CRM Demo Checklist: Test One Lead from First Contact to Follow-Up

A CRM demo becomes more useful when you bring a specific customer scenario.

Choose a typical inquiry from your business and recreate it with fictional details. Perhaps a homeowner requests an estimate, a prospect asks for a callback, or a business buyer wants a consultation.

Then ask the presenter to move that same lead through the full workflow. Keep a short scorecard: demonstrated, needs configuration, requires another tool, or still unanswered.

Here is a practical sequence to follow.

1. Start where your leads actually arrive

Explain your main lead source: a website form, incoming call, referral, or imported list.

Ask how that inquiry becomes a contact and reaches the right person. Check what the user sees, which information is required, and what happens if the contact already exists.

If connecting the source requires additional work, ask who will handle it. Write down any integration, configuration, or migration work separately from the subscription itself.

2. Put yourself in the next person’s seat

Ask the presenter to show what an employee sees when they pick up the lead.

Can they understand the request without searching through another inbox? Where are previous conversations, notes, and outstanding tasks? How do they know whether a colleague already responded?

Then change the owner. Ask what happens to open work during that handoff and how the new owner knows it needs attention.

A useful demo should make the responsibilities visible.

3. Follow a call through to its outcome

If calling matters to your business, explain how your team works today. Include your staffing pattern and the type of conversations you handle.

Ask which dialing mode fits that workflow and which configuration the demonstration uses. Watch what happens after the call: where the outcome is recorded, how notes are attached, and how a callback becomes a dated action.

Avoid assuming that every dialing mode is included or suitable for your team. Request a clear explanation of setup requirements and operating controls.

4. Test an appointment and an exception

For appointment-based businesses, ask to see a booking using a test calendar.

Check how availability is determined, who receives the appointment, and where the customer details appear. Then introduce a change: the requested time is unavailable, or the customer wants to reschedule.

If an AI receptionist is part of your evaluation, ask which routing and calendar settings it needs. Have the presenter explain what happens when a request falls outside its configured workflow.

Record any manual steps your team will still own.

5. Check what happens after a response

Follow-up deserves its own demonstration.

Ask what triggers the next task or message, who approves the wording, and how staff can see what is scheduled. Then ask how the workflow handles a reply, a changed appointment, or a request to stop contact.

Use fictional contacts and a safe test destination. These checks help you understand the configuration; they do not establish legal compliance for a real campaign.

6. Finish with visibility, cost, and setup

Ask a manager’s question: “Which leads need attention today?”

Have the presenter show how you would find those records and inspect the underlying activity. Clarify whether the view exists already or needs custom configuration.

Before ending, request a written breakdown of subscription, seats, usage, onboarding, migration, and any required services. Assign an owner to each unanswered question.

Bring this checklist to a Straton walkthrough

Straton CRM by SB Help Group brings CRM, calling, appointments, messaging, and follow-up into its platform. You can view the product tour, then request a workflow-focused demo.

Bring your scenario, team size, current tools, and the step that causes the most trouble. Ask us to demonstrate the relevant workflow and confirm the configuration and costs for your team.