How to change your CRM system – experiences from a consultant manager

Identify your organisations goals and purpose

A common mistake a lot of organisations do is to start looking for a supplier as soon as they have decided they need a new CRM system. But not laying down a good foundation before switching is definitely the wrong approach to making a successful switch, which will lead to problems down the line.

The first step is to think about why the organisation wants to change systems. Why is the current system not good enough? What do you hope to achieve with a new system? The goals and purposes  of the organisation must be crystal clear to both management, managers and staff members. When you have a clear grasp of the goals and purposes of the organisation it’ll be easier to find a sustainable, long-term solution that will work for the organisation over time.

Having the goals and purposes written down and understood also makes it easier to compare different suppliers. It helps you ask all the relevant questions needed to solve your goals and enables you to identify the suppliers who will be able to provide you with the right solution. As you progress through the process, some suppliers will be ruled out and you will be able to find the supplier that meets your needs the best.

Avoid focusing on IT

A firm understanding of your goals and purposes must be in place to succeed with the CRM project. However, some organisation will try to focus on IT, something there isn’t much of a need to focus on.

Whether or not a CRM project is successful isn’t dependant on IT, it depends on the users, the people working in customer support, sales and in marketing departments. That’s why switching a CRM system shouldn’t be viewed as an IT project, but as a project involving the people who’ll ultimately be using it.

When setting up a team for the CRM project, it’s important to involve representatives from all the different kinds of users in the company. This way you’ll be able to identify all the different needs the new CRM system must cover and it’ll also help you communicate the change happening to create deeper understanding across the company.

Instead of focusing on technology when choosing your new supplier, think about which supplier you trust instead. Changing your CRM system will become a very tough task if you don’t feel the supplier understands your issues or if they don’t show commitment to you as their customer. That’s why it is key to qualify suppliers based on the level of trust they show you.

Focus on the problems you need to solve

As you progress through the selection phase, make sure all considerations and decisions are aligned with your organisations stated goals and purpose. The needs of the organisation should always be the guideline for all decisions throughout the CRM project.

Having said that, it’s equally important to understand that the needs of the organisation may change over time. At the start of the project, you may be clear on what requirements a new system must fulfill, but once you progress through the process you may realise the needs are different or that they’ve changed in such a way the original goals and purpose won’t be fulfilled anymore. That’s why it’s important to be pragmatic and to keep an open mind throughout the project and adapt when necessary.

Clean your data properly – but in small steps

Changing your CRM system can basically be done in two different ways. One way is to start over completely from scratch and to archive the old system. The other way is to migrate data from the old system to the new one. The latter approach is most common, particularly for large companies, since you usually want to retain the history you have in your customer data. To make sure you don’t migrate obsolete data into the new system you will need to clean and verify your data.

There are different ways to carry out data cleaning. Doing it manually isn’t a viable method if your system holds an extensive amount of data. Instead, you’ll need to consider using a computerised data cleaning tool. The complexity of the data migration depends on how well a supplier can extract and access the data from the current system. Generally speaking, data is extracted using some sort of file format, which is then imported into the new system.

The migration doesn’t necessarily have to be technically complicated as long as the data can be exported and linked to the new system in a seamless way. It’s more likely to feel overwhelmed by all the activities leading up to the migration. Therefore, our advice is to carry out the data migration in small steps, bit by bit.

Don’t set out to do everything in one go. Although we recognise that sometimes there is no other choice but to go fast and hard, most of the time it’s better to break down the project into different phases. Doing it in phases is a better way of supporting the users through the change. It will allow them to better absorb new information, learn new routines and help them start using the new system.

Be persistent

Once the new CRM system is up and running, perseverance is critical to ensure the investment will deliver the expected outcomes (and to avoid your company from having to change systems again soon).

We often say that implementing a CRM system is like a running a marathon. Everyone has to put in their best effort and avoid falling behind. Everyone has to stay focused on the goals and the purposes of the organisation and keep the usage at a high level while also continuously train staff in using the new system. This doesn’t just apply for the first six months after going live, but also during the coming years when only some of the staff members who took part in the initial implementation are still with the company.

The bottom line is this: To have a successful implementation of a CRM system your organisation needs to identify clear goals and purposes and stay focused on the needs of the organisation, rather than on technology. Move through the changes needed in phases, be long-term focused and be persistent! This will increase the likelihood of a successful change that you feel really satisfied with!

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