Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems should (note the word ‘should’) improve productivity throughout the sales cycle.
From choosing the right prospects, lead handling and appointment setting to producing quotes, converting them to orders and forecasting future sales, they should streamline the whole sales process. They should be at the heart of the majority of successful sales departments, and, once implemented, they should leave sales staff wondering how they ever coped without one.
In fact, if you believe some of the hype of the past few years, they should do almost anything a salesperson wants them to bar buying them a drink after work.
It’s that word ‘should’ that’s the problem. According to research from Gartner, as many as 60% of all CRM implementations fail. So given that CRM software can help in many aspects of a salespersons’ role, why do they go wrong?
Editorial Note: This article was originally written by Concentrix and published in the Guest Comment/Expert Opinion section on the website Modern Selling - hence the focus on a Sales Environment.
Lack of buy-in
If CRM systems fail in a sales environment, you’ll usually find a lack of user buy-in. Yes, things can go wrong technically, but technical issues can nearly always be overcome with the right software skills or changes to hardware. But if sales staff don’t see clear advantages, they find the system difficult to use, it’s not right for them or doesn’t seem to make their job any easier, it's a good bet the project will fail.
Reasons for lack of buy-in often start before anyone in the sales department, or even IT (information technology), has thought about CRM. Say for example, an operations department wanted a new planning system. Then someone noticed it’s got a CRM add-on: ‘Great, lets get that for sales and marketing.’
Clearly, without taking an in-depth look at the sales processes, the company could well end up shoe-horning in a CRM add-on that does not meet the requirements of their business. If it doesn’t do what sales staff want it to do and doesn’t actively demonstrate any benefits, it will naturally meet with resistance.
Responsibility
But what if you’ve spent time choosing a CRM system that you know should be right for your company? It’s suited to your business needs and sales processes, you know it can do what you want it to do and you’ve seen it work in other companies. And because it’s software, it should be the IT department’s responsibility: ask them set it up on your PC’s and off we go. Job done.
Or not. It isn't the Department's responsibility.
You’ll certainly need IT’s help, but sales teams need to own their bit of the CRM system, and co-own the rest of it. And this means allocating time and resources from the beginning. Keep sales staff informed and listen to their feedback. Nearly every CRM system will need a degree of configuration to suit particular businesses needs.
Serious amendment
Leaving CRM software implementation to the IT department doesn’t mean the project will fail, but could result in a system that needs a serious amount of amendments after the go-live date. This can immediately de-value the system in the eyes of sales staff, and there goes another chunk of user buy-in.
Snooping
And whose idea was it to implement a CRM system in the first place? If the initiative has come from the top down, there may be fears of it just being a device for management to keep an eye on what staff are up to. Management (or any other staff member if the system’s configured that way) can look at who’s done what, when they did it, what’s in their diary and what they haven’t done.
Overload
Then there’s task allocation. Other people can set you tasks, schedule your calls, put you in meetings and see what you’ve got planned. The system may even allocate some tasks automatically. This can generate a perception of time management being taken out of the hands of the individual, and fear of work overload.
These are natural concerns. They can all lead, directly or indirectly, to resistance to CRM system implementation. However, once the system’s up and running, these fears usually vanish pretty quickly. Everyone’s in the same boat.
Errors in processes that could lead to individuals being overloaded will usually be identified during the business process analysis stage, and improving business processes is part of the benefits a new CRM system brings. Plus the various tools available in modern CRM software often result in a marked improvement in many staff members time management.
Data entry
So what about other changes, like a perceived increase in data entry? Some CRM systems may need sales staff to type in information they didn’t enter before. And yes, this can seem a hassle to some staff.
However, it’s important to capture this data and keep it in one place. Access to accurate, comprehensive information and elimination of duplicate data entry are two of the most visible benefits to show early on in a CRM project. Data has to be entered somewhere.
All the information that was previously kept on pieces of paper, on spreadsheets, on individual laptops and so on, is now in one place, and entered only once. Old habits can be difficult to break but quick and easy data retrieval from a single source is a big win for everyone in the sales department. At the same time, CRM software is improving and steadily making data-entry tasks much easier.
Involve sales staff early
From a business process point of view as well as a user buy-in perspective, it pays to involve sales staff early on in the project. However, they also need time to give their input.
Implementing a new system is not part of the day job, and the day job doesn’t go away: a point which surprisingly often gets overlooked. It will need staff time allocated and covered, even if it’s the odd hour here and there before the system’s launched. You’ll also need to give them time to adjust to new ways of working.
The right supplier
Few companies implement a new CRM system without working closely with a software reseller. However, CRM implementations are far more likely to fail if you choose the wrong one. Ideally choose a software reseller that specialises in CRM, or at least one that can provide references from successful CRM projects.
Preferably they’ll offer a selection of different systems so you can choose the most suitable product for your business. If not they may try to impose a particular software package because that’s all they work with. So if you are a small or medium sized business, you’d look at suppliers who provide at least two relevant CRM solutions, for example Maximiser, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage CRM, SalesLogix, FrontRange GoldMine, and so on. Make sure the suppliers doesn’t see CRM as an add-on to a larger or different system, or as an aside to their core business.
Also, CRM system implementation is far more likely to succeed if your provider offers a range of services such as business process analysis, project management, support and training - not just software supply and installation.
A CRM system needs buy-in from everyone in a sales team. It can’t be used by some sales staff and not others, or just used when convenient. It’s often a cultural shift for a company, but the gains inherent in successful CRM implementation will (not should) be outstanding.
In mid-2007, FrontRange Solutions released GoldMine Premium Edition in the UK. Since its release, this innovative CRM solution has established itself as one of the strongest forces in the CRM market. 
