CRM setup checklist
A setup checklist keeps a CRM launch from missing a foundational step that is painful to add later.
The order matters: process before configuration, clean data and activity capture before you invite the team in.
Short answer
A CRM setup checklist covers defining your sales process, configuring objects and fields, setting pipeline stages, importing clean data, wiring lead routing and automation, connecting email and calendar, setting permissions, and onboarding the team. Work through it in order - process first, data and capture before launch - so the CRM launches alive, clean, and adopted.
Step by step
Define process and model
Map your sales process, then configure objects, fields, and pipeline stages to match it, keeping the model lean.
- Sales process mapped
- Objects and fields configured
- Pipeline stages with exit criteria
Import clean data
De-dupe and standardize data, then import with matching so you launch on a clean, connected database.
Wire routing, automation, and capture
Set up lead routing, core workflows, and email and calendar sync so the system runs and records itself.
Set permissions and onboard
Configure roles and permissions, then train the team and reinforce adoption.
Foundations before features
The checklist front-loads foundations - process, clean data, activity capture - because they are painful to retrofit. Fancy reports and custom workflows can wait; a launched CRM with dirty data or no activity capture never earns trust. Get the foundations right, then layer on the rest.
How Ardovo helps
Ardovo automates most of this checklist: it arrives alive with data and defaults, and Rook handles cleanup, routing, capture, and permissions setup. The foundational items are done for you, so launch is fast and the CRM is clean and adopted from the start.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a CRM setup checklist?
Defining the sales process, configuring objects and fields, setting pipeline stages, importing clean data, wiring routing and automation, connecting email and calendar, setting permissions, and onboarding the team. Working through these in order - process and data first - launches the CRM alive and adopted.
What order should you set up a CRM in?
Process first, then the data model to match it, then clean data import, then routing, automation, and activity capture, then permissions and onboarding. Foundations before features - a CRM launched with dirty data or no capture never earns trust, and those are painful to retrofit.
What is most often missed in CRM setup?
Activity capture and clean data. Teams rush to configure fields and reports but launch with a manually-logged, dirty database, so the CRM is empty and distrusted from day one. Getting clean data in and activity capture working before launch is what makes the CRM actually useful.