CRM Critical Success Factors - Educating users and Reviews

Focus on the NEW!

In planning for a well-used CRM system consider the best ways to educate both the new and experienced CRM users. Get personal and specific- How can it help make life easier?

(Our thanks to Jeff Hanrahan, Infor CRM product manager, assoc., for his input.)

Educating Users

"Education around CRM is a huge thing, especially for people who are using a CRM system for the first time," Hanrahan says. "No one will ever learn CRM overnight — it's a super complex tool that takes years to master and to appreciate what it's capable of. But understanding it so that you know how to function in your role — that's how people should attack it first."

Hanrahan brings up some great points, particularly around complexity. A CRM solution might have 101 features, but only 20 that are relevant to a particular individual. By offering training customized to the individual's role, your CRM partner can avoid overwhelming people in your organization and ensure they have the right knowledge to get the most out of the system.

"What can you do with the system? How can it help make your life easier every day? Once they can answer questions like these, users are on their way to using CRM the right way," Hanrahan adds.

At Success With CRM Consulting, we provide tailored knowledge transfer in various types of learning environments (e.g. onsite, webinar, printed, hands-on) along with a video that records the educational events for future reuse. Users can view their actual data directly in their working environment while sticking with their defined ways of working.

Ongoing Review and Customization

When it comes to your Infor CRM system, your CRM partner's work is never done. The software publisher will Ongoing_Review_and_customization_by_Success_with_CRM.jpg always be making enhancements to the product, so your partner can help you leverage new capabilities over time. In addition, your partner should conduct periodic reviews to determine whether people are using it as they should and how to make it the indispensable tool it should be.

One way to conduct these reviews is to send out surveys to people using your system. (Our blog post, "Is your CRM System Supporting or Suppressing You?," includes 10 survey questions to consider.) Your CRM partner can use the results to gauge current satisfaction with the solution and identify opportunities for improvement. These findings, in turn, can inform your partner in training your people and customizing the software as needed.

To learn about the many ways that Success With CRM Consulting has tailored CRM systems for our clients, see our blog post, "Tailor-Made Customization Capability of CRM."

Final Word

Don't think of people in your organization as a factor to be managed. Rather, focus on the opportunity they present to help make your CRM system an even more potent force for growth.

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