In this article, you will learn what are the most common reasons why CRM does not work as it should, and how to deal with it and not give up the opportunities it offers.
Tools that are not well suited to the company's needs
One of the main reasons for the ineffective operation of a CRM system may ireland business email list be that the set of tools, package or the entire CRM is poorly suited to the specifics of the company. Contrary to appearances, a bigger problem than the lack of necessary functions is usually their excess. Especially at the beginning, it is worth focusing on simplicity, choosing a solution that will provide scalability if necessary. Before you tempt yourself with a solution that can do everything, consider which functions are key to you.
Here you can learn more about the CRM selection criteria worth paying attention to.
CRM Implementation Errors
Another problem is improper implementation of the CRM system. Modern CRM systems are ready to use relatively quickly, but this does not mean that you can start using them completely without the implementation process. The most common mistakes in CRM implementation are:
Incorrect understanding of one's own needs or incorrect assignment of them to the functionality of the system.
Lack of an appropriate implementation plan – CRM implementation is a change management process in a company and requires such preparation.
Lack of proper data preparation – data is the fuel of your CRM, if it is contaminated the engine will jam, if you have previously used other forms of data collection, you must ensure its quality and correctness before entering it into the system.
Incorrectly adjusted settings – at the beginning, you need to take care of the key startup settings, and be sure to adjust them if they turn out to be suboptimal after you start using the system.
Insufficient employee training – all stakeholders should be involved in the CRM implementation process, and employees must feel that they know how to use the new tool.
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All of these can lead to chaos and resistance to the new tool. CRM implementation is a process that requires diligence, commitment and team cooperation. It is worth considering whether the help offered by the software provider will be enough for us, or whether a more cost-effective solution will not be to use the services of a licensed partner who will help us in the process of preparing data, selecting settings, preparing tools and training employees.
Irregular data replenishment
Many employees may underestimate the need to regularly update data in the CRM system. They may avoid it for various reasons: a lack of understanding of the purpose of such action, which results in a lack of motivation, or fear of disclosing information about customer conversations to other team members or their superiors. Irregular data update negatively affects the quality of information in the system, which in turn makes it difficult to effectively manage customer relationships.
The first reason is usually the insufficient knowledge of employees on how to use the CRM system. If people cannot effectively use the available functions, the tool becomes just unnecessary ballast. It is important to provide appropriate training and support so that the team can use the system effectively. When employees learn the benefits of entering data into the system, they will certainly start doing it more willingly. However, it is worth paying attention to another aspect of this situation...
Low level of automation
If CRM does not offer sufficient process automation, employees may waste time on manual tasks, which leads to frustration. Typing data into the system should not become the main activity of salespeople! Such a situation is a complete reversal of the purpose of implementing CRM. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to two issues:
Does the data appear in the system automatically? – In a good CRM system, the amount of data that needs to be entered manually should be small. Did the salesperson send an email? Did they call the customer? Did the customer send a form? Did they download a PDF? All of this information should be automatically recorded in their record. Check that you have the right functions set up and that you are using integration with other tools, such as email and calendar – this can completely change the experience of working with CRM.
Are you using more advanced automation features? – Not everything can be implemented at once, but process automation should be your goal when implementing CRM. Automated sales sequences, workflows, lead rotation – each of these features will save salespeople time and help convince them that CRM is a tool for them, not them for CRM.
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What to do to make CRM work?
If you feel like you're not using your CRM system as well as you could, all is not lost! Sometimes it's enough to devote more attention to training employees in new solutions, in other situations it may be crucial to change settings. It may be worth giving up some functions and extending your subscription to others. Usually these are problems that you can easily overcome with the help of specialists.
