The CRM Marathon: Training for the Race

If you want to win any race, you have to train. For training to be effective, you need to start well in advance of the race and don’t expect quick results. While inadequate training won’t get you to the finish line, pushing too hard can end up being painful.

CRM training is essential for all users and requires training plans customized to the needs of key groups and individuals. Marketing users need to focus on essential tasks such as contact categorization and segmenting, list building, event management and report generation. The data team needs to focus on data quality tasks and best practices. Assistant training should focus on inputting and updating contacts, adding activities and adding contacts to lists. Attorneys need to be able to get correct and complete contact information and glean valuable insights from reports related to relationships and business development opportunities.

Training should also be targeted to the unique needs of key groups. While most individuals can be trained in groups with scenarios that are relevant to their needs, attorneys should be trained desk-side in brief intervals with information that is relevant to them. For instance, the contacts of new laterals could be added to the system to identify shared Client relationships with other attorneys. Introduction to those attorneys can aid in integration and lead to cross selling opportunities.

It’s also important to remember that training must be ongoing, taking into consideration that CRM is not a project or initiative but rather a fundamental change – and improvement in how the firm manages its most important asset, its relationships. Ultimately focusing on training will help to provide ongoing value to users which will enhance adoption.