From Implementation to Upgrade — A Comprehensive Guide to Get Your CRM Right

November 21, 2018 | CRM

When it comes to finding better ways to interact with customers, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software has always been the answer for companies (at least for the last 2 decades).

Except that it’s not the whole answer.

There are multiple oft-cited surveys that claim that 33%-50% CRM implementations fail or do not achieve the projected goals. That’s a seriously large number for a tool, sales managers so heavily rely upon.

So, let’s see why CRM implementations often fall short of expectations and how to fix these issues.

>> Feeling Lazy? Check out the CRM Dos and Don’ts Infographic based on this blog post.

CRM Software Selection

Like with any other software, popularity often misguides when it comes to selecting the right CRM tool. Companies often buy tools with all the bells and whistles without regarding whether its features sync with their business process or not.

To avoid such pitfalls, organizations should first do an internal survey to determine what measurements and metrics employees need most. Generally, sales call number, calls per sales, CPC, length of sales cycle, calls duration, retention, etc. are considered the most critical metrics & measurement. However, it may vary from business to business.

Other than that, thoroughly understanding the administrative roadblocks and inefficiencies that employees face can also help you select the right CRM, which is apt for your business need.

Adoption

Even if you have found the ideal CRM for your business, it is still of no use if your employees are not ready to leverage. The reason could be anything between ‘neophobia’ to ‘not being trained to leverage the system’.

The key to an organization-wide seamless adoption is to not rush things and be strategic about the implementation. Instead of forcing adoption, first, run a pilot program with only a bunch of employees who are up for the task and trained as well. Highlight their success with the CRM system and even encourage them to act as evangelists for the system for the rest of the organization.

Apart from that run awareness and training programs beforehand to ensure employees are completely ready when it comes actually working on the system.

Data Accuracy

Data Accuracy remains a major concern with CRM systems. Some recurring data inaccuracy issues are — duplicate records, improperly assigned or invisible records, incomplete records, and field accuracy. Sometimes it is because of the human error, sometimes the system is not in compliance with your business process.

To some extent, human error is proactively taken care of by ensuring the above two points (selection & adoption). Beyond that, you need to pay heed to certain things to ensure data quality your employees work with.

First, make sure the CRM software integrates well with existing system your teams use (for marketing, email, etc.). Also, connect with vendors who provide automated data migration services to save your employees from manually entering the data. Lastly, when combining databases, ensure the removal of any sort of duplicate, incomplete, inaccurate, outdated or irrelevant data.

Upgrade

Sometimes, even the successful CRM implementations reach a point where existing systems begin to feel inadequate. System upgrade is obviously the first thought in such cases; however, before making a heavy investment in the system upgrade, companies should first analyze the situation thoroughly.

For instance, if your organization feels the need of better ways to track leads & clients, or need of better automation for follow-ups & retention, it can either mean issues with the business practices or tool’s incompetency. In such scenarios, further investigation is required before any decision.

On the other hand, if your company is growing and your CRM system simply doesn’t seem adequate to address those increasing needs, it certainly needs an upgrade.

Final Remarks

From selection to upgrade, CRM implementation is a tricky process; therefore, every decision must be taken with great care. However, in the end, the key to a successful CRM implementation is how much your employees are familiar with the system and how well-trained they are to leverage the system to its full extent.

Need a technology partner for seamless CRM implementation?Let’s Talk