CRM 1080

To ensure the success of a CRM initiative, upper management must have a clear vision and establish a customer-focused culture.

Organizational issues are just as important, if not more important, than the technology behind a CRM implementation. It is well-known that people resist change. The introduction of a new system may be perceived to challenge the balance of how things are done, who wins, and why, and can have dramatic operational implications. Because of this, it is critical that new-system implementation has organizational buy-in up, down, and across, with strong leadership from senior management. The fundamental changes involved may be perceived to have far-reaching impact for your representatives, as well as the business processes and technology that support them. Forethought, coordination, and skill are required for a successful CRM implementation.

For a CRM project to succeed, it is critical that senior management understand that CRM is a business strategy to which they are fully committed, and that they are realistically cognizant of CRM’s many facets and ramifications. At the head of the charge is the CEO, the one person the organization looks toward for company direction and philosophy. It is the responsibility of the CEO to win the support of key groups within an organization – from the board of directors to financial analysts to direct reports – all the way down to the customer.

The CEO must realize that CRM is an initiative for major organizational change and, to this end, must have a clear vision of what he is trying to accomplish. The CRM project requires commitment and leadership and should include organizational objectives that are measurable by specific success metrics and criteria.

Best Practices are necessary for a Successful CRM Initiative

Hello & Welcome to the Second Part of our two part series,   

For those who missed Part I, here is the Link:
Ensure CRM Success Part I   

This post is going to focus on the remaining best practices related to CRM Success that upper management may want to consider:   

1. Employee Buy In.  Design and implement employee buy-in programs that help your team understand the value of CRM.  Most employees do not care of change of any sort let alone when the change is about to track their every move.   But when employees realize that CRM systems are here to help them be more productive, increase customers, retain the best and improve overall efficiencies, they soon realize that this will only further help the company grow — which is in their best interest.
      
2. When did someone look at all your processes?  Before implementing your CRM solution, it is important to review and update all your business processes.    One of the strengths of CRM is automation.   So, it is important to understand the exact capability of CRM automation and how you can fully leverage these features to improve operations. 
    
3. Create a Flexible System.    Implement a system that is highly open, robust and scalable as the amount of information you gather and manage will grow with the organization and increase over time. Make sure your corporate IT is responsible for any integration strategy, maintenance and adherence to technology standards.  If you don’t have an internal IT staff, it is important to get sound advice from a reputable IT consultant.    
    
4. The 80-20 Rule.    We all know this golden rule but yet not much emphasis is given to it.  Does that sound like your organization?   Perhaps it is time to focus on the top 20% of your customers that bring in 80% of the revenue.  The first thing you need to do is to identify them.  Next, to automate the identification process and implement strategies that will continue to keep them satisfied.  CRM strategy and tools will help you retain the best of your customers while you attract new ones.
    
5. Metrics metrics metrics.  You will never know how well your new CRM initiative is working out if you don’t have a base to compare it with.   So, identify tangible and measurable links to business performance before implementing your CRM project.  Next track these measurable on an on-going basis to see exactly where the improvements are.   You will be surprised at the amazing ROI!     

Like any set of best practice, the above points are not the complete set of instructions for a CRM initiative but rather some of the key points.   Depending on your business, there may be other valid points of higher importance.   The best you can do is to make sure you hire or designate a person with project management experience to be your lead CRM Project Manager that has the time and resource focus on the project at hand.   Remember, your CRM initiative if not implemented correctly may be devastating to your operations.  So, you want to get it right the first time!   

Regards,
The CEO

Hello There CEO, 

CEO to CEO -- CRM 1080

As we all know, a new initiative is not only financially costly but also sucks tremendous energy out of our team — especially if success is a must.   So, if we can minimize any failure points… or better still completely avoid them, we would be in great shape.  

There is a reason why “best practices” are so commonly used in organizations… they work because they have been tested by organizations and teams over and over again.   So… here are some best practices that upper management may want to consider: 

1. Own the Project.  Don’t just direct the initiative…  your 100% buy-in and leadership is completely critical.  One CEO made it very clear to her employees, If it is not in the CRM system, it does not exist and your performance review will be based on it.
      
2. Governance not Command-Control.  Get input from all major areas of your organization to help recognize the dynamics and interdepartmental nature of your organization that makes it tick.
    
3. Customer Focused Culture.   Leadership is action, not position… I read somewhere…  So, if you do not embrace a customer focused culture… your team and your employees will most certainly not.  Put your customers in the center of your organization — where it is clear to your employees that they exist because of your customers.
    
4. Ensure Seamless Integration.  How many times have we heard the word “seamless” and there is absolutely nothing seamless about it? Let’s just say more than our share.   However, if your CRM implementation does not have a seamless integration to other front and back office applications, that quick 360-degree view will not be available to your employees when providing any service — and you may miss the ultimate goal of providing any system to your employees… efficiency!
    
5. The Expert Advice.  Nothing like going to a Guru when you need to be enlighten.  Get the expert advice from SMEs who have mastered the art of successful CRM implementation.  You may just learn a thing or two that could propel your implementation by a notch or two.

I will let you ponder on the above 5 points before we take a look at the next five best practices that make up our list later this week.  In the meantime, have a great week — because without us, the economic engine of the world would come to a grinding halt! 

Regards,
The CEO