Adopting a successful CRM program is every company’s dream, but CRM success within a company is much more dependent on the humans for and by whom the CRM will be used. Choosing a CRM software comes as a secondary task. Understanding your organization’s needs to maximize the usage of a CRM system is mandatory. One of the major reasons for failed CRM projects is not having meaningful user adoption.
How to Increase the CRM user adoption rate
The best way to increase user adoption is to implement a user adoption strategy that encourages businesses to focus on user sustainability rather than project budget and timeliness. The skills and methods that were used in deploying CRM applications are different from the skills and methods that are needed to change user behaviors. A different set of people is needed to work on the user adoption program and deliver on the following key areas:
Involve users from the beginning
Not every individual entertains change. Getting used to the daily working pattern is preferred by your employees rather than changing it for the betterment of productivity. Fear of not understanding the system implemented norms is very daunting, and thus, painting a clear picture of the system to be developed for the user and helping them understand it will remove all the uncertainties. Make your users understand how CRM will help them, automate a few of the tasks or prove a time saver. Taking your users’ feedback into account will also lead to successful implementation.
Select a CRM champion
Identify a person in your organization who can fulfill the responsibilities of a CRM Champion. The CRM Champion’s primary responsibilities include developing standard procedures and ensuring that users use the system correctly while adhering to data quality procedures. Your CRM Champion should be an expert in operating the CRM along with the ability to handle administrative tasks.
Ensure that the CRM system is easy to use
The CRM application is meant to ease the burden of users. If your users are finding it difficult to manage or find their data in CRM, you need to streamline the process. Process streamlining must be taken into consideration at the initial stage of system configuration itself. Many users tend to get confused or even hate such interfaces that offer no useful information, e.g., unwanted fields. As and when users progress, your system admin can gradually introduce new items into the system.
Train your users
Prioritize user training sessions. Spending time on user training is not a waste of time and effort; in fact, it saves time and effort for both the users and the management who will further review their work and performance. Develop training based on different processes defined within CRM. As an example, a sales representative will be more interested in knowing about the sales opportunity module than the service module. Similarly, a marketing executive will be interested in marketing campaigns, bulk emails, groups of companies, people, etc.
Conclusion
With the majority of CRM programs failing, it is clear businesses need to take steps to ensure a good CRM return on investment. We are confident that by following the best practices listed above, you will succeed in your CRM agenda.
