12:05 PM
Evaluating CRM Solutions When Companies Merge
1. Does the system meet the needs of your organization and industry?
CRM systems are not one-size-fits-all. Those that have features specific to financial industries will more easily reveal their value to users and deliver greater ROI.
2. Between the two systems, has one had greater success in terms of user adoption?
Operations managers agree that a great hurdle to CRM success is ensuring end-user buy-in. A solution that has been successful in attaining user adoption already has a proven road map to apply to new employees. Likewise, whichever system is more widely used will be most helpful in preserving and aggregating intelligence during the merger process.
3. What data-quality features does each system have?
When merging financial organizations, there is likely to be an overlap of data and contact information. Your firm will benefit most from a system that can easily evaluate and enhance data integrity.
4. Which solution integrates more easily with existing systems?
It is likely that critical relationship intelligence already resides in other enterprise applications of each company. It is therefore critical that the CRM package be able to integrate with these other applications in order to deliver a true 360-degree view of your relationships. You should look closely at the CRM vendor's integration tools enabling such collaboration with other systems.