Implementation of CRM systems still experience a high percentage of failure. In this modern age of technology, why is that? How is such a high percentage even possible? Quite simply put, it boils down to these five factors:

• Scope
• Expectation
• Approach
• Implementation
• Training

In today’s article, we will explore how each of these items factor into whether or not an implementation is likely to succeed.

Implementation Scope

The scope takes into consideration the areas that your organization is planning on bringing into the CRM system. The scope should clearly identify who is using the system, and what are they doing in it? What areas of information need to be considered from each department? How is the deployment of the CRM going to impact the company in general?

These are the basics of what is included within a CRM project’s scope. From there, we get a bit more granular by establishing expectations within each area of the scope.

Setting Expectations

Defining realistic expectations of what a CRM can do is imperative. If you set lofty goals, expect failure. Realistic/successful CRM deployments take the elements of the scope, and generally aim at a gradual deployment over time. This ensures that the users are able to adjust to the new system before something new drops later down the road.

Expectations and the approach of a deployment create what’s known as a user experience. Is the user able to get where they need to go? Is the system intuitive? Are the tasks available straightforward? How many clicks and how much typing is required for each task? These items are pieces of the staged deployment’s approach.

Approach and User Experience

The approach looks at the scope and list of expectations, and from there creates a strategy for deployment. Which is exactly what the approach is in one word. The strategy for deploying the CRM system for maximum adoption. The approach generally very structured, and keeps the user experience in mind at all stages.

For example, if you are deploying a CRM for your Sales and Customer Service teams, what tasks will they start performing within the CRM first? What value are these tasks creating? Users are often want simple, effective tasks that require one to two clicks maximum with minimal typing. In that, the approach isn’t just chunking bite-sized pieces of the implementation strategy. It’s also about delivering value.

CRM systems must create value at least 80% of the time with the tasks that are required of users, AND not take away from the essence of a CRM system – the management of the customer relationship. As Rick Cook states in this article of crmsearch.com – “Customer relationship management is an ongoing effort to focus the company on its customers and their needs for mutual benefits.” Or to paraphrase, “if your system doesn’t create a win-win for the users and their customers, you’re going to have a bad time.” Make sure each action required by users creates a benefit for them and their customer.

Implementation

This is the execution phase of the project. Having a competent consultant is crucial for success. Working closely with the consultant on this stage isn’t imperative by any means. Other CRM consultants might disagree with me on that, but my opinion is that your primary involvement in this step was with the previous steps above that outlined what your organization needs out of the software.

I would like to state that you should be kept in the loop with any errors that occur during installation. Having a short list of issues that occurred during installation will allow for troubleshooting should the software act up at any point.

Training

Once the implementation phase concludes, it’s time to get your employees trained on the key functions of the software. Some businesses take a phased approach in rolling out features while others just do one big release. In either case, dedicate a solid amount of time to training users. Have a solid criteria that covers each over the items, and if possible record the training.

Conclusion

CRM implementations are tricky at best. Almost all implementations are imperfect, but at least outlining the above items will position your CRM system for success. We will dive into greater detail on each of these items in future articles.