Customers expect more from service delivery in 2020 than ever before. CRM systems were formerly optional for development companies, but now, it is necessary for any company that hopes to stay competitive. CRM helps software development companies to deliver a high-quality customer experience. It also helps to keep existing customers while welcoming potential customers. For this reason, CRM is regarded as one of the biggest software markets. CRM is predicted to reach about $80 billion by 2025.
A CRM will help manage customers’ data, easing the manual tasks that development companies generally face. It will help keep customers’ details up to date, monitor customer interaction, and manage their accounts. CRM was explicitly made to support software development companies build their customers’ relationships and CLV. Migrating your CRM software will forever be a big deal, no matter the type of software you are relocating to and from.
Once you do it right, your company will see the benefits. Do it wrong, and your company will face many problems.
This article by Hanna Shnaider helps us understand the importance of CRM migration and successful tips to carry out a CRM migration. You can view her profile here.
Challenges of CRM Migration
Migration will arrange customers’ data and details in your old CRM differently from how it will appear in your new CRM. It means that unwanted data and unrecognizable format during transfer might hinder your CRM migration. Once you fail to recognize it, the CRM migration will fail.
However, by budgeting and carefully planning out your CRM migration, things might turn out successful. When you choose the right partner to work with and base your transfer on the knowledge you have gathered, your CRM migration will be an easy process. A good partner will know how to tackle most problems during the transfer.
It is also important to note that migration is a time-wasting process, so we usually advise software development companies to be patient during CRM migration. Once a company decides to carry out a CRM migration, it should be ready to wait a long time. You should not rush the process of a CRM migration because it might turn out to cause more trouble than expected. The company should take its time to observe the procedures.
People typically compare software migration with moving houses. First, you have to find a new place and pack up your belongings. Once you move into the new place, you need to unpack, taking time.
Another challenge that development companies face is the usage of the new CRM after migration. Many custom software development companies face difficulties in user adoption mostly because their employees find it hard to adjust. For a successful migration, all members onboard should commit to the process. Once a team member fails to adopt and adapt to the new system, it will cost the company finances and time.
Reasons for CRM Migration
CRM migration is a process whereby a company transfers legacy CRM data to a new CRM system. CRM migration is usually on a company’s to-do list once it moves into a new growth phase. Here are the main reasons why development companies migrate to a new CRM:
They migrate due to the high costs of maintenance of the CRM systems.
- Inadequate CRM configuration and customizability.
- Limited integration with other third-party applications.
- Difficulty to use.
Reliable market-leading CRM systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365 are usually the platforms of choice in Fortyseven CRM migration projects. It is because it can provide solutions to the challenges listed above.
What Should You Transfer To the New CRM?
Your current customer-related data will drive your new CRM system.
Here is a list of what you will transfer during the CRM migration:
- Customers’ data and information related to the customer, such as customer preferences and purchase history.
- The data from the sales process of customers such as sales cycle.
- Marketing activities data such as the social media outreach of the company.
- Customer service and feedback.
Tips For a Successful CRM Migration
- Choose a suitable CRM to migrate to: This is the first step once you think of a CRM migration. Because, where else would you move to if you have nowhere to go? When choosing a suitable CRM, a company has to consider different things. Development companies should consider how the new CRM will fit into their marketing and sales strategies. The company should analyze the CRM’s customizability and integration potentials against their company’s needs and the existing ecosystem’s IT.
Most CRM systems give software development companies a free trial period. It gives them enough time to monitor the operations of the CRM system. You can view the features they offer and even chat with their support team.
- Implement data assessment: Data quality assessment is a big step for CRM migration. During this data assessment, a company understands the kind of data that they need to migrate and make changes if possible.
- Create data backup: Data backup is always an important activity, no matter the system or operation that you are executing. Development companies should make sure that they correctly back up their CRM data before any CRM migration. This simple step will help avoid the risk of data loss.
- Confirm the transferred data: The custom software agency should ensure that they have moved all the correct data after the migration process. The system should contain the supposed data, and they should check for any mistakes made during transfer.
Conclusion
CRM migration will never be an effortless process, but once it is done, you will enjoy the benefits in the future. There are several CRMs available in the market for development companies that fit the needs of different businesses. Whichever CRM you migrate to, you are sure to enjoy the benefits it will present to you.
In summary, once a company carries out the appropriate research and considerations, CRM migrations will surely improve business function.
If you don’t want to put the burden of CRM migration in your hands, Fortyseven software professionals are the best option for you.
