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Choosing a CRM for a small business: 10 questions to ask first

Before you pick customer software: who owns the data, can you export it, what happens if you stop paying, per-user pricing, offline use, and more.

A CRM (customer relationship management software) keeps your customers, jobs and paperwork in one place. Switching later is painful, so it pays to ask the right questions before you start.

About your data

1. Who owns the data you put in? (It should be you, in writing.)
2. Can you export everything, in a common format like CSV, whenever you want?
3. What happens to your data if you stop paying: can you still see and export it, and for how long?
4. Where is the data stored, and who at the software company can see it?

About the cost

1. Is it priced per user? Add up the cost for everyone who'll use it, including part-time staff
2. What's included, and what's an add-on (texting, e-mail, payments, extra storage)?
3. Is there a setup fee, a contract length, or a price increase after the first year?

About daily use

1. Does it fit how your industry works, or will you bend your business to fit it?
2. Does it work on the phones and computers your team already has, and when the internet is down?
3. Who do you call when something breaks, and how fast do they answer?

Try before you commit

Run a real week of work through it with a demo or trial: a few customers, a few jobs, one invoice. Problems that a sales demo hides show up fast.

Updated October 2026.

General information in plain English, checked against the sources named when we wrote it. It isn't legal, tax or professional advice, and rules change: for your own business, check the official source or ask your accountant or attorney. See our website terms.

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