How to Choose CRM Consulting Services?

What do you think about services provided by a CRM consultant? Do they only help in choosing right CRM solution and implementation? Not exactly!

A CRM consultant can help you choose right solution; support you with technical expertise and experience during implementation; train your technical and sales workforce and guide you further in that process for optimum future growth.

So, quality of consultancy service could make lot of difference in productivity from your CRM facility. But how can you choose right consultancy service for your business? For that you need to prepare yourself before you start scouting for CRM consultancy service. That means you need to understand the questions to ask.

Your existing troubles related to customer care

You might be using a systematic customer care facility or you might not. But in either case you need to understand what is working for you and what is not. Knowing our problems correctly brings out the solutions to those problems. So, until you know the problems correctly you can never communicate them clearly to your consultant. And no consultant can confidently solve your problem with half-baked knowledge. Everything starts with clear understanding.

What is your plan of the project?

Are you clear about what you expect from the project? Providing better service to the customers or implementing better customer management is a vague term. Specify your expectations and objectives and where do you want consultant's touch-points. What are the project milestones and how those milestones fit with your business deadlines? What type of reporting structure you follow and which mechanism you follow to reach at a final decision? These are few simple questions to offer you better visibility into the CRM project.

Quantitative Goals-what they are?

It is always better to have quantifiable parameters when you wish to measure performance and outcomes. The same is true about finding a perfect CRM consultancy service. Talk in terms of deliverables, timelines and other measurable factors.

Now that you know what you want and what you need to ask it's time to meet actual consultants and start communication. Here we have few generic questions that you can ask them to shortlist them.

How is the relationship with CRM solution providers?

Relationship with any particular CRM solution manufacturer has its pros and cons. A consultant with exclusive partnership with a CRM provider in all probabilities will have extreme expertise in that technology. However, that might impact negatively in terms of expertise in narrow tool sets and hurt your project through technological deficiency.

How they are doing in your industry and segment?

It's an important question that you must ask. Industry knowledge not just helps in implementation but also provides you better insight regarding future growth opportunities. That way you can avoid wasting time in reinventing wheel and straight jump onto industry standard practices.

How will be ongoing service or continued service facility?

CRM evolves along with your business. No one should think CRM consultancy as piecemeal activity. It's always better if you can construct a process of continuous improvement through continued consultancy.

How is the reputation?

At last you need to check the reputation factor for final short-listing. Does CRM consultant of your choice have the perfect customer loyalty? How they are doing in market in terms of service quality and repeat order?

Hope this brief article would help you to choose perfect consultancy service to implement CRM solution for you business.