Hello, this is Matsubara, CRM Evangelist.

Up until now, this blog has covered various challenges related to customer management and sales management using Excel.

This time, we've consolidated all of that information into a single checklist, creating a format that allows you to specifically determine whether it's time for your company to move beyond Excel-based management.

table of contents

1. How to use this checklist
2. Category ①: Checks related to information centralization
3. Category ②: Checks related to input rules and data quality
4. Category 3: Security Checks
5. Category ④: Checks related to personalization and handover.
6. Category 5: Checks related to use by multiple people and multiple locations
7. Category ⑥: Checks related to reporting and analysis
8. Category 7: Checks regarding future business growth and scalability.
9. How to interpret the diagnostic results
10. Transition steps towards graduation
11. Points to keep in mind not to rush into graduation
12. From this checklist, what article should you read next?
13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
14. Summary

1. How to use this checklist

This checklist consists of 7 categories and a total of 35 items.
For each item, count "yes" as 1 point, and finally check your total score.
A higher score indicates that it's getting closer to the time to consider moving away from Excel management.

2. Category ①: Checks related to information centralization

• Customer information is scattered across multiple Excel files.
- Information about the same customer is managed in separate files for each department.
- The task of checking "which file is the latest version" occurs on a daily basis.
- To get a complete picture of customer information, it is necessary to open and check multiple files.
- The file storage location differs for each person in charge.

These are signs that companies that continue to manage customer data using Excel are unknowingly losing two things: "relationship continuity" and "data accuracy," as explained in the previous article.

3. Category ②: Checks related to input rules and data quality

- The same company name is registered multiple times with only slight differences in notation (such as the placement of "Co., Ltd.").
- The input format for phone numbers and dates varies depending on the person in charge.
- Some records have important fields left blank.
- Input errors or inaccurate data have sometimes gone unnoticed and been left unaddressed for extended periods.
- The new employee is checking the input rules every time they work.

These are data quality issues that arise because templates lack mechanisms to enforce input rules.

4. Category 3: Security Checks

- Some Excel files containing customer information do not have a password set.
- Some employees have copied customer information to their personal USB drives or computers.
- There is no system in place to check if customer information remains on the computers of former employees.
- We may send emails containing customer information as attachments.
- Unable to answer the question, "If I lose my laptop, what extent of information will be leaked?"

These items were previouslyRisks of managing customer information in ExcelThis item is directly related to the risks of loss and leakage explained earlier.
In fact, a survey by Tokyo Shoko Research found that 10.5% of personal information leaks and loss incidents were caused by "loss or misdisposal," so this item is by no means an exaggeration.

5. Category ④: Checks related to personalization and handover.

- There are situations where, regarding a particular customer, "only a specific person in charge is knowledgeable about it."
- If the person in charge is absent, no one else can answer the customer's inquiry.
- There are times when the only way to confirm the history of past business negotiations is to ask the person in charge directly.
・The handover is often completed with only verbal explanations.
- I have experienced a disruption in my relationship with a customer due to the resignation or transfer of the person in charge.

These are signs of over-reliance on individuals, which I previously explained in detail in my article on how to eliminate over-reliance on individuals in sales .

6. Category 5: Checks related to use by multiple people and multiple locations

- There have been instances where multiple people tried to edit the same file, and it wouldn't open properly.
- Multiple files named "copy of XX" have been created.
- Each location manages its own separate files, making it time-consuming to grasp the overall situation across the company.
- I've sometimes lost track of who updated what content and when.
- There have been instances where information has been inconsistent among multiple people in charge.

These problems arise because Excel, a spreadsheet software, was not designed with simultaneous use by multiple people in mind.

7. Category ⑥: Checks related to reporting and analysis

- It takes me more than an hour each time to prepare the report.
- Information is being manually compiled from multiple sheets and files.
- I only have a vague, intuitive understanding of the overall situation at the moment.
- It is difficult to analyze trends based on past data.
• Reports at management meetings are limited to subjective opinions.

These examples demonstrate that the concept of "relationship assetization," which CRM 4.0 aims for, has not yet been realized.
If data is not accumulated as a record, analysis and trend identification become difficult.

8. Category 7: Checks regarding future business growth and scalability.

We anticipate expanding our business scale and increasing our number of clients in the future.
We have plans to launch new products and services, and we anticipate that the number of items we need to manage will increase.
- Overseas expansion and multilingual support may be required.
We are considering the possibility of future changes to the company's structure, such as business succession or M&A.
- If the current person in charge leaves the company, we are not confident that customer information will remain with the organization.

This category focuses more on preparing for the future than on addressing current problems.
In business succession and M&A situations, whether or not customer relationships are documented can influence a company's valuation.

9. How to interpret the diagnostic results

Please count how many of the 35 items apply to you.

View by category
In addition to the overall score, please also check which categories your scores tend to fall into.
If the issue falls primarily under the security category, the prioritization will change, for example, starting with a review of information handling rules.

10. Transition steps towards graduation

If the checklist indicates that it's time to consider graduating, we recommend following these steps:

- Inventory how many files currently contain customer information and where it is distributed.
- Prioritize migrating the most important customer data (business partner information and ongoing projects).
Choose a migration method that has an import function that allows you to use your existing Excel data as is.
- A period of parallel operation will be implemented for a certain period after the transition to prevent confusion.
- Properly delete local Excel files from the area where the migration is complete.

These steps are explained in more detail in our previous complete guide to migrating from Excel to CRM and our 3-step implementation guide .

11. Points to keep in mind not to rush into graduation

On the other hand, it's also important to be careful not to rush into graduation.

Trying to migrate all operations to CRM at once can easily cause confusion among staff.
Omitting explanations to staff members who are accustomed to the existing procedures is likely to provoke resistance.
Starting without a migration plan increases the likelihood of data loss or duplication.

Even if you check off many items on the checklist, it's important to proceed with the transition gradually and systematically.

12. From this checklist, what article should you read next?

Depending on the category where you found many items that applied to you on the checklist, please also refer to the following articles.

・Information centralizationIf you are interested in this,Five things companies that continue to manage customer data using Excel are unknowingly losing.Here, we explain the background in more detail.
・SecurityIf you are interested in this,Risks of managing customer information in ExcelThe explanation also includes examples of actual cases of lost items.
・Personalization and handoverIf you are interested in this,How to eliminate reliance on individual sales personnelThe following explains the specific steps to resolve the issue.
・Report/AnalysisIf you're interested in this topic, see "Reasons why sales reports feel troublesome and solutions," where we explain how to systematize record-keeping.

This checklist is merely an entry point to get an overview of the whole picture.
If any category interests you, please also check out the detailed articles for each category.

13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Even if I score low on the checklist, should I still prepare for the future?
Yes.
As a business grows, many companies will eventually approach this limit.
Considering a transition plan while your score is still low is an effective way to prepare.

Q. Are there any categories that should be prioritized for attention?
Security-related categories are considered to have particularly high priority because they directly relate to the serious risk of data breaches.

Q. How should I share the results of the checklist within the company?
Sharing the results of the checklist directly in management meetings and meetings with relevant departments makes it easier to create a shared understanding of the issues.

Q. Do I need to completely stop using Excel?
No.
Using Excel for analysis and simple calculations is not a problem in itself.
The problem is relying solely on Excel to manage primary data such as customer information.

Q. How often should this checklist be reviewed?
We recommend reviewing it regularly, every six months to a year.
The score will change as the business grows.

Q. Does this checklist apply to sole proprietors and small companies?
Yes.
Regardless of the scale, if any of these items apply to your situation, it's a sign that you should consider taking action.

Q. If many items on the checklist apply, should we implement a CRM immediately?
We recommend starting by taking advantage of free trials and testing it with actual business data.
Before rushing into a full-scale implementation, please take some time to test it out and get a feel for it.

Q. Should I fill in item 7 (Future Business Growth) even if it's not immediately relevant?
Yes.
Even if it doesn't apply to you right now, considering it as a future possibility can lead to earlier preparation.

Q. Is it okay to share the results of this checklist with other departments?
I would actually recommend actively sharing it.
Sharing this information not only with the sales department but also with the IT department and management will lead to a company-wide awareness of the issues.

14. Summary

This checklist combines six perspectives that we have covered in this blog so far: information centralization, data quality, security, reliance on individuals, multi-user access, and reporting and analysis.
The number of items that apply to your company can be an indicator of how close you are to moving away from Excel-based management.
Don't just leave that feeling of "I might be reaching my limit" as a feeling; try using a checklist like this to confirm it with concrete numbers.

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Related article

・Five things companies that continue to manage customer data using Excel are unknowingly losing.
・Risks of managing customer information in Excel
・How to eliminate reliance on individual sales personnel
・The Complete Guide to Migrating from Excel to CRM
・3-Step Introduction Guide