Some CRM vendors include the database in the cost of the software, or support an open-source database such as MySQL. Others expect you to buy the database yourself.

As a general rule, the vendors that expect you to buy the database separately also expect you to install it and maintain it.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the CRM vendor covers the cost of any back-end database that is required.

As a general rule, software that has been in production use for a few years is less buggy than software that has just been released. Further, companies that have been around for a few years have generally found a profitable market and may be less likely to go out of business than those founded recently.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software and the company behind it are reasonably stable and mature.

If a product is 100% web based, all functionality can be accessed through a browser, so there is no need to install or maintain any software on any user's desktop.

If a product is partly web-based and partly client-server, some functionality requires that software be installed on the user's desktop while other functions are available through a standard browser. Most products in this category were designed before widespread use of the web and have had a browser interface added on.

If a product is pure client-server, it always requires software to be installed on the desktop.

Use this checkbox to select the preferred architecture.

This is a broad category; more detailed functionality is defined below.

Use this checkbox if you want to use the software to track and manage customer support or helpdesk issues

This is a broad category; more detailed functionality is defined below.

Use this checkbox if you want to use the software to execute and track marketing campaigns.

This is a broad category; more detailed functionality is defined below.

Use this checkbox if you want to use the software to capture, track, and manage sales leads.

As a general rule, this functionality requires either that a software package is installed on the machines that are being audited or that the server has login access those machines.

Use this checkbox if you want to use the software to audit what software or hardware is installed on other machines inside your company.

Some software includes third-party instant messaging add-ons that are not tightly integrated with the rest of the application.

Use this checkbox if you want to allow chat communications to be easily added to a customer's support ticket or record of interactions.

An instant message or banner which is seen by everyone using the system can be a useful way of warning people of an event, such as a hardware upgrade on the server.

Use this checkbox if you want the ability to notify all users without sending a lot of email or depending on them to read it.

LDAP and Microsoft Active Directory relieve administrators of the burden of supporting multiple user records for information such as passwords, email addresses etc for multiple software systems. Instead, all the user data and passwords are kept on the LDAP system, which acts as a central repository.

Some software systems provide limited LDAP support. For example, they might allow users to login using an LDAP password, but not allow an incident to be assigned to that user unless they also exist in the native user table. We suggest that you ask your vendor to provide full details on any limitations in their LDAP implementation.

Use this checkbox if you want to allow users to login using LDAP authentication.

Some software systems allow look and feel customization but insist on leaving some words in place such as “Powered by XXX”, effectively using your website as free advertising for their product. This may be perfectly acceptable to you, if not, we suggest that you ask your vendor to provide full details of their policy.

Use this checkbox if you want to make the software look like a native part of the site.

Some software enables multiple interfaces that can have different colors, logos, and basic look and feel. For example, they may be configured so that users from Coca Cola might see the Coke logo on the screen while users from PepsiCo see the Pepsi logo.

Use this checkbox if you want different sets of customers to view a personalized/branded interface for their company

Extended Markup Format (XML) allows complex data types and relationships to be defined in an ASCII file. The reality has not really lived up to the hype yet, but it is becoming a standard.

Use this checkbox if you want to be able to import and export data in XML format.

ASCII files are the lowest common denominator for data exchange. Their greatest strength is that they are supported by many other applications, such as databases, word-processing programs, spreadsheets, etc. Their drawback is that the meaning behind the data and relationships between fields can be lost.

Use this checkbox if you want to be able to import and export data in ASCII format.

Use this checkbox if you want to be able to directly import and export data to spreadsheets such as Excel.

Many organizations use Microsoft Outlook as the mail client and individuals may use it to hold contact and calendar information. It can save these users a significant amount of time if the software can use this information without their having to type it in again.

Use these checkboxes if you want to be able to synchronize data with Microsoft Outlook.

Most software stores information in database tables, for example there may be a user table, a sales-prospect table, a problem-report table etc.

The system will come with default fields for these tables, such as User-Name, Email, Telephone, etc but every company is different and you may need to add some custom fields.

Use this checkbox if you want to add custom information to existing types of data.

A choice field is an interface component that provides a limited set of options to the user, such as a pull-down list field. For example, it may ensure that the user selects High, Medium or Low for the Severity of an incident.

Some software systems are so difficult to customize that the work must be done by highly trained (and paid) specialists, while others can be customized by your own staff.

We suggest that you ask your vendor to provide full details of any limitations with custom fields. For example, some systems make it relatively easy to add fields, but do not let you really use these fields – for example, you may not be able to create reports based on custom fields.

Use this checkbox to set the limit for how long you are willing to take to add a new choice field.

Simply adding new fields to existing tables may not be adequate for your company. For example, if the system comes with tables for Prospects, Sales Staff, and Issues, you may want to add tables for Resellers and Customers.

Some vendors claim to support the ability to create custom tables, but actually just let you create custom fields in existing tables. This is entirely different and may prove inadequate if the system is used by multiple organizations within your company. We suggest that you ask your vendor to demonstrate creating a new table containing a single field.

Use this checkbox if you want to be able to add your own custom tables.

To continue the example above - after creating the Reseller table, you may want to track which Resellers were responsible for which Customers.

You cannot assume that just because software lets you create custom tables, it lets you create and manage links/custom relationships between them. We recommend that you also ask for a demonstration of how it maintains the integrity of these relationships. For example if you attempt to delete a Reseller who is listed as the "Primary Contact Point” for certain Customers, will it make sure that you designate someone to take over that responsibility?

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system will allow you to link tables and (hopefully) maintain the integrity of those links.

Teams are a way of grouping people together with a common manager and ability to send communications to all team members. For example, you might want to create a New York Sales team or a Large Systems Integration team.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system will allow you to accurately model your company, customers, suppliers and resellers.

Many people wear more than one hat – for example the VP of Sales might be a member of the Reseller Recruitment and Sales Strategy teams as well.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system will allow you to define team-memberships without artificial restrictions.

Field level security allows you to specify which fields are shown in a record and which are hidden, as well as which can be edited, for any group of users. For example, you might allow a Reseller to edit its Telephone and see, but not edit the Reseller Tier field and not even see the Local Alternatives field.

Some vendors claim to provide field level security, but just provide record level security (in other words, if a user to see the record, she can see all the fields in the record). We suggest that you ask your vendor to demonstrate setting up security permissions so that a user can see one field but not another.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can control exactly what information users are able to view and edit.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can generate email messages with attractive fonts, colors, images, etc.

Many managers and important customers like to receive relevant information via email, rather than having to ask a subordinate to retrieve it for them or login to the system themselves. This is especially important if the system is behind the firewall.

Some vendors claim to include this facility when in fact it requires custom programming. We suggest that you ask your vendor to demonstrate this facility.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can automatically keep managers and important customers up to date on the status of their issues.

Almost every organization needs custom reports that reflect their business, so we recommend that you ask your vendor how long it takes to generate a custom HTML report.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can get detailed reports that are reasonably attractive and easy to read.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software can provide managers with graphical reports that provide a quick overview of operations.

If you need to manipulate the data provided in the report, possibly combining it with other information and generating a composite graphical chart, it can be useful to have the information in spreadsheet format.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can get reports in spreadsheet format.

Some software includes the ability to actively monitor the state of the system and provide alerts when something needs attention. For example, you might want to email the appropriate manager a month before a service contract is due to expire or if an inquiry from a highly valued customer has gone unanswered for more than 45 minutes.

It is much easier to keep the rules consistent and up to date with changing needs if they can be modified through the GUI, rather than requiring the attention of a programmer.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system will alert your staff or customers about issues that need their attention.

Some software supports the ability of rules to update the data. For example, if the service contract in the above example is not renewed, the rule might change its status to Expired.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can define rules which take direct action, rather than just notifying people that action is needed.

Workflows are used to manage tasks that involve more than one person or department. For example, a “New Customer” workflow might involve the Accounting department to bill them, the Support department to register them as a valid customer and the Sales department to schedule a call to confirm that they are happy with the product and try for a follow on sale.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software can manage and automate complex tasks.

It is much easier to define and manage complex workflows using a visual drag and drop editor than with a text-based editor.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can easily modify workflows to meet the needs of your organization.

We recommend that you draw up a list of languages used by your customers and ask your vendor which languages are supported.

Some vendors claim to support multiple languages, but only support English and one other language, or mean that data can be entered in any language, or that it is possible with HTML/Javascript coding to create an interface in another language. We suggest that you ask your vendor to demonstrate accessing the system in at least two foreign languages.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software can be configured to support the national languages of your suppliers and customers.

The alphabets of Asian languages, such as Japanese, Chinese and Korean have more than 256 characters and must therefore be represented by two bytes of data for each character.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software supports Asian languages.

Some software can provide an interface in either one language or another, but not both simultaneously. For example, the vendor may provide a “Japanese” or an “English” version of the software, which is fine if all your business is done in English or Japanese, but not if you have customers in both Japan and America who need to access the same system.

We recommend that you ask your vendor what happens to custom fields that you define. For example, if you define a Product Name field with possible values of “Personal”, “Group” and “Enterprise”, how will this display to a foreign customer?

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system automatically displays an interface in the user's National Language.

Some systems provide a hard-coded choice of ticket types such as Case or Quotation Request, or even a single type, while others let you define custom types. For example, you might define Bug Report and Enhancement Request tickets where one contains the field “Steps to Duplicate Bug” and the other contains the field “Paid/Unpaid.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system lets you define ticket types which match your business.

Some software lets you search the database for particular words or phrases. This can help avoid duplicating work on similar issues if you store problems and their solutions in the system.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can improve efficiency by using the system as a store of knowledge.

Some software automatically logs information in the ticket such as the user's name, company, etc.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can easily search/sort tickets based on who submitted them.

Some software lets you define custom search criteria such as “High Priority tickets submitted by Acme in the past 30 days that are still Open”; such information can be helpful to the Acme account sales representative. Other systems only allow you to search on limited fields.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can easily find the information that you need.

Some software lets you save searches and re-use them again without having to remember and re-type all the search terms.

Use this checkbox to ensure that that you can instantly find useful sets of information.

If your organization has staff that work different shifts, it can be helpful to assign issues based upon who is at work. For example, if a problem crops up at 9am EST, it may be assigned to the East Coast Support team for immediate resolution and if it crops up at 7pm EST, it can be given to West Coast Support.

Use this checkbox if you have multiple teams working in different time zones and want to be able to automatically assign based on time zone.

It can be very helpful to attach a file, such as a screen dump or purchase order to a ticket, but some systems only allow a single file to be attached and some do not allow any files to be attached.

Some vendors limit the number of files that can be attached to a ticket. We suggest that you ask your vendor to describe any such limits and ask what happens if an incoming email contains a large number of attached files.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can attach more than one file to a ticket

Some systems allow you to search for text in the database, but you may also want to search for text in attached files – for example you may attach employee's resumes to their user records and search for an employee who lists “French” as one of their languages prior to meeting with a French customer.

Use this checkbox if you want to find the right file or extract information from files that have been checked into the system.

Some systems have a rather low size limit on text fields.

Use this checkbox to ensure that system limitations will not prevent you from storing all the necessary information in a record.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can view the information sorted according to your needs.

Use this checkbox to ensure that users can choose which fields are shown on the screen and can customize their display

An end user interface for ticket submission can reduce telephone tag by ensuring that all the necessary information is included with the ticket submission.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can allow users to submit issues 24/7.

It can be save a lot of staff time and aid users in other time zones if they can review the status of their issues online.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software can allow users to check the status of their issues 24/7 without burdening your staff.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software will not permit users to see issues or negative comments submitted by other users.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can configure the system to allow users from a given company to see issues submitted by other people in their organization.

Once a member of your staff has answered a question for one customer, it may be helpful to turn that answer into an FAQ so that it does not have to be answered time and again.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can easily make answers to standard questions available to other users.

It can be a burden on your staff to require that they register users in the system before they can submit a ticket, and self-registration is a powerful method for collecting sales prospects.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software allows users and potential customers to register themselves 24/7.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the software can capture and manage incoming emails.

It is very reassuring to potential customers to know that their email has been received, especially if the response includes some identifying string which they can later use when communicating with your staff.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system will notify customers that their issue has been received.

Once a ticket has been created, it is generally most efficient if further email communications about that ticket can be automatically added to the ticket.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system supports the updating of existing tickets by email.

It can prevent communication lapses and reduce the burden on your staff if users are automatically notified when their issues are resolved. This is especially true for customers in other time zones.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system will reduce overhead and improve customer notifications.

It can reduce response time if staff are automatically notified when an issue is assigned to them. This is especially true for staff who do not log into the system frequently.

Use this checkbox to help ensure a rapid response to new issues.

When staff are in the field, it can reduce response time if they are notified of urgent issues. Although pagers are able to receive email, their capacity is limited so the system must be designed to send the important information first, without HTML formatting.

Use this checkbox to ensure that the system can contact staff members in the field.

This functionality allows multiple view-only connections to a single desktop. A well known product of this type is WebEx.

Use this checkbox if you want to give web-seminars to multiple potential customers.

The information that you collect on Prospects is typically different from the information that you collect about Customers. For example, Prospects will not have Purchase Date.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can collect the information that is relevant at each point in the sales cycle.

If you support multiple products – for example development services and standard products and/or deal with different types of customers, such as high value reference accounts and trial/evaluation customers, it can be helpful to collect different information about each.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can create the classes of users that match your business needs.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can convert prospects into customers without having to re-enter the information common to both.

If you have staff, such as sales-people, who spend a lot of time without Internet access, for example on a plane or taxi, they may want to make changes and update the main system with their work when they return to the office.

Use this checkbox if you want them to be able to work off-line and have their changes synchronized with the system when they return.

Use this checkbox to ensure that potential customers can register themselves online.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can use the system to send attractively formatted email to groups of prospects.

Some systems allow you to personalize the emails. For example, if you have a list which includes the Name, Job Title, or who Referred them to your organization, you can generate individual emails with this information inserted into the mail.

We suggest that you check whether vendors provide this facility themselves, or through the use third-party software which may be available at an extra cost.

Use this checkbox to ensure that you can distribute multiple emails to current and potential customers.

Use this checkbox to ensure that there is not a low limit on the number of emails that you can send.

Some systems provide mechanisms to track the results of email campaigns, by embedding individualized hotlinks within each email that trigger entries in your database for the users who click on them. Other systems just track the emails which users actually respond to. We suggest that you ask your vendor to provide full details of their capabilities.

Select this checkbox to ensure that the system will capture the results of email campaigns for analysis and follow up programs.

Some systems provide built-in reports or customizable reports that allow you to easily measure and report on campaign effectiveness.

Select this checkbox to ensure that you can easily measure the payback on marketing campaigns.

It is difficult to compare costs among CRM systems because their pricing models vary. Some charge per user per month, some charge a flat rate for an unlimited number of users, some charge based on the number of issues submitted, some charge different prices for different modules/versions, some are easy to customize and some expect that you will spend more on customization than the software itself.

However, some guidance is better than none. This entry gives the approximate cost for a department of 20 regular users over 3 years, including installation, maintenance and support where each individual works on 8 issues per day. Where multiple versions/modules of a product are available, we have based the price on those which provided the greatest proportion of the functionality listed above. These prices are approximate, please ask your preferred vendor for details.

The cheapest software can be very expensive if it does not do what you need. Most of the products listed above cost millions of dollars to develop and if you buy one that does not do what you need, it could end up costing you a similar amount to develop and maintain your enhancements. If a company answers too many of your questions with answers like "Oh yes, that is easy with these wonderful third party development tools", be very careful. Despite the hype, software development is time consuming, expensive, prone to delays and carries huge ongoing maintenance costs.

That said, the most expensive software is not necessarily the best choice even if you can afford it. The most expensive packages are often designed for huge enterprises with dedicated IT staff and can be very difficult/expensive to manage and maintain.

We recommend choosing a package that simply has the features you really want and requesting a free evaluation period or implementation guarantee that is good for at least 30 days, though 90 days is better. Get the saleperson's promises in writing and don't actually pay for the software until you are satisfied. If you have to pay something to show "good faith", keep this initial payment as low as possible.

Lastly, we suggest asking for a discount and making the buying decision as close as possible to the end of the quarter since this is when salespeople are trying hardest to make their numbers.

Use this box to select the maximum price you are willing to pay over 3 years for a 20 person deployment