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How to choose a CRM system that’s right for you: 10+ steps to narrow it down

30 Jun 2025

CRM systems are making it easier than ever to monitor sales pipelines, track leads and streamline communication between dispersed teams and stakeholders. But, at the same time, there have never been so many options. Understanding how to choose a CRM system that is the right fit for your business can take time, mental effort and precious resources. Whether you’re a solopreneur, busy CTO or a proactive business owner looking into new avenues for growth, we understand how important your time is. That’s why we’re cutting through the noise.

Whatever your priorities, this guide is designed to walk you through the process of finding a suitable CRM for your business’s unique blueprint. From settling on the right features to selecting software that your team can easily pick up, your decision can be key to scaling your operations – minus the usual legal, logistical and administrative burdens.

This guide at a glance:

The importance of getting your CRM right

We’ve reached a critical moment wherein digital-first strategies are redefining how businesses operate day-to-day. Increasingly, they are seeking out flexible, efficient and compliant ways to manage teams and their activities, which more often than not are taking the form of a robust CRM system.

The best solutions augment, automate and simplify your operations, moulding themselves to your business, rather than being tagged on as an afterthought. To truly reap all of the benefits a CRM has to offer and exploit the software’s full potential, you need a thorough understanding of exactly how to choose a suitable CRM – simply going off price isn’t going to cut it.

With such an important decision, it’s much wiser to mull over each of the options that present themselves, consult with your team and wider organisation and work through each of the considerations we lay out below; otherwise, you run the risk of locking yourself into a subpar solution, which could be costly in both time and expense to transfer to a new system. Here, a poor fit could even impact your bottom line, hindering growth, increasing employee turnover or, at worst, putting customers off.

What makes an effective CRM?

Your decision-making process ought to be an exercise in separating the wheat from the chaff; while many solutions may promise your must-have features, how they are implemented is equally crucial. After all, not all CRMs are made equal.

An effective CRM system should empower its users to achieve:

  • Simplified collaboration & seamless communication
  • Better data management
  • The cultivation of new leads
  • Increased productivity
  • Scalability for growth
  • More targeted decision making
  • Easier sales forecasting & pipeline reporting
  • Stronger customer retention
  • Increased profitability

Mistakes to avoid when choosing a CRM

To avoid future CRM project failures and the ensuing feelings of disappointment or frustration, you’ll need to sidestep a number of common pitfalls. Here is just a handful of notable ones to keep in mind, so that you can dodge them immediately – no decisions coming back to bite you.

  • Overlooking the complexity of implementation and onboarding
  • Neglecting to look into support, training and customer service
  • Prioritising cost over functionality and user experience
  • Similarly, prioritising features over usability
  • Ignoring scalability; ideally, your CRM should adapt and grow alongside your business

As you can see, implementing and then adjusting to your new CRM can be a challenge – one that requires time, effort and possibly data migration – which goes to show that thorough exploration and communication are key from the get-go.

How to choose a CRM that works for your business

Without further ado, here are 10+ surefire steps towards making the right CRM decision for your business.

1. Crystallise your business goals

Whether your mission is to find a less annoying CRM or this is your organisation’s first venture into the world of customer relationship management software, the first step of the journey is to crystallise your CRM goals.

This means taking a close look at the pain points you want to address. Which areas of the business could run more smoothly? Are there any gaps in your communication or data? A  bottleneck within your sales funnel, siphoning away your team’s productivity?

Whether your niche is sales, marketing, customer or field service, supplier relationship management, events or some combination of these or indeed something else, your CRM should help you execute your goals and enhance performance. Every CRM platform is built differently, with varying specialisms and features, so it’s important to make your objectives your guiding star.

2. Find a CRM that is easy to use

Regardless of the outcomes of step one, you’re going to need to find something easy to use. This will ensure that when it comes to onboarding your employees, they have a positive experience with the software and can see tangible benefits to the transition.

In fact, for many, user-friendliness is the number one priority. Why? Well, if your new CRM is unintuitive, slow, difficult to adopt and navigate, or bloated with tools your staff never use, it can become more difficult for them to focus on what really matters – getting work done.

Here’s a piece of advice from Forbes: try to find a high-quality CRM that’s most similar to your existing applications. This way, it’s much less overwhelming for first-time users, the learning curve is shrunk and the uptake much faster.

3. Investigate tools & features

For many businesses, their features wishlist acts as their north star – unsurprisingly. The functional capabilities of a CRM determine what users can do with the platform, but don’t overlook how you can use them, either.

As your business continues to shift, grow and adapt, you may need some ‘wiggle room’. Therefore, the wisest course of action is to avoid basic, inflexible tools, which may leave your company stagnant in the long term. On the flipside, some CRMs provide a plethora of tools to suit a spectrum of industries: is it worth paying for so many features when you’re only using a fragment of them? Here, it’s helpful to come up with a list of mandatory functions and nice-to-haves to help you narrow down the options.

4. Look for integrations with existing software

Within your business, you will need to use other systems and solutions, so integrations are a make-or-break. Remember, your CRM should be an integral part of your workflows, not just   a recording or data-keeping tool. Instead, picture it as a living, breathing part of your operations that bridges the gaps between information, tools and processes.

Ideally, you’ll want a platform that can integrate with a breadth of tools, from accounting software and organisational tools like Microsoft 365. Some CRM providers, such as OpenCRM (wink wink, nudge nudge), will even set up an interface between more niche applications using bespoke APIs. As such, it’s a good idea to confirm early on what your CRM can and can’t integrate.

5. Ensure you can access it on the go

Another consideration that can make all the difference is mobile access. In today’s busy marketplace, you might need to check on workflows and funnels en route to an in-person meeting or during the commute. This makes 24/7 remote access to your data absolutely essential and CRMs offering a mobile application the best choice.

At OpenCRM, we’re very familiar with these challenges, which is why we’ve approached our app from a user-first, privacy-focussed approach. The idea is simple: secure access to the data wherever you are and no matter the device, all via the same login and with the same permissions. You can also choose which fields appear on the app, so you can hide those you don’t need while you’re on the go. Which leads us nicely on to the next step …

6.  Explore the level of customisation

Whether it’s within the app or on a web browser, customising your CRM so that it aligns with your business goals, priorities and, crucially, its users’ needs contributes to more productive and profitable day-to-day activities.

Some CRM providers will offer completely bespoke solutions, whilst others stick to “out-of-the-box” , one-size-fits-all packages. Sitting snugly in between are customisable alternatives. While each has its own pros and cons, there’s no wrong or right option. The crux of the matter is balancing your business’s needs with the cost and anticipating future changes – both things that a good CRM provider will advise you on.

7. Identify other parts of the business to integrate

Everything we mentioned about app integrations also applies to the broader aspects of your business. When properly implemented, your CRM should act like another member of your team and help bridge gaps in your organisational structure. In manufacturing, this could look like the synchronisation of ERP software to enable seamless data flow and automation. The major benefits of this are multiple: you gain end-to-end visibility of your business processes, eliminate data duplication and promote deeper employee collaboration. No more siloes between digital platforms!

8. Evaluate data security and privacy measures

Security is paramount in today’s increasingly privacy-focussed world. Perhaps you deal with sensitive data in a financial or healthcare setting, or maybe you’re simply keen to clean up your GDPR. Whatever the case, data security should be front-of-mind when choosing your CRM. Not only will privacy measures like multi-factor authentication and implementing permissions protect consumers, but they keep you compliant too.

9. Consider future scalability

We already talked about the importance of scalability in step three (tools & features), so we won’t repeat ourselves here. However, we ought to mention that on top of accommodating business growth and evolution, a scalable CRM will also help prevent system overload whilst allowing for greater customisation and agility as market dynamics shift. All in all, it makes for a cost-effective solution.

10. Chat to your shortlisted providers! (and compare)

With each of the previous steps accounted for, it’s time to reach out! After all, nothing beats first-hand experience and person-to-person conversations. Speak to your shortlisted providers, ensuring that you get all of your burning questions answered, plus a good feel for the organisation.

Finally, don’t forget to take advantage of the free trials available and survey your team for their opinions and feedback before making any final decisions.

11. Review customer support

The last step in how to choose a CRM system with care involves evaluating the level of customer support you receive. As well as perusing reviews and testimonials, make sure to get the information from the horse’s mouth; see how the vendor supports you during the selection process and ask them plenty of questions.

Also, the type of support matters – from 24/7 access to chatbots and phone conversations, you might experience different levels of responsiveness. Opting for a local partner who can provide local support during and beyond the implementation process can be a game-changer in this regard.

Bonus: Helpful questions to bring to the table

Before we wrap things up, allow us to share some final pearls of wisdom. When you get to those all-important conversations with your team and, of course, your prospective CRM partner, make sure you have the answers to these questions. When splitting hairs between different systems, setups and adoption strategies, they will come in particularly handy.

  • Can you choose between cloud or on-premise deployment? Which is best for the business? Cloud deployment is particularly useful for future scalability.
  • Are you able to customise the CRM to suit specific workflows and tasks?
  • What does the vendor offer by means of training and support resources?
  • How active are they in advising your team?
  • What does the implementation process involve?
  • Is there room for adaption or growth?

FAQs

What separates a good CRM from a great CRM?

A good CRM has robust functionality and does its job, but a great CRM goes the extra mile. The most effective partnerships involve CRM providers who actively tailor their approach to each client, offering helpful, actionable advice with a smile. Other factors include the speed of setup, easy onboarding, integration opportunities, the ability to scale, mobile access and high-quality support.

What features should you look out for in a CRM?

What features do you need? From sales management capabilities – such as quote creation, lead tracking and sales visualisation – to project management tools, there are countless features to choose from. However, we’d like to spotlight one particular gamechanger: with some CRM systems, you can bring your Helpdesk or customer service into the mix. No more jumping between lead, content management and sales software, when it’s all in one centralised hub. The important part is to tailor the features to your business, whether you require support managing inventory, contacts, events or specific activities.

Are there any benefits to choosing an independent CRM provider?

While it can be advantageous to partner with a conglomerate due to broader integration capabilities and so on, there are also many reasons to choose an independent, UK-based CRM provider. As well as supporting the UK economy, you can enjoy greater data privacy, client-first customisation and personalised, British customer service you just can’t beat!

How much does a CRM typically cost?

As is to be expected, the pricing of CRM systems varies widely between vendors, but it is also dependent on different factors such as business size, specific features and the number of users. Nevertheless, with some providers – like OpenCRM – the pricing is much simplified, offering a straightforward per user monthly fee for complete access to the software.

What are the best CRMs?

Of course, this is a subjective question; however, the bottom line is that the best CRM is one that best serves your company’s needs. For instance, OpenCRM is ideal for a variety of industries thanks to the depth and breadth of customisation, while other CRMs are more specialised in their offering – take HubSpot Sales Hub, which is more oriented towards marketing professionals.

Choose a CRM system that gets you

There’s no point in investing in an industry-leading CRM if it doesn’t gel with your business model, people or day-to-day routines. After all, your system ought to work for you – not the other way around.

Now that you know how to choose the right CRM system for your company’s unique DNA,   you should be able to cut through the noise and find a snug fit. All that’s left is to embark on that process.

If you’re an ambitious SME looking to consolidate your existing procedures into one central hub or simply smarten up your reporting, OpenCRM can help you get there, providing seamless integration to scores of apps. With unrivalled customisation and a genuinely user-friendly interface, we empower teams to build powerful connections at every level of the business.

If that sounds good to you, why not give it a whirl? Our down-to-earth team is happy to arrange a free trial or chat with you about our fully-featured solutions – we’re all support, no egos.

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