CRM choice checklist for European teams
Choosing a CRM is one of the most impactful software decisions. Here's a practical checklist for European teams who care about sovereignty.
TL;DR
Your CRM holds your most valuable business data: customer contacts, deal pipelines, and communication history. For European teams, choosing a CRM isn't just about features — it's about who controls that data.
Key Takeaways
- Your CRM is the most sensitive business system after email — treat the choice accordingly.
- Check five things: data residency, parent company jurisdiction, export capabilities, DPA quality, and sub-processor list.
- European CRM options have matured significantly — you're no longer sacrificing features for sovereignty.
- Don't forget integration compatibility — your CRM needs to work with your email, calendar, and marketing stack.
- Plan for migration: test the export/import before committing.
Why CRM choice matters more than most tools
Your CRM contains the complete history of your customer relationships: names, emails, phone numbers, deal values, meeting notes, and often personal preferences. It's arguably the most sensitive business system after email.
For European teams, this means CRM choice isn't just a feature comparison — it's a sovereignty decision.
The checklist
1. Data residency
- Where is customer data stored?
- Are backups stored in the same region?
- Does the search index stay in the EU?
2. Company jurisdiction
- Where is the parent company incorporated?
- Is it subject to the CLOUD Act or equivalent foreign legislation?
- Has it publicly committed to challenging extraterritorial data requests?
3. Data portability
- Can you export all data in a standard format (CSV, JSON)?
- Does the export include attachments, notes, and activity history?
- How long does a full export take?
4. DPA and compliance
- Is a GDPR-compliant DPA available without negotiation?
- Are sub-processors listed publicly?
- Does the vendor notify you before adding new sub-processors?
5. Integration ecosystem
- Does it integrate with your email provider?
- Calendar sync?
- Marketing automation compatibility?
- API quality and documentation?
European CRM options worth evaluating
Several European CRMs have reached feature parity with US incumbents for most use cases. We won't name specific tools here (check our directory for current listings), but the category has matured significantly since 2020.
The key insight: you're no longer making a major feature sacrifice by choosing European. The trade-off has shifted from "fewer features" to "different ecosystem" — which is manageable with good integration planning.