How do you succeed with the implementation of a CRM system?
During an implementation process, major changes occur
within an organization and its employees. Changes so demanding that, according
to CIOs, up to 69% of CRM (Customer relationship management) projects fail.
Is it even worth the effort to introduce a CRM system?
Answer yes! According to statistics from Capterra, a full 47% of CRM users were
of the opinion that CRM has made a significant impact on customer satisfaction
and customer retention.
So how do you succeed with the implementation of a CRM
system? How do you make sure you become one of the 31% who implement CRM
successfully? What steps and processes need to be in place to ensure the
project's success? Here are 5 concrete tips for a successful implementation of
a CRM system.
1. Consensus
Among the first questions you need to ask yourself is:
"What does implementation mean for us?". It is important to clarify
what the word implementation means to you. And in this way create consensus in
the project group and avoid different interpretations. You have to distinguish
the technical implementation, adaptations of the system and the implementation
of the employees with the behavior change/use.
Make sure that everyone involved in the project has a
common view of what an implementation means for you.
It is not only Implementation that can be a fuzzy
concept. For example, what does CRM mean? Is it strategic? Or maybe
technically? CRM strategy can cover most of the buying journey and affects
several internal functions such as marketing and support, while CRM is also the
technical platform that salespeople work in on a daily basis. Take your time
and think through so that you speak the same language and avoid unnecessary
confusion and frustration. Through this work, you create common expectations,
which is the basis for success with the implementation of your CRM system.
2. Clear purpose, plan and anchoring
Why CRM? What do you want to achieve with a CRM? What
is working well and what is missing in the current solution?
You must always keep this in mind and the answer must
be very clear to everyone. Knowing the answer to the question "why"
helps the project team stay focused. For example. it is common for employees to
feel that the old CRM system has never been as good as when implementing the
new one. Here it is essential that everyone is aware of why you have chosen to
switch, why it is necessary and how it will benefit you.
Also ask yourself the question "What value can
this create for us?". Instead of focusing on what the system costs, focus
on what you can get for the investment you are willing to make. An
Implementation should be seen as an investment.
To create this clarity and understand what your
organization needs, we recommend a needs analysis.
Resistance in the organization
Changing or starting to use a CRM system means a big
change in daily work and the big changes increase the risk of failure.
When organizations implement change, resistance often arises. To avoid this, it is incredibly important to have a clear plan that everyone in the organization knows and feels comfortable with. In a clear plan, as we have mentioned before, it is important that you know why you are implementing a CRM system. Once you know that, you can go into planning how it will be done, which implementation model, when everything will happen and who is responsible for what.
Should there be a disagreement despite a clear plan,
it is important that you have carried out a risk assessment so that you are
prepared for how this should be handled. It is important to understand human
behavior and thus find ways to manage and respond to it. It is also important
to clarify for your employees what they should focus on during this period so
that they feel that it is clear what their role is.
No technology, no matter how sophisticated, can be
successful without a strategy on how to implement and use it. Therefore, it is
important that it is anchored in the organization from the start and that
"everyone is heading in the same direction".
Here we come back to our common expectations of what
an implementation is for us and why we do it.
3. Patience
Develop a realistic timeline that you stick to and
don't be afraid if your implementation takes up a lot of time. A common reason
why a CRM project fails is that you stress and do not take the time to train
staff, test the system and go through how current data should be entered.
A classic problem area is the data, the volume of
data, there is a lack of foundation in the data and incorrect data. In this
situation, you risk paying too much in system costs that relate to the volume,
at the same time that you cannot use the data and that the data you have is
wrong.
Be sure to be dedicated to the project and give the
project the time it needs already in the planning phase. Because even though
you shouldn't stress so you don't want to fall behind either! It is also
important to think carefully about which functions you want to start
implementing. Don't fall into the trap of implementing all the features right
away! It is easy for employees who are new to the system to feel overwhelming.
It will also be a stumbling block in the project that prevents your
organization from starting.
Improve the situation first
Do you have a current CRM system that you want to
change? You can do a lot to improve your situation with your current system
even if you think the system is bad and have plans to change. Many people focus
too early on changing systems to solve all one's problems. But a system change
does not solve the problems without you at the same time making a lot of
changes which in turn have to be addressed and managed. The system usually gets
undeserved blame for not working, but the biggest reason usually lies in the
use and lack of processes and routines.
When you improve the situation in your current system
instead of directly changing the system, you learn things before the big change
that you bring with you. What are technical limitations and what problems are
caused by missing processes? It will be easier to evaluate and implement a new
system if the organization is a familiar CRM user.
So be patient before and during your implementation of
your new CRM system.
4. Leadership
In a project there are usually several people
responsible. The role of leaders is not just about answering questions and
making decisions. It is also about leading the group in the right direction,
towards the right goal. It is their responsibility that everyone in their team
has common expectations, an understanding of what is to happen, what is
expected of one and why. As a leader, you must also motivate your employees,
raise their self-esteem and ensure that they reach their full potential.
Before an implementation process, it is important to
think that the system is for the entire organization and not just one
department, for example sales. It is based on that mindset that you then create
a team that is responsible for the implementation.
Here, it can also be good to select one or more people
within the organization to act as expert representatives. These can help the
others when they encounter problems.
5. Give yourselves the right conditions
So what did an implementation mean to you?
Was it just the technical part, ie that the system
should be set up and running? Or do you also want to achieve new, better
results?
Do you want to achieve results with your new CRM
system and not just set it up technically. Then you need to invest money, time
and resources that are outside the technical implementation. It can e.g. Be
external consultants, training and development of systems.
There are advantages to using someone from the outside
who comes in with different perspectives. You can become more stable and make
faster decisions, there is someone to "hold your hand" and have as a
reference. Dare to seek help to avoid the common pitfalls and access expert
skills instead of "learning by doing" which can create disappointment
in this important phase. Today, success is not determined by the technical but
by the human.
Give yourself the right conditions to succeed with the
implementation of your CRM system!
You can also read more about this topic in our post
"If You Can't Answer This (Specific) Question, Your Company Is Not Ready
To Change or Purchase a CRM"