We are a software company that sells software products on our website. We need a CRM system that will gather information on our customers and their orders. We'd like a solution that has a Web-based interface for administrators, staff members and customers and a background database that contains all customer information.
Are there any particular CRM systems that you recommend?
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I wouldn't recommend any CRM system without knowing a lot more information. Most CRM systems pretty much meet the criteria that you have given – either directly or with a tweak here and there. There are many, many other decisions that go into a CRM system choice – among them, do you need a CRM system? What features and functions are important to your business and how important are they, given your customer strategy and programs. What kind of workflow needs do you have? Would you prefer on-premise or on-demand CRM?
I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but the selection of a CRM system is something that typically comes at the end of the development of CRM strategies and programs and takes several days of requirement gathering (or a shorter time if the company is small) and other steps to accomplish.
This was first published in April 2008