Choosing a CRM: The bumps in the road (and how to avoid them)

If you’ve ever been through a CRM selection and implementation process, you’ll know it can be demanding on time, resources and team dynamics and morale. What begins as a journey towards transformation brings huge opportunity. Yet without a clear focus, it can easily drift into a maze of decisions.

I’ve worked with dozens of cultural organisations over the years, from smaller charities to national museums. The pattern is familiar: the choice of CRM feels like a big strategic leap, but it’s the quieter decisions made along the way that make or break success.

I’ve seen plenty of organisations go out to find a CRM partner without a really clear view of what they really needed. In some cases, it’s an Excel document with dozens if not hundreds of ‘musts’, ‘shoulds’, and ‘woulds’ (MoSCoW) on other occasions, it's requirements on one side of A4, neither fit for purpose.

From the supplier side, I’ve also seen the challenges CRM providers face. Like ticketing vendors, they navigate complex selection processes where the devil is often in the detail — and in the dialogue with the organisations. The questions asked (and not asked) along the way can shape whether a project becomes a partnership or a source of frustration.

This isn’t a list of which systems to buy or a technical how-to. It’s a reflection on the bumps I’ve seen along the road — and the mindset shifts that help teams avoid them.

1. Expecting the system to fix everything

A CRM is a tool, not a saviour. It won’t automatically solve poor reporting, siloed teams or patchy communication.

The biggest determinant of success isn't technology. It’s how ready your organisation is to use it.
Before you go near a specification document, ask yourself:

• Do your teams collaborate around shared audience goals?
• Have you evaluated your audience journey in terms of its lifecycle through all departments of your organisation?
• Are your processes clearly defined or mostly “that’s just how we do it”?
• Are you open to making changes to the way you work, recruit, develop, and communicate, as without changes, you could be setting yourself up for failure.

If you can’t answer those with confidence, it’s not a blocker; it just means your CRM project should start with internal alignment, not implementation. A short discovery phase to map your processes and audience journeys can save months of pain later.

The organisations that invest in this kind of groundwork tend to roll out systems faster and achieve stronger adoption.

2. Being swayed by features rather than fit

When you’re evaluating systems, it’s easy to be dazzled by features. Automation, dashboards, segmentation tools, they all sound brilliant. Yet I often see teams fall for functionality they’ll rarely use, while missing what really matters: fit for purpose.

The truth is, there’s rarely one perfect solution. When working with the team at the National Football Museum, we shortlisted six very different systems and organisations that could all, on paper, solve the same problem. Each one had a different process, pricing model and philosophy. The key wasn’t finding the best system; it was identifying which supplier’s approach, client base, and way of working genuinely mirrored the organisation’s own.

That alignment matters far more than any single feature. You want a partner whose priorities feel familiar, whose user base looks a little like you, and whose support model fits how your team operates day to day.

Start with the outcomes you want to achieve. Are you trying to deepen relationships with members, drive repeat visits, grow donors or create and maintain a strong event booking pipeline? Define that first, then test systems against those needs.

Ask suppliers to demonstrate realistic scenarios that reflect your world, not a generic demo. For instance, how would it manage a membership renewal that links to event attendance and retail spend? How easy is it to track donor upgrades or segment lapsed audiences?

The right supplier will welcome that level of detail. The wrong one will brush past it.

3. Overlooking data migration and integration

Every organisation says the same thing at the start: “Our data is a bit messy.” By week three, that understatement becomes clear. 

Data is one of the hardest parts of a CRM project and the most underestimated. Legacy systems, spreadsheets, ticketing platforms and financial/marketing databases all tell slightly different stories. Bringing them together takes time, budget and attention to detail. Even more essential is that you bring on board a CRM partner who has clear, proven processes for supporting the consolidation, clean up and transfer of data.

Start early, budget properly and don’t underestimate the work involved in cleaning, mapping and testing data before migration.

Also, think about integration. A CRM isn’t just a database; it’s the connector between your ticketing, fundraising, e-commerce and learning systems. If those can’t talk easily, you’ll spend your days exporting CSVs and chasing errors.

Ask suppliers for real examples of integrations they’ve delivered in similar organisations, and be clear on who does what and who’s responsible for what when things don’t go as planned.

4. Forgetting the human factor

Plenty of CRM projects struggle not because of technology, but because of people.

Change can be unsettling, whether you’re replacing an existing system or introducing one for the very first time. A new CRM reshapes routines, reporting and sometimes even roles, and that can feel disruptive if it’s not handled thoughtfully.

Start by recognising that different teams have different motivations. Without wishing to generalise, fundraisers care about donors, marketers care about audiences, and operations teams care about day-to-day processes; the event sales team cares about more bookings. The CRM touches all of them, but in different ways.

Involving those teams from the start and asking what they need and showing how the system supports their goals will start to build buy-in long before go-live, and support the long-term return on investment.

When supporting teams on change management, I’m reminded just how vital that buy-in really is. Success depends on everyone being on the same page, from the board and trustees to the people using the system every day. It’s equally important to have external support: someone who can hold up a mirror to your decision-making, ask difficult questions, and stop you disappearing into your own echo chamber. That outside perspective helps keep best practice in view and turns the project into a genuine opportunity for change.

One organisation I worked with created a “CRM champions” group. They met monthly through the project, shared challenges, and fed back to suppliers. That internal collaboration proved just as valuable as the technology itself.

5. Focusing on today, not tomorrow

When budgets are tight, it’s tempting to think short-term: “Let’s just get the basics live and worry about the rest later.” While phased delivery makes sense, don’t lose sight of where you want to go.

Your CRM shouldn’t only solve today’s problems, it should prepare you for future growth.

Think about the questions you’ll want to answer down the line:

• Can we track how often members engage across channels?
• Can we see which campaigns drive cross-purchase between products or experiences?
• Can we measure the lifetime value of our audiences?
  

If your CRM can’t provide that level of visibility, it might not be the right long-term fit.

Even if you’re not ready for AI-driven personalisation or predictive analytics, choose a system that can flex with emerging technology. Look for open APIs, (and understand actually what that means in real terms) , the supplier’s vision for their product and a supplier who talks about evolution, not just delivery.

6. Rushing the process

Everyone’s busy, projects are stacking up, and your current system is creaking, or you think you’re at the end of the line when relying on spreadsheets! The temptation to rush the selection process is huge, but that’s where many projects fall apart.

A good process doesn’t need to be slow, but it does need structure:

• A clear business case with defined outcomes
• Concise requirements focused on results, not long feature wish-lists
• A transparent scoring and evaluation approach
• Reference checks with similar organisations, and not just with those that the supplier has provided.

When the process is rushed, hidden costs and unclear deliverables slip through.

Take time to run discovery sessions with suppliers. The ones who ask the best questions about your audiences, your goals and your data usually end up being the best partners too.

7. Forgetting that launch isn’t the finish line

When the system goes live, that's when the real work begins. Embedding it into daily habits, reviewing processes, and using insights to guide decisions.

Make sure you budget time and resources for this continuous investment through refresher training and partnership management. Too often, budgets stop at go-live, leaving teams under-supported and enthusiasm fading.

The organisations that get the most from their CRM treat it as part of their digital infrastructure, not a one-time project. They review performance regularly, celebrate adoption milestones, and evolve their reporting as needs change.

Quick questions before you start

1. Why now, what problem are we really trying to solve?
2. Are we clear on the specific outcomes we want from a new CRM?
3. Who will own the CRM day-to-day, not just through selection, but for the long term?
4. Do they have the time, authority and skills needed to be successful in that role?
5. How clean, structured and connected is our current data?
6. Which teams will use the system most, and how do they collaborate today?
7. Are we looking at best practice and learning from others, or designing purely around our own processes?
8. What needs to change internally to ensure the system is genuinely adopted and used well?
9. Do we have external support or trusted partners who can challenge our assumptions and keep us on track?
10. How will we measure success? What does good look like one, two and three years after go-live?

Closing thought

Selecting a CRM shouldn’t feel daunting; it should feel empowering. The process can reveal so much about how your organisation works, how teams communicate and how you connect with audiences/visitors/customers/fans.

If you approach it as an opportunity to learn rather than a task to tick off, you’ll make better decisions and build stronger internal alignment along the way.

Because ultimately, the best CRM isn’t the one with the most features. It’s the one your team actually uses to understand audiences/visitors/customers/fans more deeply, communicate more meaningfully and create experiences people want to return to.

About the author

Sarah Bagg is the Founder of ReWork Consulting, helping visitor attractions, heritage sites, arts and entertainment organisations maximise their growth through best-fit systems and helping technology suppliers align with market needs and opportunities.