Carrying out a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution may include extensive time and cost, but it is worth it to bring your team to the next level of doing business. Before enjoying the benefits of a CRM solution, you have to implement it and it’s not the easiest…
“Let’s get CRM…our business will change instantly!” Not so fast.
Did you know that 80% of CRM implementations fail? Deploying any kind of software solution involves thought, planning, expertise, and the right person to guide you through the process. There are two main reasons that implementations fail: over-simplification and over-complication.
Those two items might seem obvious to some, but it’s the real meaning behind the two of them that’s important to understand.
Over-simplification will cost you more money & time
Over-simplification starts with the old school of thought about CRM solutions – it’s a supplement to the business and doesn’t need an investment (monetary or time-wise). Having the right consultant on your side doesn’t mean finding someone who wants to have your CRM configured and customized to do everything under the sun.
Having the right consultant means finding someone who listens to and understands your needs and uses their expertise in order to determine the best course of deployment and strategy. It also means that the implementation is then put into a structure or framework that takes the guess work out of the timeline and process.
When an organization uses self-implementation tactics, they haven’t had the experience that tells them that user training should be X hours and at which point in time and at what point in the process. Self-deployment may mean that the system lags and lacks accountability and responsibility. There are a multitude of reasons to not go down the self deployment path if you don’t have a resource dedicated to the success of your implementation.
Over-complication will make you miss phase 1!
Over-complication is the other biggest factor. In my 16+ years of implementing hundreds of CRM systems, I’ve had many clients who came from failed implementations. The reason being that they went to someone who heard their every wish and desire for CRM and put all of it into place – Day 1. Where’s my ‘Wrong!’ button. Biting off too much up front and overly customizing a system before users get into it and begin their daily use can be very dangerous. It not only greatly increases the initial time and monetary investment, but it increases the risk of failure greatly.
One of the biggest things we see with businesses who have tried the over complication method is that when users actually start engaging with CRM they discover different ways to approach things and learn more about how the product works. Without the proper base knowledge of the product overall, it’s not the wisest decision to go beyond the necessities for Phase I. It also decreases the probability for high user adoption. Imagine getting a rental car that uses a really advanced technology pack and causes you to have to spend 10 minutes to figure out the climate control. Users getting into an overly complex system will often times throw their hands up and say they’d rather do things the ‘old way’.
No matter how small or big your deployment needs are it’s very important to work with a partner who understands the best manner in which to conduct your implementation to meet your business’ needs. Want more information? We’re happy to listen to what you have to say and get you a free demo and conversation around implementation.
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