What determines the price and duration of a CRM implementation project

Price and duration are the first questions that clients, project managers, stakeholders and most project participants have. This is true for both IT projects and any other projects in everyday life. To answer these questions correctly, you need to clearly understand what factors affect cost and duration.

AlterEGO has been working in the IT field for 14 years, in particular, implementing CRM systems. During this time, we have successfully completed hundreds of projects and based on our experience, we will try to determine what determines the price and duration of a CRM implementation project.

What affects the cost of CRM system setup?

1. The project itself and the complexity of the tasks

It is clear that the complexity of the project will directly affect its cost and duration. What can complicate a CRM implementation project?

The size of the company. The larger the company, the more complex the internal processes, the more employees, the more business lines. Usually, in large companies, CRM setup issues need to be coordinated between departments and approved by several managers, which significantly delays the process. At the same time, small and medium-sized companies resolve most issues quickly, because often one director is the decision maker.

Non-standard solutions. Any CRM system already has some built-in functionality and you can use the basic tools out of the box. Also, most CRM systems have flexible settings that allow you to realize the basic needs of customers. However, not everything can be done with simple settings, sometimes you need to integrate with additional services, connect a programmer and implement complex automation. This is normal when the company really has a business need for such a task and the costs justify themselves (typical for medium and large companies). However, sometimes it is better to use standard tools, as additional development significantly increases the price and duration of the project. Since business owners are not always experts in CRM systems, the task of your implementation provider is to figure out how to standardize the task and optimize costs.

Additional integrations: Integrations are a fairly common request when implementing CRM. Integrations with websites, accounting programs, delivery services and SMS services are usually carried out. Any integration is the connection of a third party to the project and as a result, there are additional costs in money and time. Luckily, CRM systems are evolving and with well-known integration services, it's easier, cheaper and faster to do everything.

2. Client's interest and involvement in the project

How can a client not be interested in implementing their own CRM system? In fact, they can. Implementing a CRM system requires the client's involvement in the process, because only the client knows their business processes and needs perfectly. In the process of implementation, a specialist may need additional information, access and the client needs to accept interim work and give feedback. If this is not done quickly, then the tasks will be done slower.

A simple example: you need to set up a company structure. The client wrote down the names of employees and their positions in a Google spreadsheet and sent it to a specialist, but did not provide access to it and did not respond to his requests. The specialist cannot start a task and switch to something else. In the afternoon, the client grants access, but the specialist is forced to finish the task he started in the morning. So, the day is lost. There are many such examples. Therefore, it is very important that the client is in touch, responds to requests and is involved in the project as much as possible.

Large companies usually appoint a person responsible for the project. In this case, it is important that this person has enough decision-making authority and does not need to coordinate every step with management. Otherwise, there is no point in it and the process will not be fast.

The company's price list.
"We're not rich enough to buy cheap stuff..." It's the same in IT. If a company has a low price list, it doesn't mean you'll be able to save money. It can be the other way around. Inexperienced specialists will delay the implementation of the task, where it can be done in 10 hours, they will do it in 20 and will not offer you optimization or interesting solutions. Of course, it is difficult to understand which company is good and which is not, because each will tell you only the best about itself. We advise you to look for real reviews, check out the portfolio, request a quote from several companies and talk to managers.
Professionalism of specialists.
One of the main factors that will affect the price and duration of the project. A specialist who has a sufficient level of knowledge can quickly make settings, is aware of all the features of the system and can offer ideas on how to implement tasks and save time.
Responsibility of the company's employees.п
This is a rather subjective factor, but responsibility affects everything and always. A responsible project manager means that the project is alive and all its tasks are being fulfilled, a responsible specialist means that all tasks are completed on time, a responsible tester means that everything is tested to perfection. When everyone works together, the project does not stretch over time.

Conclusion

So, the price and duration of a CRM system implementation project is influenced by four main groups of factors: project complexity, your involvement, integrator professionalism and the chosen software.

If you are interested in the project, find an integrator partner who will help with all the unclear issues, you can minimize implementation costs without losing the benefits of the project itself. After all, the main thing is the balance between costs and the benefits that the business receives.

Do you wonder how much CRM implementation will cost for your company?Book a free consultation and let's do the math.