Five Questions to Ask Yourself to Avoid CRM Implementation Failures
Did you know that 70% of all CRM implementations fail to meet expectations?
That’s a staggering number.
A failed CRM implementation costs firms thousands of dollars, and wasted time and resources. And for those in charge of running the CRM system, their credibility.
But these high CRM failure rates fail to show the real reason CRM implementations fail so often, which is due to people and process issues.
Technology should not be your initial focus. Concentrate your time and resources on the professionals who will be using the system by demonstrating the system’s value.
To further increase the chances of success, ask yourself these questions:
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How are our users managing the process changes brought on by the new software?
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Is training custom-tailored to convey the value the system offers its users?
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Were integrations added, and metrics set to track efficiency and adoption rates?
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Are our leaders committed to adopting the new system?
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Have we properly laid out every step of the implementation and rollout phase?
By clearly defining organizational value and addressing your firm’s needs and goals upfront, firms can achieve CRM success and see big returns on their initial project investment.
But, your work isn’t done there.
‘CRM success is an ongoing project that takes dedicated resources to maintain the overall integrity of the system. Pre-pandemic, your data quality degraded by 30% every year, post-pandemic, your data quality could be degrading by more than 50%.
You can also invest in the success of your firm by dedicating in-house, or outsourced data stewards to regularly check and update your CRM data.
In this video, Chris Fritsch explores how to overcome CRM failures – and avoid it – in more detail.
For more on these topics, read our recent blog posts:
- Six Steps to a Successful CRM Implementation
- As Professional Services Firms Struggle with Staffing, Is Outsourcing the Answer?
- Four Important Trends Impacting Small and Mid-Sized Firms
For more than a decade, the team at CLIENTSFirst Consulting has been helping professional services firms and other organizations successfully select and implement CRM and eMarketing systems and improve Data Quality to maximize value, adoption and return on investment. If you need help achieving CRM Success, please contact us at 404-249-9914 or Info@ClientsFirstConsulting.com.
