CRM Migration

As you build out a cost-benefit analysis, spend time evaluating and identifying your company’s need for a migration. A few common reasons distributors consider a new CRM include:

Lack of industry-specific features

Distributors play a unique role in the supply chain and have distinct needs when managing customer relationships. Mainstream CRM systems often lack the functionality you need — and may include many features you don’t (but still have to pay for).

High and recurring costs

A CRM solution can be a significant investment — and the cost often rises if you need to customize the software to suit your distribution business’ unique needs. And, depending on the CRM, you might pay a recurring fee for the service or a fee for each user you add.

Poor user experience

If your CRM wasn’t designed with distributors in mind, it might feel like you’re having to shoehorn your data into the software, or that your CRM is bloated with fields and features that will never be relevant to your business. Sales representatives struggle to find the customer details they need — or to communicate information between teams.

Inability to integrate with ERP systems

If your CRM won’t talk to your ERP, your teams are doing a lot of manual data reentry. The field names in your CRM may be different from the way the data is labeled in your ERP, so your team is often making assumptions as they enter the information.

And every time you need to create a quote, your sales team has to go back into your ERP to find product names and prices, then go back to your CRM to send it out, and finally, go back to the ERP to enter the deal once it closes. This can be a huge time-suck, not to mention an avenue for introducing errors.

Migrating to a new CRM that solves some of these issues can enhance operational efficiency, improve data security and management, and enable better customer service. Designed specifically for distributors, White Cup CRM makes it easier to share information across teams.

And White Cup connects to your ERP system to create a single source of truth — so you know you’re working with accurate data from the start.

All the product and pricing data from your ERP will already be available in your CRM, so your team can manage deals and create quotes in minutes instead of hours.

Avoid paying for separate sales, marketing and support software

Without a single, integrated system, your sales, marketing, and customer support teams are working in silos. You’re also likely paying subscription fees for several other systems you could replace with a CRM, such as email marketing software and help desk software. The best CRM for distributors includes marketing and support ticketing capabilities without added costs.

Take a closer look at the shortfalls of your current CRM and evaluate how they affect business operations—and your bottom line. For instance, does your current CRM include built-in business intelligence? Does it integrate with your eCommerce platform, giving your sales team insight into online activities that could potentially drive offline sales?

For example:

Lack of ERP integration

When your sales team can’t access quotes, contact information, order history, or other ERP data from the CRM, it’s difficult to keep customer relationships moving forward in productive ways. That’s the problem Callico Distributors faced when they used a CRM that wouldn’t integrate with their ERP. This created data silos and required extensive IT intervention to compile reports on sales trends. To fix the problem, they would have needed to pay for a costly custom integration. Ultimately, the company made the decision to migrate to White Cup CRM + BI.

Limited business intelligence

For many distributors, access to real-time data is essential. Sales reps at LEPCO, a wholesale power equipment distributor, needed a central place to store and access vital information about dealers, but they were constantly receiving and exchanging lists and customer data via email with no way to organize it.

The company chose White Cup CRM + BI to solve this problem, and the sales team can now create reports and dashboards that show sales performance and customer data in real-time, providing valuable business insights.

Not built for distributors

When your teams use a CRM that requires multiple steps to perform simple tasks, they are less likely to stay engaged and keep using the system. That’s one of the issues that drove Relevant Industrial to migrate to White Cup for a more intuitive CRM experience –including a user-friendly mobile app – that simplifies task and opportunity management, and displays critical customer information on a single page.

Paying extra for essentials

Many CRM software solutions charge extra for features that should be standard, such as email marketing automation and customer support ticketing. They also charge for each additional user, making them more costly and difficult to scale as your company grows.

Now let’s take a look at the typical costs involved in CRM migration. While looking at a price tag might seem like a straightforward task, there are many pieces to the CRM cost puzzle. Initial expenses can include the purchase of the new software, customization, implementation, and training.

Recurring costs can also come as a surprise. For example, you might need to pay an additional fee for each user you add beyond an arbitrary number included in the CRM platform’s tiered licensing model.

Not all CRM solutions include support costs in the subscription price, so make sure you ask for details on what is included — and for how long.

A cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution is typically more cost-effective because it eliminates the need to pay for on-premise servers and on-site IT support. Maintenance and upgrades are usually included, and new features are introduced automatically, without any downtime.

White Cup CRM is designed to reduce your total cost of ownership with straightforward pricing that includes maintenance, upgrades, and support. And we don’t charge for additional seats — your company can add as many users as needed, at no additional cost.

Once you’ve chosen a new CRM solution and evaluated how it will fit into your tech stack and company culture, it’s time to plan your migration strategy. Here’s a high-level guide to developing a successful CRM migration checklist.

1. Assemble a migration team

On your side, you’ll need a migration leader and a handful of power users. Choose a leader who’s enthusiastic about the migration project, and power users who understand the benefits of using CRM as their home base for customer interactions, and are willing to give honest feedback and work together to reach success.

2. Prepare your CRM data

For a smooth and secure data migration process, prepare data from your old CRM for shipment to the new software by cleansing it of duplicate data loss and entries, mapping data fields to the new CRM format, and removing any errors you find. 

(Our team of experts can work with your team to understand your current data structures and workflows and determine the best way to migrate data into your new CRM.) 

3. Create a (realistic) timeline

While it’s possible to get a new CRM up and running quickly, most companies find that setting a target date of 4–6 months for going live allows for thorough implementation planning and ensures a smooth transition.

4. Migrate your data

Your CRM provider should work with you to ensure a seamless, secure transfer from your existing CRM.

5. Configure your CRM

Once your data has been migrated, you’ll need to configure your new CRM to reflect your existing workflows and optimize them for efficiency. (White Cup CRM + BI comes with pre-built dashboards and workflows designed for distributors, saving your team weeks or even months of work in this area.)

6. Train your team

Though your new CRM should be easy to use, don’t skip this step! Train your sales leaders and other key stakeholders first and then schedule training sessions with sales reps and other users based on their roles.

7. Optimize workflows and processes

After your CRM migration, you may want to meet with your CRM provider from time to time to ensure the system is set up to support your company’s goals and your team is using the full functionality. 

At White Cup, our goal is to achieve a seamless migration that will not negatively impact your business. We’ll consult with you to learn about your company’s needs and pain points and create a playbook to help us execute your goals quickly. In addition to ongoing training sessions, our professional services team can help you create customized workflows to address specific objectives or challenges.

Choosing the right CRM for your company depends on several factors including business size, industry needs, and specific functionalities.

Most CRMs on the market are designed with a one-size-fits-all approach. These solutions strive to meet the needs of many different industries and company sizes — but fail to provide the features and functionalities distributors need. Here are a few ways White Cup stands out in today’s CRM market:

Ease of use

Role-based functionality and a user-friendly dashboard with everything on one page.

“I love the single-page concept of everything right there on that one page. The layout of it, in general, I’m just blown away.” —Angela Hirsch, CRM & Marketing System Administrator, Relevant Industrial

Industry-specific tools

Page layouts, automated workflows, and templates made specifically for distributors add value to your revenue strategy from day one. For example, White Cup CRM includes built-in business intelligence, such as executive dashboards that give your leaders at-a-glance access to your most important KPIs so you can focus on what will truly move the needle. 

“We manage sales growth and maximize existing inventory using White Cup BI reports and see if that’s trending up or down. It gives us necessary data for locations, regions, customers, and account managers.”­ —Todd Taverner, VP of Purchasing & Inventory, E.B. Horsman

Built-in ERP integration

We’ve built integrations with the leading distribution ERPs — including Epicor, Infor, DDI, Microsoft Dynamics, and many more, — so that White Cup CRM + BI are a reliable, actionable source of contacts, activities, insights, and purchasing history for your customer-facing teams. 

“Creating the single source of truth between Prophet 21 and White Cup’s CRM was critical for us.” —Sam Snow, President, T.J. Snow Co., Inc.

Ongoing support

Many CRM companies charge customers for varying levels of support. After your White Cup CRM migration is complete, your team will have access to our top-notch product support team whenever you need them. We’ll also reach out proactively to ask for your feedback, discuss any challenges you might be facing, and develop an action plan to address your CRM + BI priorities.

“[White Cup’s] support channel is always quick to respond to issues and helpful with any changes we want to make.” —Nigil Ramotar, IT Analyst, Beacon Fasteners