CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. This article outlines the importance of maintaining this powerful piece of software in order for your business to benefit fully from its many functions.
After weeks and months of hard work, your CRM solution is on the verge of going live. Your team has painstakingly imported all your contact records into the new system. You have made the necessary alterations customising the system to suit your needs. You have offered training to the users in order to be sure that everyone is familiar with this new tool. Cue the fanfare of trumpets, all systems go and before you know it the countdown is over and you have gone online.
It may sound like the fruits of your labour are finally ripe for picking and your hard work has paid off. Needless to say, this is just the start of the journey. Of course the level of energy will slow down, as your CRM solution starts doing what you hoped for - taking the weight off your shoulders. But for this investment to show dividends the system needs to be looked after correctly.
An ongoing data validation process is essential to ensure that new data you bring into the system conforms to the parameters your organisation uses. Additionally it is vital to keep records up to date. If one of your clients has new staff or a new office phone number, this needs to be recorded in the system as soon as you can. It's no good you knowing that Karen has replaced Kevin at XYZ businesses, your colleagues will still be calling and asking for Kevin if you don't update the records. This is especially important if you are using any external calendars or contact sync - the current data needs to be entered into your CRM system as soon as possible.
Another point to remember is what happens when you make changes to staff. You need to ensure that records get reassigned to avoid any valuable data falling into misuse as it is no longer managed.
Having managed the implementation, you still need to be sure that your admin staff - your CRM champion - is on top of the game. Regular communication with your CRM provider will keep your organisation up to date regarding any system improvements and updates. CRM is in a state of constant evolution and it is important that you have a person keeping abreast of what's going on.
This also ties in nicely with the fact that training should be an ongoing process. Tools are being added all the time, but they remain useless until your CRM users know how to use them and fully appreciate how they can make their job easier. Showing a user the real advantages of these improvements will lead to a healthy attitude towards adoption and ultimately the successful implementation of CRM.
OpenCRM is a UK based provider of fully featured hosted CRM software that is easy to use and intuitive with a familiar interface and powerful features. We also offer a flexible bespoke Consultancy, Training and Support service which can be tailored to suit your needs by our clever team of professionals. For all matters CRM including links to a demo please visit OpenCRM
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