(NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the Optimized RFP Guide. Additional information about using the Feature Support Matrix is available in the full Optimized RFP Guide. Please see the Optimized RFP Guide Details Form to order.)

   To be most effective during the CRM software selection process, an RFP must be much more than just a collection of questions vendors answer with a Yes/No or a free form essay response. Why? Because Yes/No is too limited, especially for software applications, and the free-form essay response format allowing vendors to respond with anything imaginable does not provide the response consistency needed for truly "apples-to-apples" software comparisons.
   An RFP using the Yes/No response format requires a question for each specific customer relationship management (CRM) software feature needed to accomplish a specific function, and this forces your RFP to be extremely long, with many questions. This makes comparing and evaluating responses to this type of RFP very difficult and error prone. It is also very difficult to easily and accurately analyze vendor responses to an RFP created with open-ended, essay-type questions, primarily because of the inconsistencies found in all the vendor responses.
   So just what are the right formats for a CRM software RFP? Two of the most useful formats are the Feature Support Matrix and the Multiple Answer Matrix for collecting both Risk Assessment and Functional data regarding large, enterprise-wide software projects. The Feature Support Matrix is discussed below, with application-specific questions in the example pages.

THE CORRECT RFP FORMATS

   Use the following formats to create a truly useful RFP that will efficiently collect information that accurately portrays BOTH a proposed CRM software system's functionality AND it's RISK of implementation. Each example is first briefly explained, followed by an example highlighted in green.

# 1 - Feature Support Matrix

   This RFx question format is a very good way of identifying BOTH system feature AVAILABILITY, and the DELIVERY METHOD a vendor must utilize to provide that feature, in a completely quantitative format. This is ideal for collecting data used to determine the suitability (weighted grade point score) of a proposed customer relationship management software system to your needs, AND data needed to assess the RISK of it's implmentation.
   This type of RFx format is an excellent choice for RFIs & RFPs used to acquire enterprise-wide systems such as ERP, ERM, CRM software. The risk assessment is very important here because of the complex nature of the target environment and the amount of custom scripting or programming that is involved.
   To use this format, you should first put the following instructions (highlighted in green) at the beginning of your RFP's System Requirements section (or similar).

(Additional information about using the Feature Support Matrix is available in the full Optimized RFP Guide. Please see the Optimized RFP Guide Details Form to order.)