How to choose a CRM: a complete guide for businesses
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is more than just a piece of software. It’s the “brain” of your sales system — helping you organize client relationships, control workflows, and grow through automation and data. But with so many CRM platforms on the market, the choice isn’t always easy. How do you avoid common mistakes and choose the right CRM for your business?
What Is a CRM and Why Do You Need One?
A CRM system allows you to store all client contacts, tasks, deals, communication history, and more — all in one place. You need a CRM to:
- centralize information;
- automate sales;
- improve team productivity;
- enhance customer service;
- generate reports and analyze sales data.
Without a CRM, most companies rely on Excel sheets, notebooks, or team members’ memory — and sooner or later this leads to lost leads, duplicated tasks, and chaos in communication.
Understand Your Business Processes
Before comparing CRM systems, clearly identify:
How do you sell — through your website, phone, email, tenders?
What steps does a client go through from the first contact to closing the deal?
How many people are involved in your sales process?
Do you have any technical or legal requirements for data storage?
This will help define what you really need. For example, a B2B company may need deep client history, support for tenders, and commercial proposals. An online store may prioritize website integration, order management, and automated workflows.
Define Key Functionality
Here are the core modules that many CRM systems include:
- Contacts and companies — a client database with filtering, tags, and interaction history.
- Leads and deals — track incoming requests and negotiation status.
- Tasks — assign, automate, and schedule follow-ups.
- Sales funnel — visualize your pipeline and monitor conversion rates.
- Integrations — with email, phone, messengers, ad platforms, accounting tools.
- Analytics and reporting — track performance by team, deal, or channel.
- Automation — trigger actions, email sequences, and sales workflows.
Not every business needs everything. Some may only need lead tracking and tasks; others may require full automation and role-based access.
Choose Cloud or On-Premise
Cloud-based CRMs (like LBS CRM) work in the browser, don’t require installation, and are accessible from any device. This is the most popular option — quick to launch, always up-to-date, and supported remotely.
On-premise CRMs are installed on your own servers and are better suited for large companies with strict security or infrastructure requirements.
Look for Localization and Support
Ukrainian businesses should prioritize CRMs that offer Ukrainian or Russian language interfaces and comply with local data laws. Access to local support is also essential — ideally in your language and timezone. This is where LBS CRM has a major advantage over foreign providers.
Test Before You Buy
Reputable systems like LBS CRM offer free trial periods specifically for this purpose.
Even the perfect CRM on paper may not feel intuitive in practice. So: ask for a free trial or demo access; test the system with your real workflows; involve the actual team members who will use it; pay attention to interface clarity and user experience.
Measure ROI — What Will You Gain?
A CRM should justify its cost by improving sales performance, saving time, and reducing manual work. The right CRM will:
free up your team’s time;
reduce errors and delays;
ensure no leads are lost;
boost conversions through automation;
improve customer satisfaction.
Choosing a CRM means investing not just in software — but in your business efficiency. Focus on what fits your needs, not just what’s most popular. Sometimes the best tool is the one that’s easiest to use and adapts well to your process.
LBS CRM is exactly that — built in Ukraine for Ukrainian businesses. It combines clarity, flexibility, and powerful features without overwhelming complexity.