When you are looking for a CRM solution for your business and have shortlisted the best among the offerings, you then need to compare each product with each other and see what solution benefits your business the most? Buying and installing all of the solutions is not a feasible option. Demos are good for an initial look at the software, but they don’t give you or your stakeholders any firsthand experience with the software. So the best option you have is to opt for a free trial.

Running a trial is very crucial as you want to find out exactly what functions and capabilities of the software you will use the most if you purchase and use it for your business. So it is important that you keep a few key points in mind while testing out a product.

Here are some key points you can use to get the most out of your CRM Software free trial.

1 . Prepare a team

As a CRM system affects a lot of people in your business, you will need to create a team of users and leaders who will help you in testing the CRM to its full use. Make sure you get someone from each of the departments that will be using the software. Feedback from them will be an important factor in determining the impact the new software has on your business.

2. Get a demo

Assemble your team and arrange for a demonstration of the main functionalities of the software. Make sure that each team member understands all the core functionalities that they will be using and arrange a Q/A session so that they can clear all doubts that they have. A demo will help them get a head start in understanding how to use the system, saving them the trouble to figure out how things work in the new system.

3. Define goals

Clearly define some short-term goals that will test all the functions available to you in the trial. Clearly defined goals will help you in the objective comparison with other vendors. This way you have a clear idea about which product does what work more efficiently.

4. Enter data

If you can create a dummy dataset that will have all the different characteristics that your business has to deal with, it will greatly help you in scoping out the possibilities of the CRM system and its ability to deal with a varied set of data. If a dummy dataset is difficult to create then you can simply enter real data into the system. This will often give you a very good view of the working of the CRM system.

5. Get regular feedback

Feedback from the stakeholders/users of the system is very important when choosing a software system. After all, they are the ones that will use the system most. Try to get feedback on the ease of data entry, the possibility of duplication, accessing relevant data, creating reports and other functions that are crucial to your business.

You can also arrange a post-test meeting where your team will share their concerns with the vendor’s representative. The representative gets a chance to solve any problems that they faced during the trial and you can have a complete view of how the new CRM system worked for your team. This will give you a rough idea about the impact that the new system will have on your business. Make sure you have everything you need to make an informed decision.