Now that we have an overview of your needs, it is time to take action by developing a matrix that you can use to document and organize your needs and then to compare how each SCRM that you will consider matches up to those needs. We would suggest a simple Excel spreadsheet. Consider assigning a point system to this matrix, awarding two points where a needed feature is present and one point where a nice feature is found. Not needed or not available features receive zero points.

This is important. You might personally feel that certain features are absolutely necessary, while others may provide absolutely no benefit whatsoever. However, you might find that those who will be actually using the system every day have an entirely different view of what is and what is not needed. Therefore, sit down with your team in order to develop and refine this list. Once it has been compiled, sit down with them again in order to create a final comparison sheet.

In our next chapter, we will...