|
| Official Partner of Zoho CRM |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Why CRM’s Fail? |
|
|
 |
Key sponsors are not involved in the project |
|
|
|
Unclear CRM requirements and priorities |
|
|
|
Lack of focus - no CRM Roadmap |
|
|
|
IT control the CRM project |
|
|
|
Metrics for success were not defined before or after the project |
|
|
|
Unclear strategy to integrate with existing systems |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CRM Consultancy, Implementation & Customisation |
|
| Develop a CRM roadmap |
| Once you have a high-level vision from the previous steps and after you have identified and prioritised the areas which will give the most rewards most quickly, you should then develop a CRM ‘roadmap’, a master plan, consisting of several mini projects that will move you toward the corporate CRM goals. It is useful to identify key people responsible for each project task, assign people within your company who can liaise with a CRM Consultant and to identify key metrics and timelines for low risk/high reward areas, which help build momentum and enthusiasm from users. |
|
| Integrate your current systems |
| Look at the ‘big picture’; determine how, where and when implementing a CRM tool will integrate/replace other tools/applications/processes. A CRM Consultant will be able to assist in analysing your business processes and making recommendations on where the CRM can integrate or even replace your current systems. A CRM will eliminate the need for traditional means of reporting Sales status and activities with Word/Excel ,for example, and you will likely want to integrate/consolidate your calendaring/contacts system (e.g. Outlook), or maybe your website e-commerce section or ERP/accounting system. |
|
| Research CRM vendors |
| Learn about potential CRM vendors from their websites, customer references and publications. Many CRM vendors offer 30-day free trials or limited function/limited user licenses for free. ‘Software as a Service’ or on-demand CRM is increasingly popular as it gives a short time to value and is less expensive to set up. You simply pay a monthly fee and start using it, customizing it as you go to suit your business. Get an independent perspective from a CRM Consultant - they have the experience of implementing CRMs across multiple businesses and will know the sorts of problems you will face and how to overcome them. With a roadmap in place and your requirements defined, especially with independent advice from a CRM Consultant, you will be more able to decide upon worthy CRM software. Click here to see more information on CRM vendors, or click here to read our FAQ. |
|
| Focus on your needs |
| CRM software is complex. It needs to be. Don't get sidetracked by the mind boggling number of features in CRM software. After determining your main business needs and priorities, use that list and determine which vendor can best meet those needs. Don’t get a CRM which is a strong call centre oriented CRM if your main issue is in Sales. A CRM Consultant can also assist in this area as they will be able to advise you which software on the market matches your business needs. |
|
| Communication is critical |
| Once CRM implementation begins, communicate plans and developments to your staff, no matter what size your organisation. If you use a CRM Consultant, get him/her to create regular newsletters or chair weekly/monthly status meetings depending on the scale of your implementation. Invite key people to keep them all involved – they are, after all, the users of the software and the ones who will benefit. Provide flexible training programs to accommodate different schedules, IT skills and learning preferences. This will also speed adoption and produce benefits more quickly. |
|
| Learn, be flexible, use the tool and evolve your business |
| Use the CRM to log tasks, process improvements and feature requests (there will be plenty) as well as project-related issues. Report on the status on a regular basis. Analyse CRM usage, get feedback and implement solutions to make sure the CRM evolves with your business and customer needs. A CRM Consultant can help you by overseeing feedback, customisation requests, ongoing training and can make appropriate recommendations to make sure changing needs are addressed over time. |
|
| The biggest returns will be gained if you can match your business, CRM and IT strategies across all departments instead of assigning the ‘CRM Project’ to one group, for example IT, who may not have a deep knowledge of the business / human processes involved in each of the key business areas. In fact, it’s best for the business departments who actually use the CRM software to play the major roles in the various elements of the project, with IT or the CTO playing an important advisory role. |
|
| CRM Asia Solutions has experience implementing CRMs across a wide variety of businesses from SMBs to large corporations in multiple business sectors. For more details and advice on how best to implement a CRM in your business, contact us here. |
|
|
Back
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
