Build Success Into Your CRM System
Jan Wallen
One of the most important aspects of implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) system is ensuring that it meets the expectations of a variety of audiences within your company. Top managers want to be sure they will get a positive return on their investment in this new system. The information technology (IT) professionals want the system to work within the current technology platform and want to make sure they can fit this new system into their backlog of other projects. Your salespeople must be motivated and encouraged to use the system while trying to meet sales goals.
More than 65% of CRM projects fail to meet expectations, so all of these concerns are valid. To make sure failure isn't the outcome of your hard work in building a CRM system, think through the consequences of the system from every angle. Here are some ways to do just that.
Start with a clean slate, as if you're designing and selecting your first system
- Don't try to fit your current system to your new needs. If you do, you'll end up with quick fixes rather than true solutions.
- When designing your system, think about what will make the most difference in your organization. What's missing now? Are you looking for speed, ease of use or low maintenance costs?
- CRM systems track sales contacts and potential sales, schedule appointments and calls so they don't fall through the cracks, keep notes and print out reports. They can also play a part in product development, targeting the right audience and shortening the sales cycle, and they can help your salespeople give dynamite presentations. Identify the most important of these features and priorities for your new system.
Write down exactly what you want your system to do for you
- Start with "In a perfect world, we could do the following . . . ." When the ideal system is your starting point, it brings out things you and your team otherwise might not think of.
- Write your list from the perspectives of everyone affected by the system -- salespeople, sales managers, the CEO and the IT department. Look at your sales processes as well as the technology.
Take time to put yourself in the shoes of people in your organization
- In order to design your new system from the perspectives of everyone affected, you need to get their input.
- Live a day in the life of several of your salespeople. Go with them for a whole day, if possible. Watch them work. Ask questions. Choose at least one sales star, someone who's been there a long time and one new salesperson. Do the same for your sales managers, regional managers, CEO, CIO, customer service people and telemarketing people.
Ask them their ideas, and take them seriously. You may want to ask the following questions:
- What do you want the system to do for you that the current one doesn't do?
- What are the top three challenges you face in your work?
- What would make it easier for you to make money?
- What would make it easier for you to do your work?
- What are the top challenges your customers face?
Be as complete and detailed as you can.
Then, after you've made your notes about their answers, call in your CRM team and compare notes. Only after you and your team have done your homework can you call in consulting and software companies for sales presentations.
Getting everyone's perspectives is important also because you will be "selling" them the new system, software, consulting company and your implementation plan at some point. Sales is a major component in CRM system implementation and project management. Often, the people doing the implementation and project management are not salespeople and have had little exposure to selling or selling skills. A successful implementation requires that many people agree to do things that are on your agenda; however, these things may not be on their agendas. Your job is to sell the system throughout its implementation. A workshop, course or refresher in selling skills will give you tremendous payoffs as you go ahead with your new CRM system.
Before you speak with them, list the reasons these same people won't want a new system. What will cause resistance? For example, a new system means change. People are usually more comfortable with the way things currently are, even though they can see in their minds that there may be better ways to do their work.
Identify the success criteria for the project
- Define exactly what the system and the implementation will be measured on. For example, you might write:
- Do salespeople like and use the system?
- Is management getting the reports they want?
- Are there increased sales? By how much? How will this happen?
- Will there be more calls and more meetings?
- Be careful here. "Increased sales" is too vague. To build success into your CRM implementation, you want to include specific, measurable goals. For example, you could decide one criterion should be "Sales should increase by XX% one year after implementation," or "Salespeople should contact twice as many people as they did last year."
Whatever your criteria are, build steps and techniques into your plan to make sure your goals are met. If success depends on the salespeople liking and using the system, that must be a major focal point of your rollout. Get their buy-in, and encourage them during the system design and implementation.
Identify the project killers
- List them so you will be more aware if these red flags appear. To carry through with our example, if salespeople liking and using the system is important, a project killer would be that the salespeople aren't using the system. There could be other project killers that aren't part of your success criteria, too: There might be interdepartmental synchronization problems (i.e., projects not done on time or according to plan).
List the benefits and risks to you and to your team
- That way, you'll know exactly what you're working toward or what you could be up against.
- For example, a benefit could be the possibility that you'll be promoted. Also, your team could gain visibility within the company, or you could increase the size of your department.
- Any risks to list are ones that would put your job on the line if something isn't done "right." Identify what's right in this case. Could there be layoffs in your department? Could there be political changes now or in the future?
- Examining possible outcomes now can make the difference on those days when one thing after another seems to go wrong. It keeps your eye on the ball and helps you remember the bigger picture.
Once you've designed your "ideal" system on paper, find out how other companies managed their projects.
- Learn from their experiences. Look for descriptions of successful projects. Look for companies in similar businesses or companies that have solved some of the challenges you want to solve with your system. Call them up and ask questions such as:
- What advice would they give as you start your project?
- What would they have done differently?
- What were their key reasons for selecting the system, software and consulting company?
- What were they most satisfied with?
- Who did they include on their implementation team?
- Ask to visit and see exactly how their systems work. Talk about their projects and how they made their decisions. Ask their advice.
Few companies would invest time and money in a promotional campaign, sales plan or product launch without speaking with experts, getting the support of key staff members and planning ahead. Give your CRM system the same importance to ensure its success.