Guide to selecting a CRM Solution for your Distribution Business: Part 6 – Implementation Services

With so many CRM and Sales Force Automation (SFA) software packages available today, it can be a daunting task to figure out which one is right for your distribution business.

Whether you and your company are brand new to CRM or you’re an experienced user who is unsatisfied with your current product, this guide will help you during your selection and review process. It covers six important areas to consider when looking at CRM providers and supplies questions to ask when interviewing or reviewing different CRM offerings, in order to ensure that you select the right CRM for distributors and the distribution business.

Today we will review the 6^th and final area to consider when selecting a CRM solution.

Area 6: Implementation Services

How can we be sure that the company we partner with has the capability to successfully implement our CRM system and professionally train our staff?

Selecting a CRM system for a distribution company is serious business. Almost all phases of your company business will interface with the system, including sales, sales management, marketing, customer service and support, corporate management, IT, and often credit/ collections as well. The process requires thorough planning and committed corporate leadership. It also requires a CRM partner that is experienced with and committed to the distribution industry.

Customer retention rates are an excellent indicator of how satisfied companies are with their CRM suppliers. You might be surprised by the high rate of unsuccessful implementations there are industry-wide. How can you know if the companies you are evaluating are truly capable of successfully implementing a professional CRM for the distribution business?

CRM Interview – Ask these questions to determine if the CRM provider has a proven history of successful CRM implementations in the distribution industry:

• What is your retention rate for distribution clients over a five year rolling average?
• Can you provide us with a written implementation process which includes the various roles our staff will play and the roles your team members will play in preparation for and during implementation and training?
• Will you provide us with several contact referrals that are using your product and our specific ERP system? We would like to contact them regarding their experience.
• Will your company be performing the integration to our ERP system or will we need to work through a third party integrator?
  • If we will need to work though an integrator, can we speak with several clients in the distribution industry that have been using your system for several years?

Download the full Guide to Selecting a CRM for your Distribution Business.