Embracing CRM isn't just a matter of installing the software. You need to get everybody in your enterprise on board.
Start by selling your CEO and other key decision-makers. You might propose that the system will earn its keep by reducing calls to a phone center or by cutting back on the amount of time needed to resolve inquiries. Some companies also try to map out the increase in revenue they expect from improved cross-selling and marketing.
Then it's time to persuade the employees. Bill Schiefelbein, VP of technology at Capella University, an online school based in Minneapolis, decided he wanted to install CRM software in the registrar and financial-aid offices. His first move: hiring consultant Barton Goldenberg, who then spent two and a half months meeting with the school's 250 employees before the system was installed. By explaining how the new system would make their jobs simpler, Goldenberg got the backing he needed for the $750,000 project.
Once you've convinced employees that CRM is a good thing, it's time to retrain them. The software will change the way they do their jobs; without such changes, says Carter Lusher, strategist at consultancy Sage Circle, CRM "projects go awry, [and people] are not going to use them." The rule of thumb says that for every dollar spent on software, $1.50 should go to training. Employees should be offered incentives for reducing costs or improving productivity - which, after all, are two of the main reasons companies install CRM in the first place.
