By Jim Stout, CEO Invoke Systems
(Published May 8, 2006)
HIn his book, CRM at the Speed of Light, Paul Greenberg faces the
question, how do you avoid lagging and ultimately the loss of customers
when they are moving lightning fast, demanding constant changes
in the speed required to complete transactions? The answer is Customer
Relationship Management (CRM), and while most businesses are familiar
with the potential functionality of this category of software, the
challenge is getting your team to use it.
The issue with adoption is not the technology. Rather, it’s
the people that use it because people don’t adapt well to
change. Luckily, there are technology companies recognizing this
and developing software that works the way users want. However,
the process needs to begin with knowing how a business development
team is comprised, and understanding the three classes of employees:
the top 20 percent, the middle 60 percent and the bottom 20 percent.
The top 20 percent are the stars who are self motivated and do 80
percent of the work. They often find it difficult to use CRM because
their techniques are already working.
The middle 60 percent have the potential to be top performers,
so managers need to focus their attention on helping them. CRM is
most beneficial for this class of employees.
The bottom 20 percent comprises the poorly performing business development
professionals. CRM can help managers to identify those that do not
belong in the company, or those that have potential to move up.
KISS Method
The first of three methods to user adoption of CRM is the KISS
method--keep it simple, silly. Demonstrate that the software is
easy to use, unobtrusive, and works well with the software your
team is already comfortable using. For example my company uses a
CRM tool that integrates with Microsoft Outlook, allowing for centralized
customer information, easy scheduling of appointments and meetings,
and unified customer e-mail and responses.
What's in it for Them
Another way to boost user adoption is to demonstrate its immediate
impact by saving employees’ time and boosting their potential
earnings. It shows managers ways to make more informed decisions
with dynamic analysis and reporting tools, how to measure customer
satisfaction, monitor personal and team performance, predict sales,
and ultimately increase the use of the CRM tool. It the access to
data and analytics in a familiar form – such as Microsoft
Excel - that keeps the entire team plugged in and using it.
A good CRM tool also will have data synchronization and mobility
features that work with laptops and mobile handheld devices, so
that employees can access customer data anywhere for greater productivity.
Conversely, the touch of a few keys means clients don’t have
to wait long for answers to questions.
Collaboration is another key feature of a CRM system and is particularly
useful to organizations that rely on team selling with inside and
outside sales staff, and perhaps a representative from a service
delivery arm. Providing a mechanism for these teams to collaborate
while minimizing overhead will enhance adoption. By making the right
way to do things the easy way to do things, your staff will improve
productivity and give better service.
Work The Way Your Business Does
The third method of encouraging CRM usages involves showing your
team that CRM does not change the way your company does its best
business. Instead, a customized tool allows them to streamline processes
for scheduling appointments, and preparing and distributing reports
to groups of users. Repetitive tasks including setup of e-mail auto
responses, task escalations, and campaign response handling are
transformed more easily into dominant business workflow. These customizations
can be built once and then applied across CRM servers and environments,
all the while importing CRM templates across page views, database
definitions and workflow servers.
If your business is buildings and developments, a CRM tool can
track them. If your business links candidates to job openings, CRM
can be customized to monitor those entities and provide value to
you in terms and objects that are native or natural to your team.
Like any technology investment, CRM will only be profitable if
it is utilized by your company. Once you have implemented the methods
of getting your company to realize the benefits of CRM, you will
improve the way your company targets new customers, drives sales
and delivers high-quality customer service.
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