CRM evaluation checklist: compare workflows and exports

Create two companies, several contacts, two deals, a duplicate contact, a note and an attachment. Include a contact associated with more than one record and a deal with a custom field. Write down which links and values must survive import. Import the same files in each trial and keep the mapping and any rejected rows. Ask an ordinary user to find the customer and explain the next action without help from an administrator. Record the manual corrections separately from a successful import.

Set up a salesperson, a sales manager and a colleague from another team. Create a restricted note, transfer a deal and remove a user. Check each role directly, including what it can search, report on and export. A screen hidden in the interface does not answer whether the underlying record is accessible through another route. Ask which tested permissions depend on a paid edition or an additional seat. Keep the plan name and configuration with your observations.

Choose a real handover: a deal reaching an agreed stage should create a task for the next owner. Run it once, update the record again and check for duplicate work. Then use a missing required value or unavailable destination to observe the failure path. Ask where a team member can find the error and whether retrying repeats earlier actions. Save the input, expected output and actual output. A workflow demonstration is only useful if your own team can repeat it with the intended permissions.

Define one management question, such as the value of open deals assigned to each team at a specified time. Prepare the expected result from your sample before opening the dashboard. Check currency, date filters, ownership changes and access restrictions. Change a source record and measure when the report reflects it. Export the report and confirm the same scope. Keep dashboard configuration and data freshness separate from whether the displayed total agrees with your sample.

Export the test records, relationships, activity history and attachments using the plan and permissions you intend to purchase. Have a second person reconstruct the customer story in a separate tool. Record which objects need another export route, API access or assistance. HubSpot documents current record properties and associations separately from contact activities; this is an example of why a contact file alone is an incomplete test. Check each shortlisted service directly. Budget migration effort, recurring seats and required integrations before recording the decision.