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Tactical Solutions - Crucial Issues

This detailed review process has evolved steadily since I performed my first software review in 1984. It is designed to provide readers a comprehensive view of your program so they can make an informed judgment on the suitability of your CRM solution to their own unique requirements.

Special Reminder: This Crucial Issue questionnaire is my guideline to assure consistent coverage of important issues and to assure the highest possible quality In-Depth Reviews for my readers. If you have other topics you want to discuss, that you feel are important to your product, let’s do it! Some of you forget that no single product is best for every CRM situation. I believe each of you has an important story to tell that will help people decide if your program is best for them. Part of my job is to help you discover and tell your unique story!

Wherever you feel appropriate, please provide your best, detailed replies to these questions - it will help your prospective customers better understand the strengths of your product! The feature lists in some of the sections serve as a reminder of some of the important features you may wish to discuss. Feel free to add any topics you like.

Some products may not require replies to certain questions. For example, if you market a contact manager to individual users, database synchronization is not required. However, to assure consistent coverage, I use this same questionnaire as a starting point for all In-Depth Reviews. Please, use your own judgment and respond where appropriate.

Also, please remember, this review process is intended to be an iterative and interactive process. I will provide you with a copy of my final review document prior to publication.  This way we can resolve any misunderstandings of capabilities or any other issues that might come up. I welcome your comments and suggestions for improving this process. You should also realize that I update these reviews continuously. Whenever you make new version releases or important announcements, I will make appropriate changes to this review document! So, please keep me posted of new developments and I will make the appropriate changes at once.

If you have already been through my review process, you don’t need to duplicate your earlier work. (I archive everything you ever send me!) However, there are several new sections, please respond to these new items. Of course, I welcome your latest views on any previously submitted topics.

I know this looks like a lot of work!

It’s really not as bad as it looks though, especially if you distribute the work among several members of your team. I am sure that you will find this a valuable exercise that could positively influence your future product development!. As always, I promise to offer you my most candid feedback.

Let’s work together to make this happen!

                                                                    Rich Bohn

Important Notice: Many of you get confused at this point in my review process! Everything that follows is an optional exercise on your part! You don't have to answer a single one of these questions for me to write a review of your product. However, this is the process I will go through as I try to create a proper In-Depth Review of your CRM solution. Remember, this is a lot of work on my end too! The focus of my review efforts is driven by questions from our readers and the larger CRM community. Of course, your cooperation and inputs will lead to a more accurate and more meaningful review of your product! So, I will always invite, and welcome, your inputs on any of the points that follow. As is my custom, I will also give you an opportunity to challenge or clarify all issues raised in my reviews before I formally publish my findings.

PRICING

This is where I try to explore some additional pricing issues.

TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP

SALES & MARKETING STRATEGY

Please comment, as you see fit, on your Sales & Marketing Strategy.

IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS

Who are your implementation partners?

CREDIBILITY

Too many CRM software developers quote the highly publicized statistics on failed CRM projects and glibly accept it at the status quo. Our readers expect more from their solution provider! In this section I explore two important issues that demonstrate a software developer’s credibility.

ACCOUNTABILITY

1. What promises, if any, of increased productivity do you make for your product?

2. What measures do you provide in your product to prove that these commitments are made?

3. What independent verification can you provide to support these claims?

4. Do you provide real customer references (including voice and email) to support these claims?

5. If so, may I have a sample to contact for my own research?

RETURN-ON-INVESTMENT

1. What detailed information do you provide that will allow customers to demonstrate the ROI for your CRM solution?

2. What facts, reports or user case studies can you provide to support this ROI analysis?

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Please comment, as you see fit, on your Research & Development Strategy. Please share a little insights into the makeup and strengths of your development team.

SOFTWARE QUALITY & SECURITY

Software quality and security are too often overlooked in CRM evaluations. Let's correct this now!

SOFTWARE QUALITY STANDARDS

Software quality is an issue of growing importance. In this section, I try to assess the quality standards you use. Please detail your support of quality software engineering standards addressing the following points:  

1. What % of bugs were found in beta test?

2. Do you use the Fagan inspection method?

3. Are you pursuing ISO 9000 certification?

4. Do you have a system for tracking “Lessons learned”?

5. What systems do you use for tracking Metrics?

6. What SEI maturity level do you conform to?

If you are still developing your quality effort, you might find the following web sites useful:

• www.asqc.org (ISO and MBQNA)
• www.stickyminds.com (A very useful site!)
• www.ieee.org (IEEE standards)
• www.sei.cmu.edu (CMM and PSP)
• www.testworks.com/institute/hotlist (Software quality Hot List)
• www.utexas.edu/coe/sqi (Software Quality Institute)
• www.nist.gov/itl/div897/sqg/sqg.htm (Software Quality Group)
• www.12207.com (Software Engineering Process Technology (SEPT))

SOFTWARE SECURITY STANDARDS

Please detail the processes you follow to assure the security of your CRM solution.

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

We may not be there yet, but the trend today is clearly for multi-component, asynchronous n-tier applications that take full advantage of the internet.  A key component of this strategy is absolute support for internationally recognized open standards such as, XML, UDDI and SOAP. 

1. Please provide a detailed definition of your system architecture, highlighting your unique strengths

2. Please provide a detailed definition of database structure.

3. Please state your support of open standards such as XML, etc.

4. Please state your position on your support for the emerging web services standards: .Net, J2EE and WebSphere

5. What database engine do you use?
6. What programming language do you use?
7. Is the source code available?
8. What customization or programming tools do you support?
9. What additional software, if any, is required to customize your program?
10. Do you support VBA or some other scripting language?

CUSTOMIZATION & ADAPTABILITY

No two companies sell the same products to the same companies in the same way!  Every company is different.   Every sales process follows its own path.  Every sales person, often pig-headedly, wants to do things their own way.  Too many CRM developers fail to grasp this fundamental point and force you to conform to their view of the world.

USER DEFINED FIELDS

1. How many user-defined fields do you provide?

2. What information can be stored in these fields?

3. How are new fields added to your system?

4. How do you deal with customer-added fields when you make new version releases?

USER DEFINED TABLES

1. How are new tables added to your system?

2. How do you deal with customer-added fields and tables when you make new version releases?

CUSTOM SCREENS

1. What screen design options do you provide?

2. What screen design tools do you provide?

3. Custom screens by log-in ID?

APPLICATION INTEGRATION CAPABILITIES

One of the most important aspects of a line-of-business application is the ability to exchange data with other applications - to ensure consistency of data, streamline processes, and give employees an accurate, updated view of information across the business.

So, please explicitly detail your application integration capabilities.

BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES

Each organization has a set of business processes that are unique to that organization. To run smoothly, organizations should standardize processes across the organization, and encourage all users to adopt these standards.

So, please explicitly detail your application's BPM capabilities.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Most businesses now operate in a global market. So, strong international support is important. Please explicitly detail your support for international users:

1. In what countries is your program sold and supported?

2. In what languages is your program available?

3. Please provide approximate number of users in each language.

4. Please confirm for which languages the “Help” files are available.

5. Please confirm for which languages the documentation is available.

6. Who performed the localization of your program?

7. Please provide any other comments you can on your ability to support international users.

International Data Support

1. Do you handle international phone numbers ?

2. Do you handle international postal codes?

3. How do you deal with multiple currencies in your forecasting component?

EASE OF USE

If sales people are to use a program and let it become a major factor in their success, it must be easy to use! In this section, I describe the ease of use for your product. Please tell me what you think of your user interface, ease of use, and conformance to standards here by addressing the following points. What sets your program apart from the rest on ease of use?

USER INTERFACE

Please tell me the strengths of the look-and-feel and menu system of your user interface.

COMMAND STRUCTURE

1. Command Shortcuts

2. On-line prompts

3. Balloon Help

4. Drag & Drop Support

5. Function Keys

WIZARDS

1. What wizards do you provide?

2. What do they do?

ERROR HANDLING

1. Error Messages

2. Forced Data Save

HELP FILES

1. Context Sensitive?

2. Thorough?

3. User Defined?

DOCUMENTATION

In this section, I tell readers about your documentation. Please tell me about your documentation here, paying special attention to the following points. Useful details, please.

Please provide the title and page count for each manual you offer

• Table of Contents

• Organization

• Writing

• Graphics

• Index

• Glossary

• Travel Guide

Do you provide Adobe Acrobat version of your manuals for use by the mobile sales person?

Please be sure that I have representative examples of your documentation.

TRAINING SUPPORT

The training materials that come with a CRM solution can make a big difference in how quickly people put the system to work. In this section, I describe the training options available from you. Please tell me about your training materials here, paying special attention to the following points:

• Tutorial

• On-line

• Written

• Sample Data

• Training

• Web Based Training

• Video

• CD-ROM

• Class Room

  • Standard Courses available (please detail descriptions, prices, availability)

  • Custom Courses available (please detail descriptions, prices, availability)

  • Third-Party Courses available (please detail descriptions, prices, availability)

1. Do you hold an annual user conference? If so, please provide further details.

2. Do you have any active User Groups? If so, please provide further details.

3. Do you publish any kind of newsletter for your users?  If so, how often and may I see a cop

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

Please tell me whatever you think is important about your implementation process, paying special attention to the following points:

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

1. If installation is normally included in the sale of your system, please detail the typical initial installation process normally performed by you or your resellers. Please clarify unique components of your implementation process that help assure the success of your installations.
2. What is your average time from purchase order to complete implementation?

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Please review your Professional Service offerings

SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCESS

Please tell me how your new releases are managed and distributed.

USER MANAGEMENT

1. Please detail you capabilities for adding and managing users of your system.

2. Please detail you capabilities for adjusting individual user preferences. 

USER AND GROUP SECURITY

Please review the levels and options for managing security within your program.

DATA IMPORTING/EXPORTING CAPABILITIES

Please tell me whatever you think is important or unique about the import/export capabilities of your program

1. Can you import data from ACT!? Outlook? Any other programs?

2. Do you check for duplicates during import?

3. Can you assign the contact to an action plan during import?

DATA QUALITY CAPABILITIES

Please clarify all tools and capabilities you provide to assure maximum data quality including: duplicate detection, duplicate management (for example, how do you merge duplicate files?), address standardization and verification, telephone area code updates, etc.

DATABASE UTILITIES

Please discuss the tools you provide to manage the following:

1. Data Base Maintenance

2. Data Corruption

3. Data Back-up/Recovery

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Please detail which technical support capabilities you provide:

Please detail which technical support capabilities you provide over the Internet:

Please provide any other comments you would like to make about your technical support.

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (EULA)

1. Please provide a copy your EULA.
2. Please clarify any onerous clauses in your EULA.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

1. How do you track the satisfaction of your customer base?
2. What employee incentives do you have in place to assure high customer satisfaction?
3. What percentage of new user licenses comes from your existing customers adding new licenses?  

Please provide any other comments you would like to make about your customer satisfaction.

A SOLID FOUNDATION

To exceed your customer's expectations, any software solution must be built on a solid foundation. This includes basic issues, such as the hardware requirements to operate the program, as well as more fundamental software engineering issues such as software quality and the level of customization provided by the program. Since CRM relies on effective communications, the program must also provide a solid communications foundation. This is also an appropriate point to examine the services, such as documentation, training and technical support, that will also play a vital role in the success of your CRM project. These crucial solid foundation issues are examined in the next several sections of this In-Depth Review.

CLIENT HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

In this section, I detail your recommended hardware requirements for the client (or single user) version of your program.

Please detail your client hardware requirements here.

SERVER REQUIREMENTS

In this section, I detail your recommended hardware requirements for the server version of your program.

1. Please detail the server platforms supported (hardware, operating system, DBMS).

2. What are the typical server hardware requirements?

3. What else do you want our readers to know about your client/server capabilities?

This is where we get into the "meat & potatoes" of precisely what capabilities are provided in your program. Obviously, I do not have a set of standard questions here because the capabilities vary with the tactical problem solved.

I will work with you here to develop this section into a meaningful discussion of your product. So, you need to take the initiative here to tell your story and help me grasp the power of your solution.

If you have questions, or want to discuss things further, give me a call.

WORD PROCESSING & OFFICE SUPPORT

Most users of CRM solutions will also be frequent users of Microsoft Office. So, it is essential that the CRM solution integrate logically and tightly with the various components of Microsoft Office.

Please review how you integrate with Word, Excel or any other components of the Office Suite.

REPORTING CAPABILITIES

Once a CRM solution  captures all this information, it is only useful to the sales team if it easily can be summarized in a variety of reports. 

STANDARD REPORTS

Please provide a complete list of all predefined reports

CUSTOM REPORTS

Please tell me the important points about your reporting capabilities here, responding to the following points:

Custom Reports

1. How Easy

2. How Elegant

3. Executive Reporting Capabilities

4. Crystal Reports (or alternative) interface and options

5. Mapping interface (which programs)

SOFTWARE-AS-A-SERVICE (SAAS) STRATEGY

As an alternative to installing and maintaining your own servers, many CRM developers are now offering their applications in a web-based hosted environment. Are you one of these? If so, please tell me about your SaaS strategy here.

DATA CENTER & OPERATIONS

How many data centers do you operate and which partners do you use?

Please detail the technology you have in place:

• Hardware
• Software
• Power Protection
• Cooling & Fire Protection standards
• Internet Connectivity
  • Bandwidth
  • Redundnacy
  • Backbone Carriers

1. Once customer data is at your data center, does the customer still "own" it? What rights does the customer have to move or copy it?
2. How secure is your data center? What measures are in place to prevent your employees from viewing data they are not authorized to see, or to prevent outsiders from hacking into the system?
3. What happens in the event of a disaster that deletes or destroys data? Are there measures to protect against loss? Is data backed up regularly?
4. Are your systems sufficiently scalable to support customer's one-, three- and five-year growth plans?
5. Will you allow customer's to import key business data into the hosted application(s), so that they will have access to it from the moment they begin working with you?
6. Do you provide all the services necessary to deliver the CRM application, or do customer's have to dedicate staff to supporting the solution either full-time or part-time?

SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

Does your SLA include:

• A specified level of customer support?
• Provisions for system and data security?
• A guaranteed level of system performance, such as sub-second response time?
• Continuous system availability – 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

1. Is your SLA a one-size-fits-all document, or are there different service tiers – such as gold, silver or bronze – that will allow us to tailor the SLA to our needs?
2. If you fail to deliver on any service point covered in the SLA, does the customer have a designated contact person who can address the issue?
3. What kinds of enforcement provisions are in place in the event that you do not deliver on the SLA? Does the customer receive a refund? Can the customer terminate the relationship and choose another ASP without penalty?
4. What does the SLA cover?
5. What are the penalties?
6. What is the response time? Who gets notified?
7. Who has to prove the network was down?
8. What happens if the site has continual problems?

CASE STUDY

This is where I like to provide a real-life example of the use of your product. If, by chance, you have already prepared a good case study, please tell me the link here. If not, I would appreciate the recommendation of one of your customers who might cooperate for this part of the review. I look for a good business-to-business example where I can get some idea of how they have benefited from using your system.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you've made it this far, please take a deep breath! Better yet, go have a favorite beverage of your choice.

As for me, I write this part last. I will wait until I see your replies to the questions above. Then I will form my thoughts as I install and test your program in our network environment. Again, the objective is to help people see how your program will help them sell more and to discover the unique features that set your program apart from your competitors. Your comments and inputs play an important role at this final stage of the review process!

Thanks again for your support of our independent review efforts!

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