How to Successfully use a CRM System?
CRM stands for customer relations management. It’s a CRM software that collects customer data.
CRM is not a plug-and-play tool that you simply add to your stack. Particularly if you have a company with more than 10 employees you have to make sure that your serum produces 10 times the cost. If you spend one euro with your CRM you must make sure that your CRM software will make you earn at least €10.
Nearly 80% of all CRM projects fail. The reason isn’t the software, but poor user adoption. Usually, CRMs are built by consultants that are trying to put as many elements as possible. The right way to do it is to reduce features as much as possible to fix with everyday customer support and listen to the team needs to reduce. However, only a few succeed. Why? Because most do not adopt CRM best practices. InvestGlass CRM collected the best practices we could find – a mix between customisation options and ready-made templates. Here we summarise the 5 top things you must do when using a CRM.
1. Ensure your top management buy-in
Let’s be obvious, if you don’t have the management in the loop, it is not possible to have an efficient CRM build. Senior management has to buy the tool and most importantly the vision! Starting a CRM, particularly for enterprises that never used one, is a challenge. The sales team and sales management have to be ready as prospects will be collected into a common CRM tool. CRM implementation always takes more time than expected because sales processes that were made on paper have to be digitalised. Notes, emails, products, and leads, will be tracked into a data warehouse and this could change the mindset of some companies. Years ago, I remember that bankers were very reluctant to pull this data into a common system. It is now key for company revenue and value to track all commercial interactions.
2. Find a geek project manager
For all the projects that we successfully managed, companies had a fortnight project manager. It doesn’t need to be a specialist but at least someone that will listen to the team requirements, understand customer communications, technology, email, phone number system, note tracking, lead management, and have a clear view of the customer history. CRM Customer relationship management software is about creating a sales marketing experience and user-friendly customer experience that will fit your business mindset and customers. Hence, it is important to find a colleague sharing a clear vision of customer relationships. The CRM strategy can change over time and customer experiences too. Some CRMs are very complex to manage… we say if you start a Salesforce CRM then you need a Salesforce specialist full time. That’s not completely wrong.
3. Appoint 2 super users and not necessary salespeople
To make sure that the CRM will be used correctly and that you will find the right buying patterns, we suggest you grant access to 2 “super users”. It could be people from the salesforce, compliance, business owners… I am sure you will find two people in your organization excited to use new software. Those 2 super users will be the first contacts to help and track the product evolution, the latest apps, and so forth. Yet, it is important that the super users are also part of the sales strategy, understand the products, and meet marketing team requirements and key performance indicators.
4. Launch the CRM with a productivity goal
CRMs used to make you busy… now they make you productive. Sales and marketing teams are often underestimated and believe that the CRM application lack efficiency. The CRM will collect information and become an essential knowledge base for your enterprise. The objective of CRM is to make repetitive tasks as automated as possible. With automation, summer interactions are efficient and will lead to more business and customers.
5. Define the CRM strategy and overcome rejections
CRM software is not just a technology. It’s a philosophy as it’s the core of your business process. It’s important to include all departments in the business processes set up in the CRM systems, from sales managers and logo creators to senior management and analysts, inclusion is a cornerstone. The CRM platforms are replicating the sales cycle and the sales process to improve the day-to-day tasks.
No need to remove the good for the great, simply connect your legacy applications to InvestGlass with our state-of-the-art API. Eliminate programmers, we have done the « mum » test and she can do it too. If she can do it, you can too. InvestGlass simplifies testing and deployment with minimum resources.
Conclusion: Are you ready to start your customer relationship management CRM?
You know the Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Hubspot CRMs, and pricing are sometimes ambiguous, thus we recommend you to read our pricing comparison article to learn more about pricing structure differences and features benefits. Be aware that “No credit card” teasers can be misleading CRM ads. CRMs always have a cost… Yet, we believe customer relationship management CRM is about sharing values before sharing services. If you are ready to repeat customer interactions with a given pattern then a CRM is a system you must use to prove and repeat business best practices and track your customers’ interactions. If your company has more than 10 employees or salespersons, then you need to restrict the data access and you must use a CRM. We hear often that it’s all about data, it’s all about data… in a way this is true but it’s also about customers, customers, customers…