Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, the cornerstone of today's businesses, have been rapidly evolving to offer powerful features and tools. With the infusion of artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics, CRMs have transformed from mere contact databases to smart…
Getting professionals to input or manage contacts in the CRM has always been a major goal and challenge for businesses. Firms have long struggled to convince users to consistently enter and maintain contact data. We think it is time to…
Schools, businesses, non-profits and other organizations need alumni relations programs to help with critical initiatives such as recruiting, fundraising/donations, sales/business development, referrals and general positive branding. Keeping alumni properly informed and engaged is one of the best ways to help…
Getting professionals to input or manage contacts in the CRM has always been a major goal and challenge for businesses. Firms have long struggled to convince users to consistently enter and maintain contact data. We think it is time to…
We hear a lot of buzz about big data, but what we really need isn’t more data – it’s better data. Research shows that up to 30% of our key CRM and other data degrades each year as people get hired, fired,…
On the 12th day of CRM Chris Kringle Fritsch explained to me the importance of content and email marketing as part of the marketing mix for law firms and professional service firms. Content marketing is so important for firms of…
On the 10th day of CRM Chris Kringle Fritsch gave to me, different ways we can assess our bad data! Assessing your data is always the first step in any data quality or CRM project. You should sit down and…
On the ninth day of CRM Chris Kringle Fritsch explained to me, the actual costs of bad data quality! What does bad data actually cost organizations and businesses? Chris Fritsch, of CLIENTSFirst Consulting, dives into some of the statistics reporting…
On the eighth day of CRM Chris Kringle Fritsch told me, why we should focus on bad data quality! Why should you care about fixing your bad data? Well, Chris Fritsch, of CLIENTSFirst Consulting, explains the benefits and rewards firms…
On the sixth day of CRM Chris Kringle Fritsch told me, it's time we redefine adoption! CRM systems have been around for more than 20 years, and we’ve been talking about adoption since the beginning. Maybe it is time we…
On the third day of CRM Chris Kringle Fritsch informed me, three things CRM should do for me! CRM can do a thousand things, literally. But how do you know what it should do for your business? The answer is…
On the first day of CRM, Chris Kringle Fritsch explained to me, how to measure CRM success! CRM success is different for every firm. If you have a CRM system, success can and should be measured. Figuring out which metrics…
How solid is your CRM foundation? Once you have a concrete strategy and have formed a plan, you need to build a solid CRM foundation to ensure long term success. Doing this type of ‘groundwork’ will ensure that your CRM implementation and…
CRM adoption has the greatest potential for a wreck. Having worked with almost a hundred firms to help them achieve and enhance CRM success over the last eight years, the biggest challenge we always seem to run into is CRM…
Herding your CRM users or "cats" toward full participation is a challenge. The beauty of a CRM system is that by gathering and maintaining the collective information of all CRM users, contacts can be kept updated across the organization. If an attorney receives updated…
If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, don't worry. Few people have the extensive experience to successfully deploy a CRM system by themselves. Still fewer are excited about expending the effort to get this experience. Fortunately, you don't have to…
Too often, firms are willing to spend money on a system but don't budget for other essential resources. More important than the investment in the technology can be the time and human resources required for success. Dedicated CRM staffing is…
Even if you get everything else right, CRM won't succeed without effective CRM training for all users. Customize Training for CRM User Groups It’s important to develop training plans and materials targeted to the needs of key groups. Assistants should attend classes…
As with any type of technology implementation, ongoing communication and training will be imperative. End users need to understand the reasons for CRM and, most importantly, what’s in it for them. Share CRM Success & Benefits Create benefit statements for…
Once you have selected your system, you can begin planning for the CRM rollout. Don't make the mistake of attempting a “boil the ocean” implementation, deploying too many features to too many people in too big a hurry. Firm wide rollouts…
CRM is often more about people and process than technology, so success starts with your users, the CRM stakeholders. Involve them early and often. Engage CRM Stakeholders: Assistants, Attorneys & Firm Leadership Special attention should be paid to the assistants…
Yes, you read that title right. The words ‘CRM’ and ‘success’ were just used together. That’s because whether you are rolling out a new CRM system for the first time at your firm or trying to enhance adoption of an…
I recently heard someone comment that CRM is a journey, not a trip. Truer words were never spoken. As many of my clients will tell you, I am fond of saying that CRM is not a project, an initiative or a…
A question that seems to keep coming up more frequently in discussions with firms about their CRM strategy is whether success would be easier to achieve with a CRM system that was ‘in the cloud.’ ‘The cloud’ is a fluffy euphemism for…
It’s always nice when something we say is reinforced by really smart people like the folks at McKinsey & Company. One of their articles about change management suggests that there are four basic conditions that must be met before people…
Everyone has heard the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". OK, now I know some of you are wondering what the heck that has to do with CRM success. Sometimes it is the little things you do each…
While focusing on your ultimate CRM destination is, of course, important, it can also be beneficial to check out the scenery along the way. In your CRM planning, recognize that you need to take a little time to smell the…
Sometimes when you are on your CRM journey, you may get turned around. You may even feel like you have lost sight of your destination. It can seem as though you’ve passed the same landmarks over and over again without…
The CRM success goals you set should be measurable, achievable and agreed upon by the firm’s key CRM stakeholders. They should also be relevant. In a law firm, that means saving time, solving problems or, best of all, increasing revenue.…
To really achieve results and ROI with CRM, you have to put metrics in place to enhance and track success. It's a fact that what gets measured gets done. As an added benefit, achieving goals can give everyone involved a…
CRM Success is not a zero-sum game. By definition, in a zero-sum game, the sum of the winnings and losses of the various players is always zero. Basically, it's winner-take-all. In contrast, if the CRM Success game is played right,…
If at first you don't succeed at CRM... so then what? Should you just give up? Throw in the proverbial technology towel? Admit defeat and go look for a job doing something easier - like maybe becoming a lion tamer…
When it comes to CRM success, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. There are, however, some almost universal ways to fail. Trying to roll out the software to everyone in the firm all at once is one good way. Trying to…
Everyone has heard the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. OK, now I know some of you are wondering what the heck that has to do with CRM success. Well, sometimes it is the little…
Once you have gotten through the CRM hurdles, it's only natural to start looking for the CRM finish line and looking forward to CRM success. Surely it must be close. I mean, come on... you've worked so hard. You clearly deserve a reward…
While you are running your race toward CRM success, sometimes you can get ahead of yourself - even though you paced yourself, hit your stride and were prepared to go the distance. Your goals are set, everyone is trained, the data…
To win the marathon and achieve CRM success, you have to take things at a slow, methodical pace. I often work with Clients who are so eager to roll out their CRM systems that they just can't wait. They want to…
You thought you were ready, so you took the plunge and dove right into the CRM pool. You had a plan, prepared adequately, worked hard, committed resources, staffed up and seemed to be paddling along smoothly toward CRM success. You…
The way to avoid causing a CRM 'revolution' at your firm and have a truly Happy CRM New Year is to forget about all of the sweeping changes you resolved to make. Instead, you need to make only one resolution…
So you resolve to make this the year to focus on CRM success. What a great New Year’s resolution. This will finally be the year that you'll roll the system out firm wide… in the first quarter. You’ll put training,…
As with any stressful or strenuous activity, always be sure to visit your physician before beginning your CRM ‘workout’ regimen. For a CRM checkup, you’ll probably want to enlist the services of a CRM ‘specialist’ such as a consultant who…
Since we’ve just talked about– and walked - the CRM Treadmill, let’s keep the health-y CRM metaphor rolling. Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables... whether you liked them or not... because they were good for you... and they’d help…
If at first you think that achieving CRM success seems unattainable, perhaps you need to lower – or at least modify – your expectations. OK, by this I certainly don't mean to demean the potential of CRM. In fact, just…
There may be no CRM project quite as challenging as data migration and deduplication. If approached without a strategy and plan, this type of data cleanup can seem like a daunting and endless task that generates frustration and drains firm…
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