	Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sage ACT! Sage CRM Sage SalesLogix Soffront¹ SugarCRM² ¹ Offers a hosted/on-demand option ² Open source	Microsoft Dynamics CRM Javelin CRM NetSuite CRM+ Salesboom SageCRM.com Salesforce.com SugarCRM¹ Zoho ² ¹ Open source ² Offers a free version

1. In-House CRM Software

2. Internet CRM Service