The Importance of CRM Training

CRM solutions are complex software products. They are systems that require technical and well-trained users in order to remain effective. It’s important that users are adequately trained in using CRM resources and we believe is a large factor in the success or failure of a project.

It prevents mistakes.

It drives productivity.

It saves time (and money!)

Your data will be high-quality.

It increases user adoption.

Unfortunately, training staff to adequately operate software is viewed (wrongly!) as a low priority.

Here’s an example: Imagine a new staff member doesn’t understand all the input fields for a contact and starts inputting data into the wrong field. When a report is run, it won’t be picking up the field and can skew your overall data, potentially leading to incorrect conclusions.

Of course, this can all be corrected. But identifying the problem, the solution and executing the fix can be costly – and completely avoidable.

Investing in training is investing in your staff. It will eventually pay dividends as they will reduce their mistakes and save your organisation plenty of future headaches. They might be able to innovate and discover new and efficient methods for their processes.

The challenge is to identify how much training is required.

Do your experienced employees require bespoke refresher training sessions?

Have you brought in a new module and require an intensive course for a specific department?

What level of expertise is your staff currently at?

Are the skills across your staff differing greatly?

CRM systems constantly evolve and therefore your employee's skill set needs to be continuously reviewed to be up to date. It’s important you know where the gaps are before you are beginning a training programme, so you can receive the most value.

You could do this by sending out a questionnaire which finds out exactly what is needed on a large scale. You could also have informal, small meetings to discuss staff concerns and discover what they need help with. It’s a crucial part of the process and easy to misjudge the correct amount of training is required.

When you upgrade your CRM or move to a new one, we would recommend you take some time to define your training requirements and to develop a programme that suits your organisation.

A skilled workforce leads to innovation, increased productivity and even boosts morale. Investing in a training programme will drive all of these things and will lead to long-term CRM success.