Arriving at Consensus

An important factor to consider when embarking on your CRM project is the dynamics inherent in implementing an enterprise application. To illustrate this, consider a scenario where a single individual purchases a low-end contact management product for his/her personal use. In using this product the individual would have to make decisions about values of custom fields and how he/she would plan to use certain functions. Perhaps there is a priority field on the Lead records. The user would certainly develop some convention, albeit informal, to use in defining the options for that field. Now, think through these same scenarios where the package will be used by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of users. There must be some agreement about how to use custom fields and how to define existing ones. In some cases, standard fields will not be used or needed. These decisions affect all users of the system, so their needs must be considered.

Here are two suggestions to ensure that the system is put in place so that it will, as much as possible, serve the needs of all involved groups. First, form a steering committee where at least one key person (a system champion) from each business area is involved. This committee will be present at project status meetings to hear about issues related to the implementation and will understand the overall impact.

Having the different areas involved ensures that one person's needs don't trample another person's. The steering committee should continue to evaluate the system, and its modifications, after the initial implementation. CRM must continually evolve as your business evolves. The second recommendation is that during the project you hold at least two prototype meetings. These meetings involve showing an actual representation of the system so that the steering committee, as well as a larger group of potential users, will be able to see the system and offer feedback.

Always keep in mind that there are psychological implications of implementing a new system, especially CRM. If one of your business objectives is to have accurate sales forecasts, then it stands to reason that if even one salesperson resists entering their opportunity and forecast information, the forecast will not be accurate. In short, you are requiring those users to use the system. It will be much easier to get users to buy-in to the system if you have involved them in the process along the way as opposed to simply dropping it on them at the end.

Regardless of what you might have heard, Microsoft CRM is not something you just install and start using. As with any system, there are a lot of areas where the involved groups will need to agree on how they want things set up. The best advice is to take advantage of the knowledge of certified professionals.