For every person eager to tell the story of their customer relationship management (CRM) success, there is another that will recount the horrors of a project that either went horribly wrong, or simply fizzled out over time. Today, most organisations understand the benefits of CRM and there are very few that do not stand to benefit from it in some way, shape, or form. However, all too often projects that have the best of intentions are doomed to failure before they have even begun. So, to make sure your project is on the right track from day one, there are three steps to CRM heaven.
Get company-wide buy in
Roll back five or so years and I was writing about the strategy and tactics needed to get CRM on the boardroom agenda. However, as the need for organisations have changed to cope with a more competitive market, where they need to fight hard to win and keep the business of more savvy customers, the virtues of the technology has today made CRM ubiquitous. In board-rooms throughout the UK it is now not uncommon for unilateral decisions to be made to invest in a CRM system without consultation, or buy-in from the rest of the business. This is often the first big mistake.
In my experience the very best CRM projects, (which have been well proven to deliver a clear return on investment) are those that were decided upon with the counsel and general consensus of the organisation as a whole. Furthermore, it is vitally important that those who do ultimately make the decision to invest in a CRM system remain engaged throughout the process. All too often they make a call and then move on to the next meeting item without seeing it through.
Encourage and support user adoption
Once the company as a whole has made the decision to implement the system and the right technology for the business has been specified, it is vitally important to remember that it isn’t purely about rolling out a technology, and there does need to be a degree of change management. After all, we are all creatures of habit, so for a CRM system to win over employees it must not only be easy-to-use, it needs to be introduced over time to nurture familiarity with new technology and processes.
Simply providing people with a memo, login details and an alien user interface on their desktop overnight – then asking them to start using it in the morning, with only basic training and it usually means that they just won’t do it.
Also, be prepared for a backlash. In a world of fast moving technologies it is easy to forget that not everyone is tech savvy and there will undoubtedly be members of the team that are not technical and are unwilling to admit they don’t get it! Worse still are the group who say ‘I don’t do technology’ when all they are really saying is ‘I cant be bothered to do that and let them show me otherwise’. Then of course there is the third group who think they are god’s gift to their particular role (often sales!) and consider themselves to be above getting instructions/guidance from anybody else in the business.
A healthy CRM system survives on up-to-date information and one of the biggest CRM killers is apathy. I have often heard ‘I’ll get the sales and somebody else can sort that out’. The trick is to make it simple. After all 40% of activities recorded in an easy-to-use system will be far better than nothing stored in a system that lays dormant.
Invest in training
Just as important as getting the buy-in from the company to use the new system is being clear on how the system should/needs to be used. Like anything else in life, if you can’t explain what you want you are unlikely to get it. For example, how many of us have received an invitation to an event with the dress code ‘ smart casual’ but what does it actually mean? To some it is a pair of jeans/shorts and to somebody else it’s an ironed shirt and chinos. My point is to be crystal clear in what you want if you really want your CRM project to thrive and take the time to train employees, in order to help them meet these expectations.
CRM is not a big tick in the box for the next board meeting, it is an investment and a strategy which needs to constantly evolve to support the needs of the business. Having the whole team buying in to the system and its benefits from the outset, involving them in the process of how best to roll out the technology and how it can be incorporated in to their day-to-day working lives and providing them with the right training, results in a smoother transition with faster uptake and approval rating.
