Hold on a second… 5 things to consider before purchasing a legacy CRM

In business and life, there’s the idea that if something has, or is, a ‘legacy’, then it has to be good.

That’s not always true. Legacies can be both positive and negative and a long history is no indication that an institution, piece of software, or brand is delivering the goods today.

Speaking of “today”, and tomorrow, the global CRM market is expected to grow from USD 63.91 billion in 2022 to USD 145.79 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 12.5%. The market is evolving through the use of AI integrations, and the pandemic has meant that companies are often in desperate need of common data, communication and customer-centric services.

In short, digitalization is changing the game and companies from all industries need to adapt and work with a contemporary CRM solution to bring together data from throughout their business to allow for faster, better decisions and better business practices. At the core of this is the safe management of customer data and improved interaction with your customers.

So … why not go with a legacy CRM?

1. They’re expensive

Much like an aging sports star holding out for one last contract, many legacy CRMs still cost a fortune while becoming increasingly more limited as time moves on. One great pull was the idea that CRMs from leading companies would result in reduced costs in the long run.

Newsflash: That’s not true.

Software from big names can be expensive, that’s a fact of life. Alongside a large up-front fee, vendors are often inflexible, charging high rates for features that many companies don’t need and offering little in terms of customization, or even charging per-user costs. It’s a one-size fits all approach that is increasingly being challenged.

2. They’re incredibly difficult to implement

Let’s get this out of the way now. They are, despite what the salesman told your boss, not easy to implement and integrate with other systems.

You should not need a huge IT team with years of esoteric experience to make a CRM do what you need it to do. It is expensive, it is time consuming.

Instead, go with a CRM that’s fully supported by a dedicated team of developers. Leverage contemporary systems and make use of the integrations that are increasingly becoming the norm in the CRM industry.

3. They don’t improve productivity

OK, so that’s a little extreme. They do improve productivity.

But, they could do better, much better.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Enter data. Click. Click. Click. Click. Does that sound familiar? Contemporary takes on data entry, registration, data uploads and more have simplified each and every process within cutting edge CRMs.

Legacy CRMs often follow complex, confusing pathways to get anything done, requiring your staff to have detailed, in-depth knowledge of every twist and turn. By comparison, the latest CRMs are user-friendly, simple and (relatively) quick to master and will allow you to smooth out your workflows and save time.

Fewer clicks, more work.

4. They’re (not) a salesperson’s best friend

The old claim that a CRM is a salespersons best friend is true. But only if they’ve moved with the times.

Legacy CRMs are overly complex and complicated. Sales people have to be experts in navigating outdated software just to do their jobs and they waste time in the process.

Contemporary CRMs are much more user friendly and agile. From faster operations, to slicker UI and intuitive processes, they save everyone time and effort, allowing them to focus on doing their jobs. CRMs are a tool, nothing more, they shouldn’t get in your way.

5. They’re lacking in customer support

This last point isn’t a fault or criticism of the software, but the companies or vendors that provide it.

CRMs are vital parts of many businesses. You need them to work, you need your staff trained on them and you need support whenever something goes wrong or you don’t understand how to make your CRM work for you.

However, all too often a call to a legacy CRM’s customer support line is going to end up with endless hold music and being passed around departments when you finally get through.

Contemporary CRM developers are putting customer service front and center and making it a key selling point of their systems. Not only are the CRMs designed to be incredibly robust and easy to use, but they’re also backed up with dedicated support teams who are on hand to address any issues you might have.

If you’re having problems, you need fast, reliable service.

Get in touch today to discover how our customizable forex CRM can change the way you do business.