Transparent CRM Technology Support and Maintenance

Software maintenance is an important part of a CRM life cycle.  All the effort you spent building, deploying, and onboarding users of a new CRM is wasted if it does not keep up with technology changes, new users, and new processes.  Companies spend millions collecting information about companies, decision-makers, and deal progress.  All this is quickly lost when the CRM system is not sufficiently maintained and users no longer value the tool nor trust the data inside.

Software product deployments have 60% of the lifecycle cost in maintenance according to ResearchGate — we believe this number is likely far higher for high-reliance products like ERP and CRM.  The implementation team that was selected to make the deployment in year one is not likely optimized for the next X years of maintenance and support.

How Software Maintenance Works

The full implementation of the CRM lasts only one year but the maintenance continues for at least five years and beyond.

Software maintenance categories:

• Adaptive – Changes to the system to ensure it stays compatible with changing environments.
• Perfective – Checks on all elements of the software so that it stays functional and performance is improved.
• Corrective – Detects errors and mistakes in the system, and corrects the issues so that the software stays effective and efficient.
• Preventive – Helps prevent system vulnerabilities and other problems that may come up.

It’s best that your CRM software is regularly maintained so that it can provide you with a much better and improved performance.

What are the challenges of software maintenance?

There are two types of challenges in software maintenance: managerial and technical.

In management, some of the challenges include alignment with customer priorities, staffing, and cost. Imagine this scenario: The vendor deployed an effective CRM system and is in charge of maintenance and continued development. They can understand the product and can handle issues or service incidents but is reluctant. Also, the maintenance quality and expertise deteriorate.

The technical challenges include impact analysis, limited understanding, and testing. Maintaining CRM software can be complex and is a broad activity. It includes error correction, feature enhancements, obsolete capabilities deletion, and optimization. The mechanisms should be developed for controlling, evaluating, and modifying.

It’s critical to choose the right company for CRM software maintenance to ensure you’re getting the right support that you need. In addition, ask which staff is assigned to resolve problems and other concerns so that you won’t have to keep asking who is responsible for the task.

Consistency, quality, and availability are some of the qualities that you need to look for in a company for software maintenance. If possible, look for a company that invests in a vendor as it requires skilled professionals to provide consistent availability of schedule.

Roman Kučák, CEO