Solution Provider Vendor Checklist
Use this checklist to help you find the best Microsoft Dynamics CRM provider to offer solutions that best serve your unique business needs.
Vendor company
- Where is the vendor located?
- Where are its local offices?
- How many employees does the vendor have?
- How long has the vendor been in business?
- If the vendor is not independent, who owns the vendor's company?
- Who are the vendor's most important business and trading partners?
- What is the vendor's understanding of and vision for your industry?
- Does the vendor specialize in any particular software product or a specific software
manufacturer's offerings?
- What horizontal or vertical market does the vendor focus on?
Vendor offerings
- What software products does the vendor offer? Ask the vendor to describe or provide
specific information.
o Does the vendor offer products developed by other software makers?
o Are some or all of the vendor's solutions created by his or her own
organization?
- What kind of hardware does the vendor provide? Ask the vendor to describe or provide
specific information.
o Servers and PCs?
o Networking and communications devices?
o Storage devices?
o Mobile devices?
o Any other?
- What services does the vendor offer? Ask the vendor to describe or provide specific
information.
o Customization?
o Software development?
o Deployment?
o Training?
o Maintenance and support?
o Any other?
Vendor customers
- How many customers does the vendor currently serve?
- How many customers use the proposed vendor solution?
- Are any customers available as references for the solution the vendor is proposing?
- How many of the vendor's customers are in your industry and comparable in size and
business requirements to your organization?
Vendor solution
- What is the name of the product?
- What is the current version number?
- How many current installations exist?
- How would you describe the solution?
- Are any enhancements for the solution already in planning?
- How does the solution stack up against your business requirements?
o Strengths
o Weaknesses
- Is the cost within your budget?
- How does the vendor's licensing model work?
- What is the feedback about the demo of the solution?
- Is financing available?
Solution implementation
- How does the typical implementation process work?
- Who performs the implementation?
- How long is implementation expected to take?
- What disruptions are possible?
- How can the vendor help make the transition easier?
- How can the solution interoperate with your existing, technical environment?
o Hardware
- o Servers
o Desktop computers
o Software
o Operating system
o Business productivity software
o Databases
o Other applications
- How many of the vendor employees have certification or special training for this
solution?
- How much training do your employees need to be proficient with the solution?
- How can the vendor validate and test the solution after implementation?
- How can the vendor remedy any problems or shortcomings?
The vendor and your organization
- Are business visions and company cultures compatible?
- What level of professionalism and responsiveness do your vendor employees display?
- How credible are the vendor's claims about the suggested product or solution?
- Can the vendor assist you in measuring return on investment and total cost of
ownership for the solution?
- What makes this vendor a good fit with your organization?
- What distinguishes this vendor from the competitors you reviewed?
- Will the vendor be around in 5 or 10 years?
- What reservations about this vendor have members of your software selection steering
committee voiced?
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