Step 2: Determine the Functions to Automate

Effective automation at a company starts with a CRM audit, which identifies the business functions that need to be automated and lists the technical features that are required in the CRM system. While there are several different audit methodologies available, we recommend one that contains questionnaires, face-to-face interviews with customer-facing personnel (e.g., anyone who has direct contact with a customer or serves a support role), face-to-face interviews with customers if possible, visits with sales representatives in the field as well as sales channel partners, a review of business processes, a technical assessment, and a final report.

You may choose to hire a CRM consultant to conduct the audit, or you may want to conduct the audit yourself. If you choose the latter, be sure to start by assigning a project team composed of internal and/or external personnel who are familiar with your sales and marketing operations. You may even wish to send one or more members of your project team to one of the many available CRM seminars (e.g., DCI's Customer Relationship Management Conference), at which audit implementation details are discussed.

Regardless of your approach, the audit step is critical. If the audit is not performed properly, you will most likely be unable to implement an effective CRM system. In ISM's experience, companies that took the time to audit properly have more easily and quickly realized the benefits of CRM than those companies that did not. The latter are now paying the price in terms of wasted time, effort, and money.

Automate what needs automating. Automating, for example, an inefficient business process, can be a costly mistake. During a visit with the CRM manager of one of Italy's leading car manufacturers, it was apparent that he wanted to use the CRM system to “once and for all, control his unstructured Italian sales force.” This is not the correct basis for approaching CRM, and using CRM to control a sales force is a grave error. In this case, the CRM system never got off the ground.

To ensure that you automate what needs to be automated, your CRM audit should address a “wish list” of how salespeople, marketing personnel, customer support staff, and management would like to improve their work processes. At one company, while ISM was conducting an audit, the top salesman expressed the wish: “If only I could get updated information on both my potential client and my competitors prior to the sales call.” Remember that the people doing the job know ways to do it better. Take the time to work with them and you will learn what needs to be automated.