Last week, we debuted the first article in a series of 'Buyer's Guides' that feature questions to ask and options to consider before making a new purchase. Today, we continue our series by looking at CRMs.

What is a CRM?

Customer Relationship Management (or CRM) technology helps professionals manage their contacts. We're talking about much more than a virtual address book; and, no, your email program is not a CRM.

Modern CRM technology truly helps you manage your relationship with your contacts so you can record interactions, maintain thorough records, and even perform some of the marketing tasks you use to keep in touch (such as email newsletters).

Questions to Ask

There are some important questions to ask when buying any real estate technology product and some that are unique to choosing a CRM.

First, let's look at general questions you'll want to ask.

• What are my objectives for this piece of technology and will this product help me achieve those objectives?
• What is my budget?
• Does my broker, MLS, or Association have any agreements with any vendors that might help me obtain this product at a discount or for free?
• Does this product work with my current computer operating system?
• What kind of customer service and training programs are available? Are there webinars and, if so, are they recorded so you can view them at any time? Is the vendor's online help sufficient? What are the telephone support hours?
• Is this technology Web-based? If it is, how much functionality will be available when the tool is being used offline.
• Will it work on my iPad or other mobile device?