Best Tips and Considerations for Buying On-Premise CRM 

There is a definite shift in consideration for the purchasing of on-premise CRM (Customer Relations Management) systems, as opposed to that of the hosted, on-demand variety. The nature of the on-premise product, which is entirely housed and operated on a company’s own property, requires greater regard for a business’ in-house information technology team.

Additionally, the significant difference in cost between the two types of CRM products—hosted CRM is paid for in relatively low monthly installments while the purchasing of hardware and software for the on-premise CRM version necessitates a substantially higher initial cost—also places a greater emphasis on the negotiations involved in the actual purchase. In this article, we will share some on-premise CRM buying tips and discuss the various IT concerns that arise during the time of purchase.  

It’s best to fully evaluate the capabilities of a company’s IT support system before purchasing an on-premise CRM. All facets of installation, operation, maintenance, integration, hardware, and software updates are typically performed by the company itself, unlike the service support plans offered as part of hosted CRM products.

Consideration should be given to an enterprise’s present system requirements to ensure that its IT team will be able to implement it with the selection of a particular CRM. Additionally, employers should be aware that both IT specialists and relevant company employees may require training to enable a smooth transition to the new product—how much and how costly it will be, of course, depends upon each specific on-premise CRM.

A number of on-premise CRM buying tips can assist companies in the negotiation of the purchase of an on-premise CRM, which requires a substantial amount of capital to procure and is a significant component of the vendor selection process.

In addition to detailed on-site demonstrations from sales representatives, businesses should also seek a trial phase (ideally of both hardware and software) to better gauge how effective it will be for their specific customer relationship needs. Advanced research should enable businesses to determine a CRM proprietor’s standard rate of discount, which should be requested during pecuniary negotiations.

A willingness to offer one’s company as a reference may further decrease the initial price of an on-premise CRM, while other points of negotiation should include reduced rates for upgrades and training, as well as for consultant and implementation costs.

As is the case when considering the buying of any on-premise CRM, companies are advised to research their own specific needs, prognosticate those for the future, and evaluate each individual vendor based upon its capacity to fulfill those requirements.

Product reviews of an on-premise CRM company’s history, features, and testimonies of other customers should sufficiently provide this information.

When you realize the need for an on-premise CRM for your business, it is important to have some tested on-premise CRM buying tips in mind to land the right choice. 

1. Know your CRM requirements
2. Consider extensibility and extendibility
3. Analyze your existing core systems
4. Consider mobile support
5. Take a test drive
    

Even before you begin your search for the right on-premise CRM to meet your business needs, it is important to understand that there is a plethora of solutions out there that will provide you with fancy features such as marketing tools, lead management, sales channels, integration with providers, and more. However, to choose a solution that suits you, you must identify your unique business requirements.

If you skip this step, you may end up paying extra for a solution that has features you do not even need, or worse purchase a solution that does not meet your business needs. Just because a solution seems intricate and adorned with dozens of features and a hefty price tag, does not necessarily make it the best choice for you. Also make sure to check that your business can meet the requirements of your chosen on-premise CRM solution, such as the CPU and RAM requirements, database capacity, etc.  

Two important factors to consider while making your choice are extensibility and extendibility. That means checking whether you can utilize any add-ons with your solution and extend it in the future, if not right away. Will you be able to make some customizations to your chosen on-premise CRM to make it perfectly fit into your process? While you may doubt that there will be a need for customizations but take our word and check for the possibility in case of future need. 

Check that the on-premise CRM you choose can easily integrate with the existing systems in your company. Also, note that in case of no pre-defined access points for writing your data, integrations between systems can be quite costly.

Your business must be making use of several other solutions and social networking sites such as Gmail, LinkedIn, Instagram, Outlook, etc. It is important to have an on-premise CRM that can integrate all these tools to a single point and enable easier collaboration and communication. 

If your business has mobile employees such as the marketing and sales team, it is important to consider on-premise CRM solutions that offer mobile support to help those employees in capturing data from their mobile phones easily. Some on-premise CRM solutions also offer offline support in areas with poor or no internet access and synchronize data to the on-premise CRM when the user’s device reconnects.

No matter how attractive an on-premise CRM software solution might seem from the outside, using it can be a whole world apart. Your decision must be well-thought and it is even better if you practically try out your choice before giving it a nod.

Probably the second most important on-premise CRM buying tip in this article after ‘knowing your CRM requirements’ is to try out the solution before you decide to buy it. Many on-premise CRM solutions allow you to take a free trial before signing up for the premium service.