{"id":39829,"date":"2022-11-30T17:08:41","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T16:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stryfes.com\/crm\/"},"modified":"2025-03-25T09:41:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T08:41:14","slug":"crm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stryfes.com\/en\/crm\/","title":{"rendered":"CRM"},"content":{"rendered":"

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With more than 800 CRM systems on the market, finding the right CRM for your business is a challenge. Which one is best for your team(s)? This page provides answers to that.<\/p>\n

I will tell you about the most important features to include in your equation and which type of CRM in which situations suits you best in 5 steps. We’ll start with the essential features.<\/p>\n

Don’t you want a new CRM? Then the CRM Upgrade may be for you; read more about CRM upgrade options.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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1. The basic CRM functionalities<\/h2><\/div>

Three components are traditionally found in a CRM package: the Rolodex, project management, and reports.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>The Rolodex<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Let’s start with what CRM is. The acronym stands for Customer Relationship Management. A tool for managing your customer relationships. I jokingly refer to this as the Rolodex. This Rolodex contains contact and background information on individuals and companies. With any luck, you will also have more data on what you have discussed with people, what you have already delivered to a company, and the quotes you have sent. The memory of sales. That last part, by the way, is by no means always actual.<\/p>\n

Every package that calls itself CRM has this feature. That’s not where you find the distinctiveness.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Overview of sales opportunities<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
When most people think of CRM, there is always a feature directly attached to it: a summary of all the sales opportunities that are currently there. The sales funnel. All those opportunities are listed with information such as what you want to sell to whom, all communication about it, and when you expect to close this deal. The project management part is what I call the Rolodex. After all, every sale is a (mini) project. Again, there is hardly any distinctiveness here. The more basic CRMs cannot often classify your funnel or customize the information in sales opportunities. If you don’t think that’s important, don’t worry: they can do all of this.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Reports<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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And that last piece leads that, in turn to a reporting part. Because the salespeople may know what they are doing, but the rest of the company does not. Other departments want to know what work will arrive when, and the CFO is eager to be able to look ahead to revenue.<\/p>\n

Most CRMs offer a decent foundation in this, but the differences are significant. They all lag in actual deep reporting functionality. So if you want to go very far in your reporting, you can’t escape a BI tool. For most companies, the reporting function in the better tools is sufficient.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2. The great CRM Differentiators<\/h2><\/div>

A modern CRM is distinguished by six essential features:<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Automation is a thing!<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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The real power in speeding up your sales process is in automation. Modern CRMs take over small, repetitive tasks so your sales team can focus on customer strategies instead of administration. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Customization<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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You need to be able to sort fields and views the way you want, and create different views for different roles within your company.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Integration, baby<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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No CRM stands alone. The data must feed other systems to ease the work of salespeople. Look for CRMs with more than 500 tools and integrations in their marketplace.No CRM stands alone. The data must feed other systems to ease the work of salespeople. Look for CRMs with more than 500 tools and integrations in their marketplace. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Enrichments<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Automatic enrichment of contacts and business information saves an enormous amount of time. You give the system a name or email address, and the tool does the rest. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Automatic registration<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Modern CRMs automatically record emails, meetings and phone calls, including LinkedIn integration for social selling.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>AI integration<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Modern CRMs use AI for data analysis, supporting individual salespeople, and even auto-filling data.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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3. Choices, choices and again choices<\/h2><\/div>

You’ll naturally start with a shortlist if you buy a new CRM package. You can then choose from more than 800 CRMs. Go figure out. I hope you don’t just make a list of familiar names but look a little further. There is an incredible amount to buy. To get you started, here’s the list of 25 CRM packages we researched and a few tips.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Tip 1: Reduce the number of candidates<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Here are the first three to already apply a substantial reduction to your list:<\/p>\n

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  1. Reviews<\/strong>: Every situation is different. So I wouldn’t care much about reviews unless they are downright nasty.<\/li>\n
  2. Size matters<\/strong>: Up to 5 people making sales; please do not buy a standalone CRM, but choose an Add-On to a financial or operational package. Saves a lot of hassle. If that is not possible, look at the cheaper options in the list.<\/li>\n
  3. Industry-specific<\/strong>: If you are in a very homogeneous market, such as construction or fundraising, you usually prefer to choose an industry-focused tool. That saves setting up. Consider, do you put a lot of requirements on a software package and be innovative.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    <\/i><\/i><\/span>Tip 2: Compare look-a-likes<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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    The second step is to look for look-a-likes of the packages you already know. Comparison sites help you do that. Use at least 2 of these:<\/p>\n