Key aspects of CRM implementation in the company
Implementing a CRM system into a company requires a balanced approach and a strategy that will consider all business specifics, customer needs, and company capabilities. A successful and painless implementation that gives a company the expected results requires following a clear implementation plan.
Stages and strategies of CRM implementation
- Define the goal, implementation strategy, and main business needs: Before starting the CRM implementation, it is necessary to define a clear goal—what tasks this system has to solve. According to statistics, 70% of CRM systems are unsuccessful due to the lack of clarity in the implementation strategy. About 30-40% of companies generally choose the wrong implementation strategy.
- Choose the right CRM system: Choose the solution that best suits your business needs. According to HubSpot, one of the biggest mistakes is choosing a CRM without clearly understanding what the company needs from the system.
- Create an implementation plan: Develop a detailed CRM implementation plan that identifies steps, responsible individuals, timelines, and expected results for each implementation phase. Research from Nucleus Research shows that the correct CRM implementation with a clear plan can bring a significantly higher ROI, in some cases up to +245%.
- Preparing the necessary data and implementation: Before implementing the CRM, prepare your data for import into the system.
- Staff training and support: Ensure profound CRM training for your staff. Employees must know all system functions and be able to use them to work effectively with customers. According to the Merkle Group study, 63% of CRM projects fail due to user onboarding issues.
- Test and make necessary improvements: Test the CRM before the launch. Identify deficiencies and improve the system to achieve the maximum efficiency.
- Launch and monitor: After successful testing, fully launch the CRM. Monitor system performance, analyze results, and make necessary adjustments and improvements.
- Results evaluation and strategy adjustment: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the CRM implementation, analyze the results, and adjust the strategy for using the system to achieve maximum impact on the business.
Various challenges may arise when implementing CRM systems, which can affect the project's success. We have collected and highlighted several common problems that companies often face during implementation.
CRM implementation challenges
- Insufficient support from the top management: CRM implementation with full support from the top management can increase the overall system efficiency by 50-70%.
- Lack of user acceptance or engagement: According to the research, nearly 70% of project managers predict their staff will be skeptical of CRM implementation, and almost 50% of CRM implementation projects fail due to slow user adoption.
- Problems with integrating other systems: If your company already has other automation systems, there may be problems with their integration with the CRM. Not all systems successfully integrate with other programs, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides vast opportunities for various integrations.
- Insufficient adaptation to company needs: Every company has unique needs and processes. Make sure that the CRM meets your company's specific needs and make the necessary changes or adjustments for optimal system functioning. For example, the international insurance company Cigna suffered large losses during the implementation of a new CRM system. Insufficient system adaptation to the company's relevant business processes caused errors in customer service and reduced data quality.
- Insufficient resources to maintain the system: CRM needs constant monitoring, maintenance, and updates. According to the Gartner Group research, 50% to 70% of CRM implementations fail to achieve their goals due to a lack of resources to maintain the implementation and subsequent system operation.
Company owners or top managers may not always have enough knowledge of CRM implementation issues and cannot always predict all the obstacles that may arise during the implementation process. Professional advice from Progresia specialists guarantees that the company will choose a product that will really work.