Small Business CRM Checklist
Use this checklist to evaluate CRM software based on the work your business actually needs to manage. A smaller, well-used CRM is often more useful than a complex system nobody maintains.
Start here: Best CRM for Small Businesses →
Contacts and customer records
- Contact details
- Notes and activity history
- Customer or lead segmentation
- Search and filtering
- Data import/export
Leads and pipeline
- Customizable stages
- Lead ownership
- Tasks and next steps
- Deal or opportunity tracking
- Conversion visibility
Follow-up and automation
- Reminders
- Email/activity tracking where needed
- Simple workflow automation
- Notifications
- Controls to prevent unwanted automation
Integrations
- Website/forms
- Calendar
- Booking tools
- Ecommerce or payments where relevant
Cost and growth
- Number of users included
- Contact or record limits
- Automation limits
- Reporting limits
- Upgrade costs
- Data portability and cancellation terms
Before you subscribe
- Write down your current sales/customer workflow.
- Test the system with realistic sample records.
- Check the exact plan needed—not only the entry-level plan.
- Verify integrations you actually depend on.
- Confirm how data can be exported if you leave.