More Than a Fancy Rolodex

CRM benefits and how to find CRM consultants.

A CRM should not be just a fancy rolodex.   Many users of CRM just use their CRM to store name, address, phone numbers, and email.   But there is so much more to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SalesForce CRM.   With the right CRM consultants these systems can be incredible but a lot of times these systems fall flat – but it’s not a limitation of the software.  CRM consultants are just not taking advantage of the potential of the CRM. 

More about CRM, Please check this ,

https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/benefitsofmicrosoftcrm/archive/2016/11/05/crm-more-than-a-fancy-rolodex

A CRM is a customer relationship management software system that allows your firm to track and manage your leads and contacts.  The big names in the field is Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.  Both have their advantages.  It’s necessary to talk to a CRM consultant to determine what platform is best for your Company.  A CRM’s success is predicated on the user interface, reporting & search-ability, and Incorporation. 

User Interface

User interface is probably the most important success factor in any CRM.  If the users don’t like entering data into the system, it probably won’t get entered.  There are a number of issues that need to be addressed.   First, the data can be scant.  It just track the basic info like name, address, email, social network names, and phone numbers.   This data is not enough so entering just information will provide little value to the Company.

The opposite side of this observation is too much information.  When you have a number of stakeholder involved in the system, they want to have their information prominent in the system.  This can cause a data overload and a user can become paralyzed with too much information.  It’s up to a Microsoft CRM consultant or the Salesforce Consultant to find the pertinent info and feature that on the main user interface.  Not so critical info should be delegated to other screens so the main client screen is not bogged down and slow.

Where you host the system is also a huge factor with the user experience.   Most Microsoft Dynamics CRM systems as well as Salesforce CRMs are moving to the cloud.  There is some in-house hosting but that is becoming rare.  The point here is if the connection to the database is slow, the users will ditch the find a local solution.   They will create external spreadsheets and find manual systems to avoid using the CRM.  This destroys the integrity of the system.  So make sure that you have a good connection that is not too bogged down with security issues. 

A streamlined user-friendly CRM is absolutely necessary especially when you are talking about the outside sales people.  If they don’t want to log their activities like meetings, calls, and follow up, the CRM is almost worthless.   How can you track a salesperson’s action if they are not entered in the system?  Sales folks are notorious for not embracing the latest technology, so it’s particularly important to get a user-friendly mobile interface so they can enter data on the road – right after those meetings.

 

Reporting and Search-ability

Collecting all the data in the world will not automatically mean that the CRM is successful.  Being able to access the data and display it in a meaningful way is extremely important.   Imagine trying to go through a spreadsheet with 1000s of transactions with no way to make sense of it.   Without management reports. Trend reporting, and daily activity reports - the data is meaningless.  Just being able to know that sales person had 100 call in the last month can have little value if it’s not compared to the other reps or whether those call lead to a sale.

Here is the problem with CRMs that are hosted in cloud.  Usually the Company does not have access to the database.   All reports need to be done by a consultant or development company.  This can get expensive.   Just a small tweak to a standard report can take time and money.  If there is an in-house CRM, then it can be done in a matter of minutes using Visual Studio or other report writing tools. 

A definite issue to be aware of is whether the reports will be monitored and by who.  If producing monthly reports with no follow up on their reports will do absolutely nothing to further the sales process.  Before creating any report make sure that the data is pertinent and easy to understand.   Graphics are always good so they do not become a blur of numbers.

To start, make sure the programmers are sitting with the end users for at least a month.  They need to see the workflow and understand the business.   A lot of CRM installations are driven by the programmers.   They sit away from the end users and don’t really see what type of reports and information would help the sales process.  Even if they do work with the endusers – make sure you get a wide variety of opinions.   Don’t just talk to the management and think that is the full spectrum.

 

Incorporation

Even if a Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Salesforce CRM has been implemented for years, it doesn’t mean that the system is incorporated into the organization.   A number of times, one can see that the CRM stands alone and just collecting information.   If one suspects that the CRM is not doing its job, ask the back office people how many spreadsheets or documents that they maintain to perform their task.  If there is a spreadsheet for this and another for that.  That is usually a tell-tale sign that the CRM is not in a good place.

To avoid such a disaster, try to automate and integrate transactions as much as possible.  For example, if an appointment is entered into Outlook – make sure it finds its way into the CRM as an activity.  Otherwise the users will be irritated by having to do double entries.  But it’s very important to make sure all variations of the transaction is programmed into the integration.  Back to our example, to enter a one-time meeting might make it between the Outlook calendar and your CRM.  But what about recurring meetings?  How about cancellations and time changes?   If there is a whole in the logic, the end users will probably ditch it in favor of doing things manually.

That is the issue here – not to beat this point to death.   But to get better compliance you must have a easy to use mobile way to enter data into the CRM.  Most sales people don’t like to do data entry.  Especially if they have to do it afterhours.  It would better for them to have an interface there directly on their phone so they can enter the info.   Also, don’t make it too complicated.   It should be the bare minimum of info so they are more likely to enter the info after each meeting.

 

These three factors in implementing a successful Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Salesforce CRM are absolutely critical.   First a Company must develop and get user buy-in for the CRM interface.  Next the search-ability and reporting must be meaningful – it should not be a massive blog of information.  Lastly, the CRM must be incorporated into the daily workflow.  It should not stand-alone or require an inordinate amount of extra work.

Final Word:

If a successful implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce CRM does not have some pitfalls.   A number of CRM installations suffer from the “Next Big Thing” syndrome.    Even if things are humming along, some update to a Microsoft CRM platform or alternative system will capture the imagination of management or the sales force.  The thought of moving to another system can paralyze a company.  Users will figure “Why waste time on this system?” when the new one is coming.   The new one take years and usually a lot of pain.   It is a far better approach is to make do with what you have instead of finding the next great thing.  

Please visit http://microsoft-crm-consultant.com for more details on understanding on CRM.

Also Please visit , https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/benefitsofmicrosoftcrm/archive/2016/11/05/crm-more-than-a-fancy-rolodex