Fall In Love with Your Dynamics CRM Again

Picture this: your company invests in a state-of-the-art CRM system, expecting it to revolutionize customer relations and drive sales. But as time passes, usage dwindles, and satisfaction plummets. Sound familiar? You're not alone. The road to CRM mastery is littered with deployments that fall short of expectations.?

In today's dynamic business landscape, CRM deployments often fail to meet the expectations set for them. Despite the promises of increased efficiency and revenue growth, many organizations find themselves grappling with underutilized, ineffective CRM systems. How can businesses navigate through this and steer their CRM initiatives towards success? ?

It is risky to consider CRM secondary to other essential business applications. With the potential to transform customer engagement and enable sales, marketing, and service excellence; CRM deserves the same level of attention, planning, and investment as an ERP system or buying a new machine for the plant floor. When it comes to CRM, we have found a few strategies that are used in every successful deployment. ?

Prioritize Transparency?

When a manufacturer buys that machine for the floor, they know exactly how much it will produce every shift, every hour. The expected value of this purchase is clear to everyone in the organization, and if things stop working properly, it is easy to spot and becomes a priority to fix.?CRM needs to be thought of in the same way. What value are you expecting from your CRM? What kinds of customer data and insights are you looking for, and how will you be using that? What processes will be supported or done completely by the CRM? With concrete expectations, it becomes much easier to spot and fix problems before they get out of control.?

Furthermore, this transparency extends beyond simply stating the goals; it involves fostering an open dialogue about how CRM will support these objectives and what role each department or team will play in its implementation and utilization. For example, sales teams may expect CRM to provide them with better lead management tools, while marketing teams may rely on it for campaign tracking and analysis. By clearly outlining these expectations and aligning them with the broader business strategy, organizations can ensure that everyone understands the purpose and potential of CRM.?

Don’t Blame the Software?

The part about CRM that many sellers won’t tell you is that success is only 20% due to the technology. The other 80% is the plan and the people behind it. The CRM’s features and benefits are highlighted without ever mentioning the hurdles, change management, and risks the customer may face. Even if these topics are covered, the deployment often lacks a clear timeline with measurable goals laid out.?

The buyers of course have some responsibility for the success or failure of CRM. They may resist initial analysis, design, and integrations in pursuit of faster deployment, or adhere to outdated and inefficient processes that fail to leverage the CRM's full potential. While both sides play a part, much of the responsibility lies with the seller as they have far more experience implementing CRM, and as we said before, most of CRM success is the plan and the people. Only once in over 30 years of CRM deployment have we found the solution to truly be at fault. In every other case the “failure” could be fixed by improving internal understanding and processes with a well-defined roadmap to success.?

Embrace Change (And Manage it Properly)?

When implementing anything new in your organization, behaviors must change to take advantage of new opportunities. This is especially true in the case of CRM when it comes to the processes people use to do their day-to-day jobs. Sellers will often talk about the fact that changes must be made, but never mention exactly what will change, how it will be monitored, and how user compliance will be measured. This kind of clearly developed roadmap is essential for avoiding slowdowns, setbacks, and complete failures on the path to CRM success.?

Effectively managing change will also help boost user acceptance, which in turn boosts the impact CRM has. User acceptance is not just something that happens when you have a well-made solution, it needs to be accounted for in planning. Changes that are too large or happen without explanation will leave a sour taste in users' mouths, even if they ultimately benefit from them. Adjustments should be introduced gradually and logically, minimizing disruptions to daily workflows, and clearly communicating the benefits to users.?

Choose a Trustworthy Partner?

As we mentioned, CRM sellers have a critical responsibility to listen and educate buyers on all aspects of CRM, from initial implementation and training to ongoing process changes and strategic support.?

Conversely, buyers have a responsibility to choose a seller wisely and to trust their expertise. An organization only wants to buy a CRM once, and an experienced partner will know how to best apply a CRM’s features and intricacies to best meet the buyer’s unique needs. ?

CRM is a journey, not the destination. If the partner is doing their job, they’re working with buyers to both set and measure the short and long-term value of CRM. They will talk through changes in process and mindset that need to occur, and most importantly, convey this information clearly to all stakeholders.?

If you have a CRM system that isn’t living up to expectations, compare these guidelines to your processes and mindset around CRM. It is never too late to turn things around and start using CRM in a way that becomes instrumental to your organization's success.?

InfoGrow is dedicated to helping organizations implement and embrace Dynamics 365/CRM solutions. We believe in honesty, transparency, and collaboration, and are dedicated to making CRM a vital part of your business.?

Want to fall in love with your CRM again? Schedule a FREE CRM review with InfoGrow today!?