Author Archives: VanderVliet

About VanderVliet

My name is Sean VanderVliet. I’ve been part of the Customer Care team at PaySimple since May of 2009. I help customers understand how to use our software in the best way for their business. Born in Iowa and raised in New Hampshire, I am an American wanderer who dreams of big trout and day-night doubleheaders. Colorado has not been a mention in my life for very long; I began driving here the day after I graduated from (Bates) college in search of the Wild West and its gold riches. I listened to the song Big Country by Bela Fleck for much of the trip and I feel like I found that. I made my homestead in the Capital Hill neighborhood where I began living with my roommate, and 2009 World Jart Champion teammate, Austin. When I’m not working, I’m probably hiking with my lady, Beth, and her chocolate lab, Walter. I also have a passion for playing, watching, and researching baseball, playing tennis, riding my bike, and anything else considered active. I have always enjoyed reading, one of my favorites being Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Give it a try and you won’t put it down.

What to Consider when Choosing a CRM

Posted on January 11, 2012 by VanderVliet | Leave a comment | Strategy, Technology

So, your small business has been doing pretty well, customers continue to find your service and it’s becoming harder and harder to manage their information. Paper files over here and electronic files over there—organization and efficiency are becoming a real concern.

You’ve started to consider purchasing CRM software in order to make your life easier, but you don’t quite know where to begin. Here are 5 critical aspects to consider (and that we considered!) when making a selection.

1) Training

CRM’s can be cumbersome, there’s no question about that. So, depending on the size of your business, choosing a CRM will vary. For example, if you operate a business of 10 employees and getting new hires up to speed quickly is a prime goal, your CRM selection should be influenced by that. If your employee base is larger and you have the luxury of taking some time to fully train each new hire prior to kicking them out of the nest, then maybe you can select a more robust CRM that takes a little more time to pick up. Continue reading…