CRM software should drive business growth, streamline workflows, and provide valuable insights. However, many organizations’ current CRM fails to deliver. This shortfall often leads to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and frustration across teams.
ServiceTitan states, “Over 40% of businesses have abandoned their previous CRM software due to a lack of necessary features.”
Here are some common reasons our clients consider switching CRM software.
Missing Automation for Critical Sales and Processes
Switching CRM software can deliver a valuable new tool for your company and unlock valuable new capabilities – but there is a price of admission. Migrating to new CRM software often requires additional tasks, such as updating opportunities, logging activities, or entering sales leads.
The current system frequently lacks the ability to automate key processes like lead management, quoting, and customer approvals. This burdens sales teams with repetitive tasks, slowing down productivity and increasing the risk of errors. As a result, many teams start questioning whether “the juice is worth the squeeze,” and the wheels can begin falling off the adoption cart.
Automation capabilities are often a key criterion for our customers when evaluating the switch to a new CRM. They expect the change to deliver point-and-click, no-code tools to build workflows and automate repetitive tasks quickly. These features empower teams to focus on higher-value activities, like closing deals and providing exceptional customer service.
Limited Reporting and KPI Visibility
There is an old saying—”if it doesn’t get measured, it doesn’t get managed.” Without real-time reporting and KPI tracking, companies are often flying blind. Outdated CRMs frequently require manual data exports and Excel jockeys to build the reports and analytics needed. Of course, this brute-force method is time-consuming and introduces the risk of human error.
Switching CRM software can offer intuitive dashboards that provide instant insights into sales forecasts, pipeline status, and individual performance metrics. This clarity drives smarter decisions and better outcomes.
Communication Silos
Imagine working with a customer to design a product. There are tasks to manage, emails flying back and forth, drawings to review, finalizing contracts, and securing approvals. Without a centralized system, these interactions often get scattered, leading to wasted time, miscommunication, and frustration.
Communication silos are a common problem that disrupts collaboration and delays progress
Consolidating these interactions into a centralized CRM keeps everyone on the same page, reduces unnecessary back-and-forth, and fosters constructive collaboration. A CRM that integrates seamlessly with your email and file-sharing systems can be a game-changer, eliminating silos and creating a solid foundation for efficient and seamless teamwork.
Lack of Integration with Other Systems
Do you need to check a customer’s order history before your appointment? Do you want to review open service tickets when your customer calls? The answer is an emphatic “Yes” to deliver a top-notch customer experience.
However, if your CRM isn’t integrated with your company’s ERP, marketing platform, or service system, these seemingly simple tasks can feel like an “archeology project”—digging through disconnected systems to uncover the data you need.
While many of today’s CRMs claim to offer similar functionality, the ability to integrate seamlessly with back-office systems often sets them apart. The ask from employees is nearly universal: bridge the gaps between systems and create a unified “single pane of glass” to view all relevant customer data and interactions in one place.
Modern CRMs fulfill this need by putting the right information at the fingertips of the right people at the right time, empowering teams to make informed decisions and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Improvised Productivity
Today, selling and account management requires juggling a lot of information, tasks, and relationships. Unfortunately, this work takes time—one of the few resources money cannot buy more of. This is a driving factor behind many organizations switching to a new CRM.
Many CRM platforms now incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, which help sales teams prioritize their efforts more effectively. For example, AI-powered insights can suggest the best time to reach out to prospects, analyze customer behavior patterns, and even draft compelling nurture emails. These tools free up sales teams to focus on building meaningful relationships rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks.
Additionally, personalized dashboards simplify the chaos. They provide a clear view of priorities, organize activities, and ensure that sales professionals can see what needs attention at a glance. With fewer distractions and more actionable insights, teams can be sure they are working on the right tasks at the right time.
Poor Alignment Between Marketing and Sales
Marketing and sales alignment can make or break revenue goals. Sales knows what the customer wants and which messages resonate with prospects. Marketing brings creative expertise and data analytics to craft impactful campaigns and develop effective sales tools.
When a CRM doesn’t support seamless data sharing between sales and marketing, it creates barriers that hinder collaboration and limit results.
Improving alignment is often a key driver for switching CRM software. Some tools, like HubSpot, prioritize marketing functionality first and include CRM features in the package. Others focus on integrating campaign tracking, lead source analysis, and sales enablement capabilities to bridge the gap between departments.
Users are not using the current CRM
Even the most powerful CRM software is ineffective if users resist adoption. While there are many reasons for poor adoption, cumbersome interfaces and a lack of user-friendly features are often the main culprits.
It’s often the case that several CRMs on the market can provide the functionality you need. The critical question, however, is not just what the CRM can do but how it does it.
When evaluating a potential CRM switch, we encourage our clients to involve an advisory panel of everyday users. Together, we build a catalog of common use cases and then allow these users to explore CRM demos. This hands-on experience helps them assess the CRM’s features and how intuitive they are presented.
Usability can often be the deciding factor. Today’s CRMs prioritize user-centric design, making routine tasks easier—or even automating them entirely. By reducing complexity and frustration, these systems encourage widespread adoption. When users embrace the CRM, productivity, collaboration, and overall business outcomes naturally improve.
Conclusion
Switching CRM software is more than finding a new tool—it’s about finding the right one. Whether your goal is efficiency, accountability, better reporting, or improved collaboration, today’s CRM software can transform how your team works.
