How To Choose a CRM: 13 Things To Consider

Knowing how to choose a CRM for a small business can feel overwhelming. Many platforms promise to manage sales, follow-ups, and client work, but the wrong choice often creates more work than it saves. 

As a product marketer, I’ve seen small teams lose momentum after switching from spreadsheets to tools that don’t fit. In this guide, I’ll walk through how to choose a CRM, the features that matter most for SMBs, and what to watch for when comparing options.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What a CRM is
• Types of CRM systems
• Key CRM features to look for
• Advanced CRM features
• How to choose your tool
• Benefits and challenges
• How to onboard a CRM

What is a CRM?

A CRM, or customer relationship management system, is software that helps businesses organize and manage customer information in one place. It gives teams a single hub to track interactions, store records, and manage client relationships from first contact to ongoing service.

Teams use CRMs to stay on top of daily work. The system keeps customer details organized and sends reminders about follow-ups like calls, emails, or meetings. It also automates repetitive jobs such as sending email sequences and generates reports that show progress.

When I think of the best CRMs I’ve used, the biggest impact was how much easier follow-ups became with the right tool. I could see past emails, calls, and notes on one screen instead of digging through spreadsheets or old messages. Simple things like scheduling reminders or pulling a quick report were no longer a long process.

Types of CRM systems

The three main types of CRM systems are operational, analytical, and collaborative. Some experts also include a fourth called strategic CRM, which focuses on long-term relationships and customer value. Here’s how each type works and where they fit best:

Operational CRM

Operational CRMs handle the core work of capturing leads, managing pipelines, and automating repetitive jobs. Platforms like HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Salesforce Sales Cloud help growing businesses streamline outreach and keep client interactions organized.

I often see teams adopt operational CRMs as their first major investment in process automation. Once activity tracking and lead capture are centralized, it becomes easier to scale outreach and measure conversion efficiency.

Analytical CRM

An analytical CRM focuses on making sense of customer data. It shows patterns like which campaigns bring in the most revenue or which customers are at risk of leaving. Options like Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP CRM, and Oracle CX are good for this, and they make the most sense if you want deeper reporting and strategy insights. 

I’ve found that analytical CRMs are where companies start connecting their marketing and revenue data. When teams can identify which activities actually drive profit, decision-making becomes less reactive and far more strategic.

Collaborative CRM

Collaborative CRMs improve coordination across departments by giving every team access to the same customer record. Platforms like Copper, Insightly, and Zendesk Sell help align sales, marketing, and support so clients get consistent communication at every stage.

I’ve noticed that the biggest advantage of collaborative CRMs isn’t just shared data, it’s shared accountability. When sales and support teams work from the same record, communication gaps close fast and client expectations stay aligned.

Strategic CRM

A strategic CRM looks at the long game. It focuses on loyalty, lifetime value, and long-term engagement rather than single transactions. Platforms such as SugarCRM, Sage CRM, and Nimble include features that support this focus, and they work well if your priority is customer retention and ongoing relationships.

In my experience, businesses that use strategic CRMs gain a deeper view of customer health and renewal behavior. That perspective helps them plan retention campaigns before risks appear and spot upsell opportunities earlier in the cycle.

Key CRM features to look for

The most useful CRMs share a core set of features that keep client management organized and work moving forward. These features include:

Contact management

Contact management sits at the center of every CRM. It consolidates emails, calls, and notes so teams have a clear record of each client relationship. I’ve seen how powerful this is for growing businesses. Once communication history is centralized, it becomes easier to personalize outreach and strengthen retention.

Automation

Automation saves time and builds momentum as teams grow. I’ve seen how setting up workflows for follow-ups, reminders, and data entry helps teams focus on meaningful conversations instead of repetitive admin. When automation runs well, it keeps outreach consistent and prevents important opportunities from slipping through the cracks.

Reporting and analytics

Reporting shows how deals move through the pipeline and where they get stuck. Dashboards make it easy to see which campaigns generate real revenue and where engagement drops. I’ve noticed that teams using clear reporting shift from reactive decision-making to proactive growth planning.

Integrations

Integrations connect the CRM to the rest of a company’s tech stack, including email, calendars, billing tools, and project management systems. When data flows across these tools, teams avoid duplication and gain a more complete view of the customer journey. A well-integrated CRM becomes the operational hub for both sales and client management.

Mobile access

Mobile access keeps work moving wherever teams are. I’ve seen how often key details get lost between meetings when updates wait until someone’s back at a desk. Having quick access to client records and notes on a phone helps teams stay aligned in real time, which is especially valuable for companies with field or hybrid setups.

Security

Customer data is one of a business’s most valuable assets. Features such as encryption, access controls, and automated backups protect that data and build client trust. I’ve seen more businesses prioritize security as part of their CRM evaluation, especially when handling sensitive or regulated information.

Advanced features in CRMs (like AI)

Basic features handle the everyday jobs, but advanced tools like artificial intelligence push a CRM further. These are the features that made the biggest difference for me:

• Lead scoring: A CRM ranks prospects by actions like opening emails, visiting your site, or booking a demo. With AI, the system weighs dozens of signals automatically, so scoring feels less manual. I’ve seen how this helps small teams focus on real buying intent, instead of guessing who’s ready to convert.
• Predictive analytics: CRMs use AI to study past customer patterns and highlight what might happen next. They can forecast revenue or spot churn risk early. I’ve found that AI-driven predictions often reveal changes in engagement that teams would otherwise miss until it’s too late.
• Sales recommendations: Some systems analyze your open deals against past wins and suggest the next step. When I evaluated these features, what stood out was how they turned deal management into a repeatable process that scales better than relying on individual intuition.
• Customer support automation: AI chatbots can answer common questions and CRMs can route tricky tickets to the right person. This structure speeds up resolution times and keeps handoffs between teams cleaner and more consistent.
• Workflow automation with intelligence: AI fine-tunes automation by learning from real customer behavior. Instead of firing the same rule every time, the system adjusts based on patterns it detects to improve engagement over time.
• Data cleanup: Duplicate contacts and incomplete fields mess up reports, but AI-driven data cleanup tools scan records for those gaps and fix them in the background. Clean data makes analytics more trustworthy and gives leaders confidence in what they’re seeing.

How to choose a CRM: 13 things to consider

The best way to choose a CRM is to weigh concrete factors to help you find the right fit. Here are 13 to consider:

1. Identify your goals: Define what you need the CRM to solve. Goals might include shorter sales cycles, stronger reporting, or better customer retention.
2. Set your budget: CRMs can range from free starter plans to enterprise platforms costing thousands each month. Decide on your ceiling early to avoid chasing tools you cannot afford.
3. Make a feature checklist: List the must-have features, such as contact management or mobile access. Add extras only if they directly support your goals.
4. Check integrations: Confirm the CRM works with tools already in use, such as email, calendars, or billing software. Poor integration creates extra work instead of saving time.
5. Look at ease of use: A CRM only works if people adopt it. Check the layout, navigation, and learning curve to ensure it feels intuitive.
6. Consider scalability: Pick a system that can handle more users, data, and features as the business grows. Starting small is fine, but switching later is costly.
7. Review support options: Understand how support is delivered, whether through chat, email, or phone, and check if faster help requires a premium plan.
8. Ask about data migration: Moving contacts from spreadsheets or another CRM can be difficult. Ask what tools or services are available to make the process smoother.
9. Compare mobile apps: Mobile access is critical for teams that work on the go. Test the app’s functionality to confirm it matches the desktop version in usefulness.
10. Run hands-on trials: Do not rely only on vendor demos. Upload contacts, send test emails, and build pipelines to see how the system handles real work.
11. Involve your team: Let daily users test the CRM. Sales, support, and marketing staff will spot different strengths and weaknesses.
12. Watch for hidden costs: Ask directly about fees for automation, analytics, storage, or integrations. Many vendors lock these behind higher-priced plans.
13. Check security and compliance: Look for strong protections such as role-based permissions, encryption, and compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.

Benefits of CRMs

Using a CRM brings structure to client management and makes it easier to keep work on track. Here are the benefits I’ve seen make the biggest difference:

• Better organization: CRMs and client management tools centralize every client detail so teams can access the full history of interactions in one place. This visibility helps everyone walk into meetings informed and aligned, which builds confidence and professionalism with clients.
• Stronger follow-ups: Automated reminders and timelines keep outreach consistent without relying on memory. When I’ve helped teams set this up, deals started progressing faster because no lead sat idle for too long.
• Clearer visibility: Dashboards make it easier to see where deals are moving or getting stuck. I’ve noticed that once teams have this transparency, leaders can focus their efforts where they’ll actually increase revenue instead of guessing.
• Improved teamwork: With shared access to the same client record, sales, marketing, and support can deliver consistent communication. I’ve seen this alignment reduce friction internally and create a smoother experience for customers.
• Time savings: Automation handles repetitive jobs like data entry, follow-ups, and updates. When I implemented these systems, the saved hours quickly added up, giving teams more space to focus on product launches or growth campaigns.
• Stronger customer relationships: CRMs help teams remember details that matter, from past conversations to key milestones. I’ve seen how recalling those small details builds trust and strengthens long-term loyalty.

Common challenges of CRMs

CRMs can be powerful, but they come with hurdles that are easy to overlook. These are the challenges I’ve run into most often:

• Data migration pains: Moving contacts from spreadsheets or another CRM rarely goes perfectly. Fields don’t always match, duplicates sneak in, and cleanup can take weeks. Many small teams underestimate this stage and lose momentum early when data imports don’t capture everything correctly.
• Low adoption from sales teams: A CRM only creates value if people actually use it. Sales teams often push back when systems feel clunky or slow, defaulting to spreadsheets or notes instead. Adoption improves when the CRM fits existing workflows instead of forcing new ones.
• Hidden costs or feature restrictions: Pricing can be misleading. Some CRMs position themselves as affordable, then lock automation, reporting, or integrations behind higher tiers. From a product marketing view, this is one of the biggest friction points for SMBs evaluating long-term scalability.
• Poor support response: Even well-designed systems need support. When vendors take too long to respond, it disrupts workflows and erodes trust in the platform. Fast, knowledgeable support is often the difference between a CRM that scales and one that stalls adoption.

How to onboard a CRM

A structured rollout helps your team adopt the system quickly and use it the way it’s meant to be used. Here are the key steps to follow:

1. Create a checklist of vendor questions: Ask about setup timelines, migration tools, included features, and support channels. Document the answers and use them to map your rollout plan.
2. Prepare and clean your data: Before importing, remove duplicate records, fix formatting issues, and standardize fields like phone numbers and job titles. Clean data makes the new system run smoothly from day one.
3. Test features with real workflows: Upload a test contact list, run sample email sequences, and build a mock sales pipeline. Check reports, automations, and the mobile app to see how the CRM handles daily jobs.
4. Train your team in stages: Start with short sessions on essentials like logging calls or updating records. Add more advanced features once the basics feel comfortable. Record tutorials so new hires can get up to speed later.
5. Assign internal champions: Choose a few team members to become go-to experts. They can answer quick questions and encourage adoption without everything falling back on the admin or manager.
6. Gather feedback and adjust: After the first few weeks, ask each department what’s working and what feels clunky. Use that input to refine workflows and settings before the system gets fully embedded.

How Assembly can simplify your client management

Learning how to choose a CRM is only the first step. Once you’ve made your choice, you still need a way to manage client work, contracts, and updates in one place.

Assembly combines CRM features with a branded client portal. That means your team can track relationships, store contracts, and automate reminders, while clients log into a secure space to sign documents, share files, pay invoices, and see progress.

Here’s how Assembly supports growing teams:

• See the full client record: Notes, files, payments, and past messages stay linked so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Prep faster for meetings: Assembly Assistant summarizes client history so you know what’s been discussed and what’s next.
• Spot patterns early: Track shifts in client activity that may point to churn risks or upsell opportunities.
• Cut down on admin: Automate reminders, updates, and follow-ups so your team spends less time on busywork.

Want a clearer way to manage clients after choosing your CRM? See how Assembly can support your team today.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a CRM cost?

The average CRM cost is about $87 per user per month, though prices can range from free plans to over $100, depending on features. Most small-to-mid companies budget between $30 and $120 per user monthly, which usually covers automation, reporting, and integrations. Free or low-cost CRMs can be a good starting point for small teams, but you’ll want to check upgrade paths and hidden fees.

How long does it take to implement?

Most small businesses can implement a CRM in one to four weeks, while enterprises may need several months. Smaller teams move faster by importing contacts and setting up workflows, but larger organizations require more time for data migration, system customization, training, and phased rollouts.

Can I switch CRMs later?

Yes, you can switch CRMs in the future, but migration is usually difficult and time-consuming. Planning ahead by choosing a platform that can scale with your business helps minimize disruption later.

Do free CRMs actually work for small teams?

Yes, free CRMs can be effective for small teams with basic needs, offering contact management and simple pipelines to get started. The trade-off is that you’ll hit limits with storage, automation, or integrations, which often leads to upgrading as the team grows.

How do I choose a CRM for a small business?

To choose a CRM for a small business, prioritize ease of use, affordability, and integrations with the tools you already use. Look for a simple setup and mobile access so your team can adopt it fast. If you offer productized services, check how well the CRM supports repeatable workflows. If you want to give clients visibility, pair your CRM with a customer portal to create a more professional experience.