1.
Integrations:
It
should
work
with
the
tools
you’re
already
using

At
a
bare
minimum,
your
CRM
should
work
with
the
tools
you’re
currently
using.
Replacing
all
the
different
software
you
use
with
one
Swiss
army
knife
platform
might
sound
appealing,
but
it
can
also
create
more
problems
than
it
solves.
For
example,
many
CRMs
include
IDX
websites.
What
happens
when
you
want
to
replace
your
website
but
still
want
to
use
your
CRM?
This
is
why
we
recommend
starting
slow
and
finding
a
CRM
that
works
with
your
existing
tools.

2.
Scalability:
It
should
grow
as
your
business
grows

If
you’re
a
new
agent
or
even
an
experienced
buyer’s
agent
trying
to
become
a
listing
agent,
your
CRM
needs
to
be
able
to
grow
as
your
business
grows.
Here’s
why:
while
switching
CRMs
is
easier
than
it
was
in
the
past,
you
will
still
have
to
learn
an
entirely
new
platform.
That
means
you’ll
be
spending
more
of
your
time
learning
software
and
less
time
closing
deals.
If
you
have
an
opportunity
to
stop
spreading
yourself
thin,
why
not
take
it?

3.
Features:
A
CRM
should
solve
today’s
(and
tomorrow’s)
problems

Your
CRM
should
also
have
the
features
you
need
to
make
your
business
run
smoother,
not
just
today,
but
down
the
road.
While
you
can
(and
should)
consider
affordable
platforms
that
allow
you
to
plug
into
other
tools
via
integrations,
at
a
bare
minimum,
your
new
CRM
should
have
enough
features
to
solve
your
current
problems.
Here
are
a
few
to
consider:

• 
  Lead
  management
  features:
  Easy
  and
  intuitive
  lead
  segmentation,
  custom
  workflows,
  click-to-call
  features,
  daily
  task
  reminders,
  daily
  hot
  sheets,
  basic
  transaction
  management
• 
  Marketing
  features:
  Direct
  mail
  marketing,
  social
  media
  marketing,
  and
  IDX
  websites
• 
  Prospecting
  features:
  Auto-dialers,
  PPC
  ad
  builders,
  automated
  home
  valuations,
  done-for-you
  lead
  generation
• 
  Lead
  nurturing
  features:
  Email
  and
  text
  drip
  campaigns,
  AI
  chatbots,
  automated
  market
  reports
• 
  AI
  features:
  AI
  text
  messaging
  assistants,
  AI
  writing
  assistants

4.
Stability:
It
needs
to
work
24/7
with
no
bugs

This
might
sound
obvious,
but
your
CRM
needs
to
work
when
you
need
it
to.
Slow,
buggy
interfaces
or
outages
mean
wasted
time,
slower
speed
to
lead,
and
maybe
even
lost
deals.
No
software
is
100%
bug-free,
but
at
a
minimum,
the
company
that
makes
your
CRM
should
have
a
dedicated
and
competent
team
making
it
work
24/7
and
ensuring
problems
are
dealt
with
quickly.

Generally
speaking,
the
larger
the
software
company,
the
fewer
bugs
and
downtime
their
products
have.
Of
course
no
software
works
100%
of
the
time.
Outages
and
hiccups
are
inevitable.
The
goal
is
to
reduce
them
to

near
zero.

5.
A
large
established
user
base:
More
users
=
more
ideas
to
solve
problems

Your
CRM
should
have
enough
customers
nationwide
to
make
troubleshooting
and
finding
new
ways
to
use
it
easy.
The
more
users
your
CRM
has,
the
faster
you’ll
get
answers
to
your
questions
and
discover
new
ways
to
use
it
to
close
more
deals.

6.
An
intuitive
user
experience
(UX)
that’s
customizable

Like
any
good
software,
your
CRM
should
offer
an
intuitive
(and
pleasant!)
user
experience
(UX).
The
CRM’s
most
used
tools
should
be
front
and
center
in
the
dashboard.
Lesser
used
tools
should
be
accessible
in
two
clicks,
maximum.
A
great
CRM
should
also
look
and
FEEL
good.
Staring
at
ugly
layouts
and
clunky
design
6
hours
a
day
is
a
bummer.
Your
CRM
should
make
you
feel
energized
and
confident
while
you
use
it.

An
intuitive
and
attractive
UX
might
not
make
or
break
your
business,
but
if
you
actually
LIKE
using
it,
you’ll
spend
more
time
using
your
CRM.
It’s
basic
psychology!

How
much
more
money
will
you
make
this
year
if
you
spend
an
extra
hour
working
in
your
CRM
every
day?
How
much
will
you
lose
if
you
don’t
because
the
overwhelming
UX
gives
you
a
headache?

6.
High-quality
onboarding,
training
&
customer
support 

While
an
intuitive
UX
will
help
make
your
CRM
easier
to
use,
today’s
platforms
offer
sophisticated
customization
options
that
often
come
with
a
steep
learning
curve.
Seriously.
Today’s
CRM
platforms
can
be
like
NASA
mission
control
compared
to
older
software.
This
is
why
onboarding,
training
and
customer
support
are
crucial
to
get
the
most
out
of
your
new
CRM. 

As
you
might
have
already
guessed,
the
more
you
pay
for
a
CRM
the
better
the
quality
of
the
onboarding,
training
and
customer
service
experience.
With
a
free
CRM
like
Hubspot
Sales
Hub,
you’ll
be
pretty
much
on
your
own.
A
sophisticated
CRM
platform
like
CINC
gets
you
a
dedicated
specialist
to
help
you
set
up
and
get
the
most
from
your
CRM.
This
is
where
a
large
and
active
user
base
comes
in
handy.
Hubspot
has
almost

250,000
users.
With
that
many
users,
odds
are
someone
else
has
solved
the
problem
you’re
facing.
That
means
the
solution
is
a
quick
Google
or
Perplexity
search
away.