Marketing resource management is not a one-and-done solution. A commitment to meaningful support by a knowledgeable technology partner is essential to a successful long-term implementation.
Outside organizations and technology can be a wonderful complement to your team. However, it’s critical to closely evaluate your needs against the experience, processes and culture of possible vendors. Be sure your needs align closely with the services a vendor provides.
Consider customer service and internal culture, as well. It may not seem important to think about the culture of the company you partner with, but it can tell a lot about the organization in the long run. Will they stand by your side and help you solve problems or stand on the sidelines and shrug their shoulders?
Evaluate potential vendors for their ability to set up the system and your users for success, particularly in the areas of configuration, training, ongoing support, and communication with you and your team.
Data Capabilities
For today’s data-driven marketing, it’s important to choose a marketing vendor with data capabilities that support next-level marketing. Usable data enables businesses to access their customer intelligence more quickly, provide better insights, and market more effectively. Look for a partner with the ability to connect your customer data to your MRM system to increase your operations optimization and support your usability objectives.
Questions to Ask
Remember, you’re looking for a technology partner, not just a vendor.
□ What development resources does the provider have?
□ Do they have an internal development team with control of the product roadmap?
□ How frequently do they release new features and system updates?
□ What support does the vendor provide before, during and following implementation?
□ How many hours of IT staff will be required for implementation?
□ Who handles configuration – the vendor, in-house staff or 3rd party vendor?
□ Will you need to dedicate someone as a full-time administration resource or distribute administration responsibilities to a team of employees?
□ If your administrators need to be certified, what is the cost?
□ If you are unable to dedicate a full-time resource to administration, will you need to grow your staff?
□ Can the vendor help clean and organize your data to make it more usable?
□ What kind of data analysis can the vendor provide?
□ How can your data be linked to/utilized with the marketing resource management system?
□ How long has the company been in business?
□ What is the caliber of their current client list?
□ What support does the vendor provide beyond initial training and basic support (website, self-help, tutorials, email, phone, chat)?
□ Where is support located (US, offshore, region, time zone)?
Make sure your technology partner is committed to your success.
□ How well does your vendor know your account/your business (dedicated account manager or team)?
□ Does the vendor care as much about the end user experience as you do?
□ How much time will marketing staff spend mapping out processes?
□ How long does it take to get the system configured?
□ Does the vendor provide resources that share implementation best practices and configure the MRM platform for you?
□ What software administration/management services are provided by the vendor?
□ Does the vendor provide a reliable feedback loop regarding product performance and features?
Support & Expertise Features to Look For
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Our industry is evolving, and we've evolved right along with it. Docustar is changing its name to Vya. We saw the need for simple solutions to help distributed marketing companies manage their workflow and overcome the complexity of localized campaigns. The name Vya represents this simplicity. And stands for our mission to use systems, solutions and print to help free your time and simplify your workflow.