How to Compare CRM Solutions

Written by: Junxure

The market is truly stacked with Customer Relationship Management solutions for financial advisers . There are as many, or more, CRM solutions as colors in the rainbow.

So how do you know which solution you need, or which one will better serve your company? It's important to know how to compare CRMs so that you can choose the right one for you.

Some advisors may want to hire a technology consultant to do the heavy lifting when it comes to finding a CRM, and others may just invest a large amount of time conducting research to do the analysis.

In this post, we’ll do the research for you. Let's look at why you need a CRM tailored for your business, and what aspects of a CRM most benefit financial advisors.

WHAT DOES A CRM OFFER?


The first thing that all advisors should understand is that all CRMs will offer a few of the same basic functionality points. If you’re getting started with a new advisory firm or you’ve never used a CRM, it’s good to start with the foundational elements.

All CRM solutions will let you collect information, such as names, addresses, and basic financial information. Even if a CRM doesn’t pull in data from another software solution you’re using, you’ll be able to manually enter such information. You will also be able to email clients from most CRM solutions.

And lastly, they will let you attach files and bring in data from elsewhere so that you can have your information stored in one single space.

However, when choosing a CRM built for a wealth management firm, you’ll quickly want to move beyond these simple comparison points.

Related: How to Get to the Right CRM Choice

WHAT SHOULD A GOOD CRM OFFER?


Now let's move on to the heavier stuff, where CRMs begin to set themselves apart.

If you are looking into a CRM for only data collection reasons, then there’s only one way to put it: You’re starting in the wrong spot. A CRM is not just for data collection; its capabilities are best used for seamless data integration that helps you to increase your productivity.

You want a CRM that will work well with other industry leading advisor software companies, such as Orion, Advent, Albridge, MoneyGuidePro, and Riskalyze—just to name a few. (Read our previous article about how Junxure Cloud acts as your integration hub here.)

Integration is the name of the game, and you’ll want to be sure that you can easily connect your CRM to the other software systems your company utilizes. This will help create a more connected universe for your company.

Junxure Cloud seamlessly integrates with over 20 of the industry leading software companies, helping you to get tasks completed more efficiently and moved between team members quicker.

AUTOMATION—IT’S NOT JUST FOR ROBOTS


CRMs should not only integrate your data, but make your business run more efficiently. Look for a CRM that not only creates efficiency with its integrations, but also with its workflows.

When you utilize workflows in your solution program, you are able to craft processes for each team member, and hold employees accountable for doing each job correctly, the first time. As an added bonus, look for a CRM that allows you to create your own workflows.

With Junxure Cloud, you can customize your own workflows, or just use one of our many pre-built workflows, because we understand that financial advisors are often crunched for time. If your Customer Relationship Management solution is not creating great workflow management, it's only doing half of its job, and it’s time to look for a new solution.