Choosing a CRM: a fair evaluation checklist
Write requirements before demonstrations
Collect three recurring tasks from sales, service and management. For each, identify inputs, user and required outcome, distinguishing mandatory requirements from later improvements. Replace a vague request for strong reporting with a named report, its fields, readers and the decision it supports.
Test Arabic using long names, mixed scripts, numbers and different text directions. Run the same scenario on a phone and a computer. A language switch alone does not establish that search, tables and exports fit your team’s needs.
Compare equal scopes
Ask every vendor, whether Naffes, Salesforce, HubSpot or another provider, to use the same sample data and scenarios. Record steps needing customization, a higher edition or another service. Compare dated quotes covering licences, implementation, training and migration rather than an individual seat price against a bundled proposal.
Check ordinary-user permissions, data exports, cancellation and operating options. When self-hosting is required, document responsibility for updates, backups and monitoring. The hosting label alone does not establish who performs each task.
Use a bounded pilot to decide
Choose a pilot long enough to complete a real workflow with the people who will use the system. Define acceptance criteria in advance: recording a follow-up unaided, producing a correct report and recovering imported data. Keep evidence and user difficulties for each criterion.
Do not let a total score hide a failed mandatory requirement. A lower price does not resolve a missing permission boundary. Finish with a migration plan, implementation owner and review date, and verify current pricing before contracting because plans and limits change.