We are all aware that CRM is good for business. In fact, the truth is, while CRM increases sales by 29%, according to Nucleus Research the average ROI (Return on Investment) of any CRM is $8.71, for every $1.00 spent on this software platform.
Therefore, as cost-cutting measures are the need of the day, for to survive nowadays businesses and brands have no other options but to do better than their competitors without amplifying their budgets, which has made easy to use CRM more important than ever nowadays.
To improve productivity and fine-tune business processes several small businesses and enterprises have accepted the gaining widespread popularity of business growth technology and tools like CRM for retaining and finding new customers, as cloud-based CRM software applications are pretty simple to use.
Now, having said that, there is one important fact that we cannot choose to overlook- that not all implementations of CRM solutions, be it Salesforce or any other Salesforce Alternative CRM software solutions are successful.
The main reason behind lagging implementation of even easy to use CRM solutions is poor user adoption rate.
Employee resistance, insufficiency in funds and time, lack of preparation and planning are certainly other reasons that escalate the poor adoption rate of CRM platforms for businesses.
Moreover, as many CRM vendors have done a good job of touting the simplicity of their applications, many customers have taken the user-friendliness of CRM implementation of their Customer Relationship Management platform for granted.
But, just because something looks apparently simple and easy you must not take it for granted. Since, if you do not learn to implement and neglect the best practices, it will almost inevitably lead to a failure in reaping the maximum benefits not only from your CRM but even from any other business growth technology and tools.
For example, although brushing your teeth is relatively simple, but if you neglect to brush or do it altogether in the wrong way, this can lead to several maladies and even tooth loss.
Similarly, once you buy CRM using the software inefficiently or not using it consistently can cause detrimental consequences for your business.
Ineffective use of any CRM may not only lead to failure in follow-up on scheduled tasks and appointments, but it can also mismanage customer relationships, fail to capture important customer data and insights and in severe cases end up with the loss of potential customers in your business.
Here are some of the crucial low adoption rate statistics on easy to use CRM software platforms:
• According to CSO Insights, 43% of CRM customers use even lesser than half the features they have in their CRM.
• According to Really Simple Systems, 4 out of 5 senior executives say that their biggest challenge was getting their staffs to use the CRM consistently.
Hence, before you buy CRM, remember employees of your business organization may always have different preconceived notions and perspectives about the CRM system. Whereby, while some may love it, others may hate using it too.
Therefore, before most of your employees get reluctant towards CRM as one of the most popular business growth technology, it is best to make them understand the benefits of this software and show them how it will make their work a lot easier every day.
Here are 7 awesome golden tips to make your CRM implementation a success story once you buy CRM for your business growth .
1. Give Value To Business Needs And Requirements
To make your easy to use CRM implementation worthwhile for your business, you must not only possess a good understanding of your businesses’ workflows but also understand how your brand interacts to satisfy your potential customer’s needs.
CRM is more than a mere software solution. Rather Customer Relationship Management is a process of dealing with your customers through intelligent communications that call for a holistic approach.
In other words, CRM technology consists of people, processes, and technology that combine to manage business relationships with your customers.
2. Involve Employees From The Beginning
Your employees are the ones who are going to use your CRM, and so they play the most significant role in the successful implementation of your CRM platform. Hence, it is always wise to involve your employees from the very first stage of your CRM implementation process.
Exhibit to them how the new system is going to diminish their workload and make them understand how easy to use CRM is going to take their work on the upbeat.
As an additional gesture for early adoption of your easy to use CRM, encourage your employees to provide their opinion and feedback on the system. This will not only help in trimming down uncertainties of the software but also help you to acquire necessary support for proper utilization of your CRM system.
3. Hire a CRM Project Manager
It is always a good idea to get a CRM project manager on board in your company, who will act as a technical ambassador and a problem-solver of your employees with respect to your easy to use CRM system. As your CRM project manager is the one who will be responsible for overall implementation and management of your easy to use CRM platform, the person must possess good communication and IT skills.
It is the project manager whose steps your employees must follow, as he/she will drive the project and even help measure the achievement levels of your best small business CRM solution related goals.
4. Remain Patient And Move One Step At A Time
Once you buy the software, do not attempt to achieve too many tasks with your CRM at once or implement the customer relationship solution in a haphazard manner. As it is very natural, like many other buyers of CRM you may always find yourself being carried away and find it absolutely exciting to implement the new system which is capable of streamlining all your business processes but don’t forget all complex projects needs to be broken down into manageable and measurable phases with achievable goals. Hence, for successful implementation of your CRM, go slow with the platform and implement this business growth technology without hurrying, one-step at a time.
5. Train Your Employees
As every employee in any organization has a different capacity to understand and accept changes, it is always advisable that you must arrange training sessions for all your employees. Also, make sure during the course of the training you must train each department, like marketing, sales, accounts and customer support reps, on their specialized needs. Appropriate training on the CRM’s functionalities often brings forth positive momentum of enthusiasm among the employees, for implementation of the easy to use CRM platform.
6. Set Guidelines For Your Employees
It is really important that you must lay down guidelines in consultation with your easy to use CRM project manager, on what kind of data (as per your company’s goals), your employees should input in the CRM. Since, for proper utilization of your customer relationship management software, it is utterly necessary that you must manage all tasks and activities with proper reporting structure as a part of your guidelines.
7. Make The CRM Available Anywhere
Last but not the least, in case your sales team also includes sales reps working in the field, you must buy CRM, which has a mobile application in addition to the web-based version of the platform.
The user experience should also be taken into consideration while implementing mobile CRM app. As desktop and mobile environments of any app need to be different, the mobile version of your easy to use CRM platform should be intuitive and fast. It should also be data contextual, minimizing keystrokes and automating information as much as possible, to streamline workflow.
It is only when your sales team, see that the easy to use CRM helps them to sell, and there are little or no difficulties involved in using the platform, it will escalate the adoption rate of your customer relationship software.
Takeaway
Remember, like any other business growth technology and tools easy to use CRM adoption is a journey and not a destination. Hence by remembering the tips and guidelines given above, it will be easy for you to triumph over the initial hurdles to CRM adoption and make certain that your business reaps the best benefits offered by CRM for rapid business growth.
