opinion7 steps to rapid crm
It's possible to adopt a new CRM solution rapidly if certain steps are followed. In our experience working on multiple CRM initiatives we've identified these key 7 steps.
1. Make Sure There's A shared vision of the Goal
Many people lose sight of the fact that the 'C' in CRM stands for 'Customer' (or Client). These same people often get obsessed with the technology.
CRM is about creating the optimal customer experience that will help you win new business and engender maximum customer satisfaction leading to ongoing repeat business.
Right from the top of the organisation there must be a shared vision that this is what your CRM initiative is about. That vision should be shared through the different functions of the business - the board, sales, marketing, customer support etc.
With a shared vision in place it becomes far easier to get everybody motivated to work towards the end goal. With motivated people it is much easier to move rapidly towards your goal.
2. lead from the top
Once you have a shared vision then it becomes senior management's role to propagate that vision through their leadership.
Too many failed CRM initiatives were being pushed by senior executives who had no intention of ever changing the way they did things and using the new solution. And everybody below them knew this. So how were these people expected to be motivated by a "Do as I say" culture rather than "Do as I do"?
Are your senior management prepared to be seen to enthusiastically embrace the CRM initiative? If 'Yes' then you're one step closer to your goal.
3. Know Your Processes
How well do you understand how each part of the organisation interacts with your customers? Is there a clear understanding of what your customers' experience is with your organisation?
If you don't know the answers to these simple questions then how can you select a CRM solution to fit your business? How can you know what needs to improve in order to create greater customer satisfaction?
4. know your data
Do you know where your existing customer data resides? Is it in a single data store or is it spread throughout multiple locations? How joined up is your data? Do your sales, marketing and support functions have a view of the same, consistent customer data?
Even with the best shared vision and leadership, numerous CRM initiatives stall because the data is spread across so many different parts of the business that it becomes a major exercise in itself to bring it together in a usable form.
Oh, and by the way, while we're on the subject of data, you should make it a clear part of the vision, and ensure that is agreed by everybody at the outset, that customer data is a corporate resource not a personal one.
5. Identify The quick Wins
In accelerated CRM, a key strategic goal should be to try to identify early stage ‘wins’. A win is something which delivers a clear and unambiguous benefit, ideally to the customer so that immediate payback is both realised and visible.
This has two effects, namely that of securing confidence (and associated buy-in, funding, etc) for the future and validating the accelerated approach taken.
As an example, a client of ours identified that the process of supplying fund valuations to their clients was both lengthy and costly. By allowing their clients to request and receive valuations online they delivered an early win, increased client satisfaction and dramatically reduced the cost of manually processing these requests.
6. Deliver CRM in bite-sized chunks
Q. How do you eat an elephant? A. One bite at a time.
In our experience, almost all successful CRM initiatives have been run as a series of mini-projects, or phases, with an overall visionary-type goal.
Each phase has a tangible deliverable with a defined benefit associated with it. It is delivered in a short timescale, ideally no longer than 8 weeks.
7. Compulsory Deadlines are like gold dust
Some of the most successful projects we've worked on also had some of the most immovable deadlines.
One client gave us 6 weeks to implement a first deliverable of a CRM system. They had an immovable deadline when their parent company was announcing a new brand. The system went in on time and gradually grew from there.
Another client gave us 8 weeks before a new government-announced legal deadline came into force. Yet another client gave us 5 weeks to deliver a customer self-service system in time for the opening of their new trading floor.
The lesson from these projects was that these immovable deadlines had an amazing effect on everybody associated with the project. It galvanised everybody, from the top down, to work towards a common goal and to reach decisions quickly. These projects were also noticeable for the lack of corporate politics.
In the absence of compulsory deadlines, we recommend adopting a timeboxed approach. This is where a fixed amount of time is allocated into which a variable amount of change (and/or effort) can be incorporated.
This approach fits in with the commonly held belief that the best way to achieve organisational change is to “start small and then build on success”