Affordable and User-Friendly CRM Often Means Limited Functionality

Looking for a CRM solution for a small to mid-size business?  You want something that is easy to use and affordable, don’t you?  Of course you do, but it is important to note that CRM solutions that are easy to use and affordable are often products with limited functionality and customizability. They are created as cookie cutter “one size fits all” programs. This is by design of course as the vendors that offer these solutions (which typically range from free to under $20 per user per month) cannot afford to engage customers with personalized training or customization, so they simply limit this.

Why does this matter?  Well because according to a recent Capterra survey 40 percent of companies that switched CRM products did so because the previous software they selected did not have the right level of functionality or flexibility they required for their business. Unfortunately, they discovered this after utilizing the product for several months. Now they must deal with the cost of selecting, installing, data transfer and training people on a new solution.  In most cases, they end up spending more than if they had selected a more robust product from the start.

Add to this the fact that sales executives now want more capability out of their CRM system, such as adding business intelligence to help sales representatives sell more efficiently. One of the companies that offers this to the small to mid-size business community is Commence Corporation, manufacturers of Commence CRM.  Commence has added rules-based intelligence into their CRM system whereby the CRM system helps sales representatives identify which new leads or prospects are of high quality and which are tire kickers. The system then ranks and color codes each lead providing a snapshot of the best leads to management. “This is really the first step in adding some artificial intelligence to our system” says Larry Caretsky of Commence. “It helps ensure that the sales team is laser focused on the most promising new opportunities based on facts and not the sales representative’s experience or gut reaction.”

Commence plans to continue down this path with their other applications for marketing, customer service and project management. “We want to make our CRM smarter” says Caretsky, “but without requiring an engineering degree to use it. However, there is certainly a correlation between ease of use and affordability. Any CRM solution that is free or low cost, and exceptionally ease to use, is not going to provide much in the way of functionality or customizability. So, customers will need to accept that more robust offerings will require some training or onboarding services.”

To learn more about Commence CRM and its core functionality visit commence.com/crm-software/