How to improve user adoption of your CRM

One of the key challenges in deploying a CRM solution is ensuring expected usage of the CRM solution by all CRM users, on a regular, consistent basis. Surveys show that lack of adoption among CRM users often lead to low value realisation of the CRM for the organisation.

From our large number of CRM implementation for a wide range of customers, we find some of the key ways to promote sustainable user adoption of the CRM system are:

Select key CRM stakeholders early in the implementation stage and actively engage them throughout the implementation cycles. This ensures stakeholders understand the CRM’sbuilt-in capabilities well and feedback from the stakeholders are analysed and applied to the CRM on timely basis.This also ultimately motivates the key stakeholders to champion the continued usage of CRM throughout the organisation.
If the CRM implementation is carried out in traditional water-fall method, the implementation time is often longer than expected and leads to stakeholder’s frustration about the delays. Also, post user-testing feedback analysis and change managementoften make the implementation process even longer and hinders user adoption. To avoid this pitfall, implement the CRM using agile method which promotes iterative and value-driven approach. This enables you to implement the key CRM capabilities based on priority and have these features available to users faster as a working product. This foster user adoption as users get more value from the CRM solution faster and also encourage them to engage with the CRM deployment process more actively.
Often CRM systems lack consistent and updated customer and related data that lead to inefficient use of the CRM processes and inaccurate reports and dashboards. This then leads to user’s negative perception of the effectiveness and value of the CRM system. To promote consistent entry of the data and regular update, create a standardised guideline, specially for the key modules and events/milestones and provide user training using this guideline as the basis of expected CRM usage. Ensure to keep this guideline updated as your CRM system evolves over time and arrange refresher training sessions for the users periodically. This will ensure the processes design within CRM system will work as expected boosting efficiency of the users and enhancing perceived value of the CRM. This will also help managers to retrieve desired information and insight from the CRM system via reports and dashboards.
Even after a successful launch of the CRM system, sometime the usage of the CRM system becomes erratic and progressively less usage. This often is due to the inflexibility of the CRM solution to be able to adapt rapidly as per the organisation’s growth and challenges over time. To overcome this issue, ensure to select a CRM platform that not only has the desired out-of-the-box features but also is based on a flexible platform that can be leveraged to rapidly modify or extend all aspects of the solution rapidly and without limitations.