We treat business through the implementation of CRM systems

Implementation of a CRM system allows you to reduce the amount of manager's routine work by 28%, which saves 8-12 working hours per week. The cost-effectiveness of implementing a CRM system is 5-15% of the total turnover of the company, and the percentage of customer retention is increased by 5-7%. All this allows you to increase business profits by 25-50%.

Business executives often perceive CRM as a kind of miracle pill or medicine, which allows to increase profits three times. But in reality, everything happens a little differently. And the introduction of a CRM system is more like a detailed course of treatment, which does not immediately and gradually bring results.

Therefore, we would like to talk about the process of integrating the CRM on the example of classical therapeutic therapy.

Stage One: History and Diagnosis

The first stage is one of the most difficult. First of all, you should determine the purpose of implementing a CRM system. For the patient, the main goal is to get rid of the disease.

The goal of a company director can be very different: identifying problem areas, structuring a business, automating work processes, monitoring performance, etc. To trace the result of implementing a CRM system, you should determine what tasks it should solve.

After listening to complaints and identifying symptoms, the doctor examines the patient’s history and prescribes various tests. In our context, the CRM implementation specialist will have to understand the work scheme of the entire company. To do this, you must define the following:

• Structure. The number of employees, the hierarchy, and the tasks they perform.
• The main products or services that the company offers (as well as the main distribution channels).
• The target audience.
• How is the deal? It is necessary to determine all the work that is carried out in the combination “order-deal-sale-re-sale”.
• Marketing. How the company builds customer relationships and also distributes its product.
• How is an analysis of the effectiveness of employees, department or the whole company. What tools are used for this.

In fact, the specialist performs an external audit of the enterprise to identify problem areas, work tools, personnel structure, etc. It is worth considering that companies often do not want to provide detailed data and insist that a specialist conduct an analysis on their own. But remember that the doctor will not be able to diagnose without the participation of the patient.

Stage Two: Treatment Plan

At this stage of the implementation of the CRM system, the specialist has already determined where the company is losing money. He sees at what stage the deal breaks down; how many customers refuse to make a repeat purchase and why; which employees violate deadlines, etc. Based on these data, the Terms of Reference are compiled and the most suitable CRM system structure is formed.

Many companies offer gamification, integration services, various widgets and much more. But more often than not, excessive functionality has a negative effect. The more CRM is loaded, the more difficult it is to work in it.

Once the basic CRM framework is in place, you can evaluate its benefits and begin testing. Usually this does not take much time, but it allows you to get rid of most of the problems that may appear in the work.

Immediately after this, it is necessary to carry out the transfer of information to CRM. Over time, the data will certainly be edited and changed. Therefore, it is very important to determine exactly who will administer the new system and track changes. Usually this is the head of the department or his deputy.

Stage Three: Begin Tracking Therapy

To convince colleagues to get rid of Excel tables, you need to show them the value and ease of working with the system. For example, to save the history of communication with the client, the manager needs to make only a few clicks. And to share information, you just need to select the appropriate names of colleagues from the list. This simplification eliminates routine work, and this is what needs to be conveyed to staff.

Users will have questions about working with the system, so the first weeks the technical support manager gives recommendations on how to work. Also, this can be done by the head of the department at the enterprise where CRM is introduced.

The effectiveness of the implementation of the CRM system depends on the speed of implementation. If the platform is introduced immediately to all departments and in all directions, then management simply will not understand how to organize work.

It is as if the patient was immediately prescribed 5 tablets of vitamin C, antibiotics, a dropper, injections, physiotherapy and walks in the fresh air. The course of treatment, as well as the introduction of CRM, it is best to start gradually for each unit or individual team.

Stage Four: Combat Side Effects

As with any new project, when you run CRM, you encounter difficulties and side effects from the “cure”. The most basic of them:

1. The staff does not want to work with CRM, ignores it and works in standard tables.

To eliminate the side effect, you do not need to impose sanctions, but you should come up with motivation and incentives for using CRM. For example, for 10 well-developed contacts in CRM, you can offer a free lunch in the dining room or 10 minutes before the lunch break.

2. Managers do not understand the logic of CRM and the need for its implementation.

Often, staff are confident that no change is needed. Patients who do not want to spend money on medicines and go to the pharmacy also say: “Why do I need these cold pills? I’ll get better on chicken stock too. ”

Therefore, employees need to convey information that the introduction of CRM increases profit despite all doubts. And the faster the effect of the new product will be, the faster the company will grow, and, consequently, the salary of managers.

3. It is difficult to learn ...

The stages of implementing a CRM system involve the integration of additional tools. This increases the effectiveness of managers, but they don’t even know about it. Therefore, new interesting features in the system should be studied and used by employees. And a technical support specialist or manager can help in learning new tools.

4. Distribution of duties.

Companies face a problem when employees cannot or do not want to distribute tasks: one believes that it does something more in CRM, the other thinks the same way.

Such a conflict of interest can extend to entire departments. In this case, the regulator (manager or technical specialist) will help to resolve the conflict, which will identify the cause and, possibly, add a new feature to automate or simplify any processes.

5. Sudden allergy.

During treatment, the patient may have a latent allergy to the medicine. In the context of the company, this means that when transferring data, working jambs that were previously accepted pop up. For example, the contact of an important client was lost in the dump of Excel files. Bottom line: a torn deal.

Usually in such cases, an audit of the company helps. A person involved in implementing CRM can simultaneously audit and identify the main problems. Subsequently, all identified errors are resolved by the team or by individual managers.

Stage Five: Gradual Recovery

All risks are behind, the process of making transactions is getting better and managers are gradually realizing how convenient and faster it is to work in the new CRM. Employees are beginning to realize that the new system was introduced not just for show or at the whim of the boss.

The system displays all the data on the client, so you no longer need to go to another department for information. Through the mobile application, you can see how the best managers conduct a deal and learn from them. Based on the customer’s completed card, it’s much easier for the marketing department to create promotions. Such benefits appear as mushrooms after rain.

Good CRM, seasoned with a bonus system, can improve the performance of even weak managers. Flexible employees ready for change will do the job even better. Those who do not want to change and strive to increase sales, simply will not be able to compete for their workplace.

Right now, the company has a “second wind”, with each month the gross turnover is gradually increasing, gaps are identified and quickly eliminated, and employees begin to work as a single organism.

Congratulations! Your business is completely healthy and ready for new achievements.