Scattered context
Account managers search email and chat for the latest client decision. Identify which details belong on a shared record and who is responsible for adding them.
Agency operations / Replacement planning
Is your CRM losing the thread between pitch and delivery?
Before replacing it, trace where client context gets lost. Then define what a new system must do differently, and what your team needs to carry over.
01 / Open the requirements worksheet
From first conversation to client work
Illustrative example / Handoff trail
The adoption ladder
Find the gap before you replace the tool.
A frustrating CRM is not always the wrong CRM. Use these stages to separate a software constraint from a process nobody has agreed to follow.
Uneven handoffs
Sales marks an opportunity won, but delivery still needs the scope, stakeholders, and promised next steps. Agree on a handoff checklist before comparing screens.
Repeatable practice
The team follows a clear process but the current system cannot support a critical requirement. Document that constraint and test it against potential replacements.
01 / Requirements worksheet
Write the test before you shop.
Bring sales, account management, and delivery into the same conversation. For each item, capture a real example, a responsible person, and what would make the workflow usable.
Which context must travel?
List the contacts, decision history, campaign context, and open commitments a new account lead needs. Ask how each candidate organizes and retrieves them.
What makes an opportunity ready?
Define the information sales should pass to delivery when work is won. Evaluate whether required fields, ownership, and stage definitions fit that agreement.
Where is the latest decision?
Choose a recent client conversation and trace its outcome. Explore how a candidate records updates and makes the next action clear to the people involved.
Can the team verify the fit?
Turn each critical requirement into a scenario for vendors to walk through. Note the questions, trade-offs, and unresolved assumptions rather than relying on a feature list.
Change without guesswork
A replacement is also a handover.
The selection decision is only part of the work. Plan how records and habits will move before committing to a change.
Decide what moves
Inventory active clients, open opportunities, notes, and historical records. Agree on what to clean, archive, or leave behind, and check export and import options with each candidate.
Protect the live handoff
Identify who owns client updates during the transition. Set a process for changes made while records are being moved so that an active conversation is not overlooked.
Test with real work
Ask representatives from each team to walk through a current opportunity and its delivery handoff. Record friction and training needs before deciding how to roll out the change.
Start with the handoff your team finds hardest.
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