Desktop CRM: Practical Implementation Traumatology

    When firms seek advice on automating a business in general and implementing CRM in particular, one and the same symptom is often observed: not infrastructure is needed from scratch, replacement with another software is needed. This is often a difficult situation, especially when you see that the software is adequate, albeit of the old version, but they do not know how or do not want to use it. We have to gather representatives of the client and regretfully explain that the “Do it All” button has not been created, and any software requires responsible work on the part of the person.


    I have gathered all the accumulated experience in implementing various CRMs and am ready to share it with habrozhitelami in order to prevent them from cones and making trouble. I will talk mainly about desktop software, since it is it that is the most secure, efficient and flexible, but also difficult to implement. It’s worth a little clarification. Desktop solutions for analysis purposes are selected for a number of reasons:
    • the very concept of “implementation” as a set of actions for installing, training, finalizing and managing the system for business purposes is not applicable to the cloud, which, as you know, is most often delivered as a service (SaaS)
    • full fine-tuning of CRM for client tasks is possible only in desktop CRM
    • desktop CRMs are safer in terms of protecting commercial data
    • cloud systems rarely have developed development tools , unless, of course, this is a complete open source, requiring substantial investment, at least in the salary of your full-time programmer.

    Based on these factors, I selected three popular desktop CRM systems for analysis:

    Given the wide experience in implementing solutions of many vendors, I can safely say that these systems are leaders in the market of systems for small and medium-sized businesses. In addition, for the purposes of analysis, they are suitable in that they have unique and interesting solutions in their arsenal for independent and external refinement.

    First of all, you need to understand that the implementation process is a business that connects the management of the client company (consultants immediately work on its side), company employees and vendors (developers). Accordingly, potential risks can arise from any side.

    Client Risks

    Misunderstanding of business needs is the first, main and most destructive risk. Before automation, you need to fully analyze your business, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses, determine what you want to change. For example, if you have a small print shop and two run-down risographs have 10 sales people who bring a lot of customers, one CRM will not help you. First you need to buy equipment, establish production, and then build relationships with customers and within the company through CRM. But this is a completely neglected case.

    A sample plan usually works:
    • Who you are? If a small company of 3-7 people, for which data security is not critical, you can choose any more or less functional cloud service. At the same time, do not forget about the dependence of the cloud on the stability and speed of the Internet connection. For example, if you enter important data with many parameters, and the connection is broken, in many systems the work may be lost and you will have to spend additional time recovering the data. This is especially critical when working with cold calls and with a large influx of customers.
      If you are 5-10 people and your business data should be safe, it is recommended to choose a ready-made “boxed” desktop solution (for example, Clic , Terrasoft CRM Sales , Regionsoft CRM Standard)

    I will give the cost of the basic “boxed" editions of the three leading desktop CRM vendors, with training and standard installation. Such solutions are suitable for small businesses without additional requirements.
    Terrasoft CRMRegionSoft CRMClient Communicator
    Version
    Sales
    Standard
    CLICK.CRM
    Cost of 10 licenses
    87 768
    51,700
    75,000
    Type of license
    registered
    competitive
    competitive
    Training, up to 10 people
    n / a
    6,000
    12,000
    Standard installation and deployment of a typical solution without implementation
    n / a
    7,000
    6,600
    Basic technical support
    13 165
    (15% of the cost of licenses)
    is free
    is free
    Estimated total cost of deploying a typical 10-seat solution
    100 933
    64,700
    93,600

    • What are your goals. If there are problems within the company, if you need to effectively manage clients, forgetting about broken tables in Excel and stickers that stick to the whole table, then CRM is what you need. However, you need to remember that CRM is not a panacea, it is just a tool.
    • How the sales department and front office are organized and how they relate to other departments, how much attention is paid to mailing lists and customer calls. If there are few mailings and calls are not critical, then most solutions are suitable, but if there are calls and mailings, then you should pay attention that someone has to pay for the SMS module separately (for example, Terrasoft CRM ), some CRMs have a built-in softphone ( the same of Terrasoft of CRM , RegionSoft of CRM ), someone has integration with Skype ( CliC , RegionSoft of CRM (they even logging conversations in Skype)), and someone, and it is screwed further.
    • Is there production and logistics, how are they organized. If the logistics and the development of production, it is worth paying attention to the strong type system CliC , RegionSoft of CRM , of Terrasoft of CRM . Although they are somewhat functionally redundant for many companies, they allow the client to optimally build business processes and effectively manage them. Comparable in terms of power and feature set to the best foreign competitors, they are tailored to the Russian market, which helps to significantly reduce the cost of finalizing systems.
    • Who are your customers: b2c or b2b. For example, if we are talking about a chain of stores with warehouses, price tags, discount cards and other retail equipment, then RegionSoft CRM is more suitable . If you are a wholesaler or a company working with business (trade, bank, advertising agency, production, etc.), then good solutions can be found at any of the listed vendors.
    • How professional are your system administrators and programmers , are there any at all. Training for employees is paid for by almost all vendors, many have paid services that could be carried out by a competent admin. In addition, if you have a staff member who is familiar with programming, you can use the tools for finalizing forms and reports submitted by all vendors. However, you need to pay attention that for someone this is just an opportunity to create a report or add fields to cards, while someone has strong solutions for complete development ( Click and its report designer, RegionSoft CRM and its Application Server ).
    • Is such software installed in the company and why it does not suit you. For example, the client had a huge and complex analytical CRM. It required a lot of money to implement, it did not bring any returns, because the employees did not accept the sea of ​​reports and got confused in the frightening multi-window interface. As a result, the client chose operational CRM for its goals, which has been serving him and his commercial service for several years. If you encounter problems when using software, it is better to analyze them, interview your employees so that a new purchase does not become a waste of money.
    • If you are a narrowly specialized company , look for an industry solution or order a serious project from a well-known vendor. The software developed for you will be the most optimal solution, albeit the most expensive.

    The second common problem on the part of the client’s management is the requirement that they earn everything at once, quickly and smoothly. This is impossible: employees must get used to the interface, understand the CRM structure, fill it with data. Only after that they will be able to fully use all the functionality. Management refusing to adapt to the new program is doomed to confusion and countless errors.

    The third scourge is greed . Greed is pursued by the introduction of almost any project. It starts at the time of selection, ends with improvements and training. Here you can simply list the list of rules that you need to understand and at least partially accept.
    • Price is not the main criterion for choosing a CRM. The main criterion is the novelty of the version and the functionality - the product must be developed, not abandoned by the developer, and the functionality must comply with modern requirements. For example, versions of primary documentation forms should be relevant, an interface - convenient, a warehouse and logistics - supporting commercial equipment, etc. ... Today, a set of functions has developed on the market that all leading CRM systems support. If the vendor cannot offer the basic functionality, you should know that despite the low starting price, you will invest in CRM to the fullest. This is the situation when a company outgrows software and starts paying twice.

    When implementing CRM in companies, it is often necessary to “finish” the software to meet the needs of the business. And many deliberately refuse to finalize, even recognizing its urgent need, for reasons of "economy". This is tantamount to the standard principle of “Kazbek smokes, saves on matches.” The price of refinement is the price of convenience, efficiency and quick start of work.

    There are two main cases of improvements: for companies that have their own specifics (HoReCa, pharmacy, construction, event, etc.) and small improvements (reports, modules, card fields) for mass implementations. In the first case, the costs are significant, but the result should provide the company with the most effective and suitable tool for work. In the second case, these are the client’s wishes, based on the basic functionality, and refinement is not so expensive. In this situation, you can refine CRM even with the help of a full-time professional programmer - vendors provide tools for working with reports (ClicK report designers, Terrasoft CRM, report designer and the previously mentioned Application Server RegionSoft CRM) or pay for the revision to a vendor who is ready to make all changes to the most concise deadlines.

    Three more principles follow from this.
    • Finalization is paid. Always paid. There is no need to require the developer to “snap” the button for social networks for free, and even more so, the request “just change the fields and a bit of an algorithm here” will remain unanswered. Your customers pay you, and in this situation, customers pay you. Once you have to pay for the revision, try to organize your requirements so that for your money you get the most high-quality and relevant delivery to your goals.
    • Do not save on training - the costs are not so high, and the work of trained employees starts much faster.
    • Pay for the upgrade. Of course, all vendors have free updates within certain limits. However, if a new global version is released and you are offered to install it for a reasonable amount - study the innovations and update, you will get a modern stable version with good technical support.

    Risks from the side of the client’s employees

    • Sabotage of new software. At first glance it sounds strange, but it is found constantly. The roots of this phenomenon go back to psychology: managers are afraid of excessive control, novelty, time spent on training and understanding. This problem is easily solved: almost all vendors offer training, many have good manuals and built-in help. It is important that after implementation you have an employee who knows the system at the expert level and is ready to share knowledge with others. It can be an IT specialist or a merchant, it is important that the understanding is really deep. Saving time and money on training, you will lose a certain layer of efficiency when working with CRM.
    • Partial loss of old customers. This situation arises when employees introduce new customers and new deals to CRM, while the old ones continue to be kept in files and notepads. While adding the old database to CRM by unloading (if possible) or manually is not only a way to keep customers and track relationships with them, but also a great reason to practice, studying along the way the entire functionality of the system.

    Risks from the vendor (developer)

    These risks are usually associated with customer behavior. Therefore, in the process of implementation, the client must understand some of the features of interaction with the developer.

    • Terms of Reference - I’m sure the most painful place of any IT project: from writing a landing page to comprehensive business automation. No matter how sad it is, very often clients do not know how to write it, and vendors cannot fully know and understand what the client needs. In this situation, there is a way out: the client should state all the requirements in human language, without any claims to technical “prosperity”, and the vendor should formalize the requirements, if necessary. Moreover, try to state the goal for which you need one or another function - most likely, the developer will offer you a simple and affordable solution based on the goal, and not from the description of the required functionality.
      The terms of reference should not be a project plan, but a full detailed description of what you (the customer) want from software (CRM). The more competent and detailed the ToR will be drawn up, the faster and more successfully the implementation will take place.
    • Improvements. In the course of revisions, the requirements for the project, and consequently the deadlines, can often change. In this situation, both sides lose. In order to avoid such problems, one must again proceed from a correctly drawn up technical task. In addition, the client company must accurately assess the need for improvements for its own goals, otherwise numerous changes in the supply will lead to large costs.

    Having examined the CRM implementation process from three sides, we can conclude:
    • thoroughly analyze the processes within the company before implementation
    • do not save on making the system as appropriate as possible for your business and its goals
    • work closely with the vendor, who in this situation is not just a performer, but a professional who knows his system perfectly and is ready to deploy it to you with maximum efficiency

    So guys:

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