Taking the complexity out of your CRM project

CRM projects often fail because there is no clear goal for what exactly you want to achieve with CRM.

The challenge with most CRM projects is essential requirements needed to achieve your goal. A natural process for projects of this type is: (try to keep it as simple as possible)

1. The goals – Why do you need a CRM system – what do we wish to achieve and what are the success factors.

2. Who is this for and who should be involved – define the project group
a. Sponsor (budget owner)
b. Project Manager/champion
c. Stakeholders (sales/marketing personnel)

3. Research & requirements

4. Define the project
a. Build two lists “need to have “nice to have”
b. Remove feature requests that really aren’t necessary to achieve your goals – put these
on a “out of scope” list
c. Create a prioritized list and divide the project into phases if necessary

5. Find the right CRM system
a. Research and find 2-3 solutions (Preferably web-based CRM)
i. Find solutions that match your project requirements
ii. Use a list like this one to shortlist vendors
iii.Important when choosing CRM vendor
b. Ensure that they have the competence and resources to support you with your project
c. See if there is a blog or community where you have access to support documents and where you can communicate with pears alike
d. Check that the solution is flexible and you can easily modify/add fields
e. Don’t fall for a beautiful interface! Check that the solution actually is intuitive and loads quickly
f.  Ensure that it has an API so you are able to easily integrate to other systems like your ERP system

6. Create a project plan with timelines and details
a. Use the free trial period to learn the solution and see what it is capable of. Think about
how the system can help you achieve the goals & requirements you have set.
b. If you need help ask the CRM vendor for help.

7. Present the project to Stake holders
a. Adjust based on feedback if needed

8. Start the project
a. A good idea is to create user guides as you go along or ask your vendor to help create
these.

9. Rollout and education

Typical CRM goals – how can CRM help a business?

Increase sales

• Improve customer satisfaction & loyalty
• Create better products products based on customer buying behaviour
• Targeted marketing & segmentation by understanding customer preferencing

Save time and improve planning

• Organizes your business, Improves & automate processes
• Better predictability and resource management

Win business

• Increased personal touch and rapport
• By keeping track of your pipeline, you can prioritize your sales efforts and not waste time on bad prospects.

Does price matter?
CRM will change your business! You have decided to implement a CRM system and you are spending time and resources to implement it in the organization. This is probably the most important investment you will be doing in your company. Today most web-based CRM solutions are very reasonably priced and if you have to pay a couple of € extra pr. User to get the perfect system go for it!
Author Byline:

Lyuben Georgiev