3 questions from the package
From the RFI round. The first shows part of the guide each question carries; the workbook adds follow-ups, how to verify the answer, a priority and a weight.
1. Can reps create and edit records on custom objects in your native mobile app for iOS and Android?
Why it matters. If the mobile app covers only standard objects, reps in the field cannot update the records the buyer's process depends on. They then defer updates to the desktop or skip them.
Good answer
- Custom objects appear in the mobile app once an administrator enables them, with no separate app build
- Mobile record pages follow the layouts and field rules the administrator configured
- Reps can create new custom-object records from mobile, not only view existing ones
Red flags
- Mobile support is limited to standard objects
- Custom objects on mobile require custom development or a separately built app
- Custom-object records are read-only on mobile
2. Does your product sync meetings in both directions between the CRM and [calendar platform], so that a meeting created in either one appears in the other?
Why it matters. With one-way sync, meetings reps book in their own calendar never reach the CRM, so activity history is incomplete. Meetings scheduled in the CRM may also never reach invitees' calendars.
3. Can an administrator give each opportunity type, such as new business, renewal or expansion, its own set of stages?
Why it matters. If every opportunity must follow one stage list, the buyer must either force renewals and new business through the same stages or add workaround fields. Either way, stage data stops matching how deals actually progress.
Capability areas
Rep Usability & Mobile Experience (10)
Covers how quickly frontline reps can view and update records on desktop and mobile, offline mobile use, required-field burden, in-context guidance, and what reps get back for their data entry. Accessibility conformance is out; it is covered by the accessibility module.
Activity Capture & Inbox/Calendar Integration (9)
Covers email and calendar sync, inbox-side panels for Outlook and Gmail, call and meeting logging, automatic activity capture, and matching captured activity to the right contacts, accounts and opportunities. Generic API and SSO integration is out; it is covered by the integration module.
Pipeline & Opportunity Management (11)
Covers opportunity stages, sales process paths, pipeline views, deal teams, product line items on opportunities, stage history, and deal inspection for managers. Forecast rollups and quotas are out; they belong in FCT.
Forecasting, Territories & Quotas (9)
Covers forecast categories, rollups by hierarchy and territory, manager overrides and adjustments, forecast snapshots and change tracking, territory definition and realignment, and quota assignment. Commission calculation and payout are out.
Quoting, CPQ & Order Handoff (9)
Covers product catalog and price books, quote generation, configuration rules, discount approvals, quote documents, and handoff of accepted quotes to order management or ERP. Contract lifecycle management and billing are out.
Customer Service & Case Management (10)
Covers case creation from email, web and chat channels, assignment and routing, entitlements and service-level timers, escalation, knowledge articles, and field service scheduling where required. Contact-center telephony infrastructure is out.
Marketing, Campaigns & Lead Management (11)
Covers lead capture, lead scoring and qualification, lead-to-contact conversion, lead routing and assignment, campaign tracking and attribution, and the marketing-to-sales handoff. Consent mechanics and privacy obligations for contact data are out; they are covered by the data-protection-privacy module.
Unified Customer Data Model & Data Quality (11)
Covers the shared customer record across sales, service and marketing, account and contact hierarchies, duplicate detection and merge, data enrichment, validation rules, legacy data import, and the record ownership and sharing model. Data export on exit is out; it is covered by the migration-exit module.
Configuration, Automation & Low-Code Extension (11)
Covers custom objects and fields, page layouts, workflow and approval automation, the boundary between no-code configuration and code, low-code app building, and use of marketplace extensions. Release promotion and change governance are out; they belong in ALM.
Sandboxes, Release Management & Customization Governance (9)
Covers sandbox types and data seeding, moving configuration between environments, version control of metadata, testing before release, impact analysis of changes, and handling of the vendor's own platform upgrades against our customizations. Generic secure SDLC practices are out; they are covered by the security module.
AI Copilots & Agents in CRM Workflows (11)
Covers AI functions applied to CRM work: record summaries, drafting outreach and case replies, lead qualification, suggested and automatic record updates, next-best-action, and grounding in our own CRM records. Agent permission controls, cost accounting, model governance and generic AI safety are out; the AI modules cover them.
Reporting, Dashboards & Adoption Measurement (10)
Covers report and dashboard building, cross-object reporting, historical trend and snapshot reporting, user adoption tracking, and data-quality measurement such as stale or incomplete records. Export to external data warehouses is out; it is covered by the integration module.
Questions about this package
How many Customer Relationship Management (CRM) RFP questions are there?
121 solution questions in 12 capability areas: 24 for the RFI, 64 for the RFP and 33 deep-dive questions for the finalists. The workbook adds 90 due-diligence questions on security, integration, implementation and exit.
What comes with each question?
Why it matters, good-answer signals, red flags, follow-up questions, how to verify the answer (a demo step, a test or a document), and a suggested priority and weight for scoring.
Can I edit the questions?
Yes. The workbook is an ordinary Excel file. Change, add or remove questions, and change the weights; the scorecard recalculates.
Which license do I need?
The Enterprise License covers any number of evaluations inside one organization. The Consultancy License covers use with any number of clients. Neither allows reselling or republishing the questions.
