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White Paper: Guidelines For A Successful CRM
Guidelines For A Successful CRM
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Guidelines For A Successful CRM
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The flexibility of on-demand CRM is impressive and offers very efficient and creative solutions for streamlining or building systems integrations. And from here we can examine the possibilities that open up for integration of business processes within the CRM application.
On-demand services are valued because of the flexibility and accessibility of the web. Today it is fairly de rigueur to establish a web presence, no matter what the business. The variety of services offered online expand daily, and the customer uptake is impressive and enthusiastic.
Online CRM Services can consolidate business processes through the web interface and collect, collate and analyze information from your business and/or partner sites to present meaningful, contextual and timely information. It is possible to bring both front and back office activities together in an online CRM system to enhance sales, marketing, customer service, inventory, and human resources activities. It is also possible to change business processes and adapt the CRM as markets or business activities change, without losing data or having to integrate another legacy holding.
One of the key aspects in a CRM implementation is a solid understanding of customer and market. Additionally, it is also important to understand that the marketplace is changing rapidly, due to the Internet as a medium for commerce, marketing, social networking, etc. As a result many of todays business models will no longer be relevant when it comes to the customer model for interaction, service and retention. The criterion for managing business is changing and the CRM Solution must be flexible enough to adopt the changes.
As a prelude to examining the guidelines and rules for CRM integration, it is important to discuss, briefly, the changing marketplace and put some emphasis on the how of the change, so that CRM has a real relevance to the coming market trends for all organizations be they small, medium or large.
The biggest impact to businesses is the change in the customer expectation and demand. Customers now are Internet savvy, in a hurry, and have no tolerance for rhetoric, unfiltered information or fumbling customer service. They are a group of people who form communities online, share experiences, demand instant and excellent sales, service and performance. Additionally, this customer base wants tailored solutions when it comes to service and or product selection. They are very demanding and they are the 'demand' in the 'Demand Chain'.
Some of the guidelines for this process are fairly general and point to best practices for any software or system implementation. They are discussed in this document from a CRM perspective and will not detail them as they pertain to good project management principles as you can find those details elsewhere. The focus here is to build reference guidelines for CRM activities.
4.2 Five Rules for Successful CRM Implementation
Define Vision and Strategy
Understand the market, business goals and the place customer relations has in the order of importance as a business line. If it is going to be the driving force, and it should, then understand that business processes at every line may well need to be revamped. This means that the vision must be clear for everyone and that strategy includes strong change management activities to support the vision and the uptake of a new CRM system. This is the biggest commitment and the best investment that can be made in moving toward a successful CRM Solution.
Get and Maintain Executive Support
Ensure alignment and integration of all departments within the organization. Each department will have subjective goals and constraints, and some will likely need to be persuaded to be part of the bigger picture. They will need encouragement and support to embrace business changes and alignment activities, including the adoption of a new CRM solution. It is important to ensure strong and consistent Executive support to deliver a strong and consistent message that comes 'from the top'.
Let Business Function Drive Application Acquisition
Define the requirements for business functions, and implement CRM Solutions based on this and not on technology constraints. Any solution must be built around your business lines and not the other way around. Ensure a strong message from the Executive on this point also to avoid unnecessary IT expense and delivery of strangled processes that do not support front facing users of the CRM system.
Make sure the CRM vendor offers Professional Services and use them. The vendor will be able to translate the business processes into an automated network that reflects the company vision. But each company must articulate it's needs, there is no one size fits all application. You must dedicate time and resources to guarantee a quick, and cost efficient roll-out.
Look for a solution with a Web Services API, and offers standard tools such as, workflow, dashboard and analytics, rules based profiling and access control, and real-time alerts so you don't have to build or purchase the tools separately.
Consider Delivery Approach and Metrics
Distinguish between solutions and platforms integration and integration of business processes. Both integrations are important and have mutual dependencies, but different delivery approaches in terms of audience, timing, training and change management strategies.
Consider a solution that can be rolled out incrementally, based on a change management plan that is co-ordinated with training and the Integration Teams. A solution that can flex and change with your roll-out plans demonstrates a flexibility that easily translates in the enterprise.
Be sure to capture metrics at each stage of your implementation that reflect real costs, real successes and real problems. Use these metrics as decision aids for future enhancements, customizations and process changes as you align business lines in the future to market demands.
Rally your troops!
Actively involve end-users in the solution design and testing, offer access to visioning and planning activities and prepare good training initiatives. Employees will experience work disruption, changes to familiar work routines, and face a learning curve with the CRM roll out. Help them understand the changes, the goals, the benefits and to adopt the solution as a benefit to everyone. If your employees and partners have been active participants in the automation process, you will have flattened the learning curve and gone a long way to smooth uptake and user adoption.
Visioning and Management leadership must undertake an internal Marketing Campaign. Understand the target 'market' and establish appropriate product in the form of training, info sessions, hands on demos, and backgrounders. Identify and smooth areas of resistance, invite communications and input on process improvements, etc., etc. This 'campaign' is essential to and complimentary to ensuring a good business fit between the solution and the users.
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