By Michelle Burt, Director of Student Recruitment, Marketing, Communications, and Strategic Outreach, Pima Community College, AACRAO ASCEND Cohort 6
They say experience is the best teacher, but sometimes it can give you a false sense of security. As a community college practitioner who has recently completed a second CRM implementation, I offer common pitfalls and tips to help identify blind spots for those on a similar journey at your institution. And yes, even if you’ve navigated previous implementations, feel like a seasoned veteran, know your “wish list” by heart, and understand the limitations of your legacy system, it can’t hurt to take extra care when vetting a new vendor.
Collaboration Counts, But Know the Scope of Your ‘What, Why, and How’
Take a collaborative approach, inviting various departments into your Request for Proposal process. You want every voice heard—from frontline users to department heads.
Your RFP process should include the “What” (features), the “Why” (solutions), and the “How” (implementation).
Don’t Just Vet the Software; Vet the Implementation
It’s fine to ask about capabilities, push for your wishlist items, and share your pain points. If you land on a vendor that checks most of the boxes and even offers advanced in-house marketing features that promise to save the college significant money, that’s great.
But don’t make the mistake of assuming the “How.” Ask specifically: “Will you build our processes, or will you just teach us how to use your tools?”
Beware the Service Gap
Different price points and vendors offer different levels of support. Define what you need before you sign. You won’t automatically be assigned an implementation specialist who spends six months learning your business needs and serves as a consultant, technician, and guide while also doing the “heavy lifting” to make the system functional. This level of “hand-holding” is not the industry standard.
If no one on either side is asking these types of questions, you might be headed for problems down the road:
How do you currently process a lead?
What does your internal workflow look like?
How should this tool adapt to your specific college culture?
Align Internal Tech Early
Don’t wait until you’re drowning to involve your internal IT or data teams. They are the bridge between a vendor’s “product” and your college’s “process.”
Take responsibility for your strategy. Never assume the vendor is responsible for your strategy. A product can have every feature in the world, but if you haven’t vetted the implementation methodology, you are buying an engine without a mechanic.
This can result in your end users staring at a complex, yet “basic” platform, as you struggle to bend the technology to make the system talk to your existing databases or to code forms and applications from scratch, long after the vendor has left the project.
Finding Your Path Forward
Don’t just ask what the system can do—ask exactly how your vendor is going to help you get it done, and speak with references to understand how they implemented it successfully.
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