Factors to evaluate for CRM implementation
During the evaluation process for the implementation of a CRM, there are factors that must be considered, however, all CRM projects are different. But the guideline to be followed for the decision of such implementation is as follows:
Financial justification:
The implementation of a CRM, like any other project that involves all functional areas of the company, requires investment in financial and human resources.
It is therefore essential to perform a financial justification exercise in the project evaluation stage, considering the main impacts of implementing a CRM, such as: increase in average sales per customer, reduction of sales cycles, increase in productivity, increase in customer satisfaction, acquisition of new customers, among others.
A strategy should be established that includes several phases and that attacks first the points that will generate a faster return on investment and that will allow financing the following phases.
Each case is particular, so it is important that when a company is evaluating the implementation of a CRM, it receives advice for the construction of the business case. Specialized consulting firms will be able to determine the percentage of impact in each area, and also define the particular priorities of each company.
Setting a realistic financial return objective will allow senior management to decide on the implementation of a CRM, and the success of the project will be measurable.
2. Integration with existing systems (Fundamental for the success of a CRM implementation).
In order to provide a consistent customer experience, CRM integration should be considered not only withfront officesystems such as sales, marketing and customer service, but also with supporting applications such as accounting, production and inventory.
In the case of small and medium-sized companies, this is usually not a big problem since their technological infrastructure is not usually complex. However, in the case of corporations, an in-depth analysis of the technological architecture is required in order to determine the systems that will be impacted and the strategy to mitigate risks.
CRMs on the market have interfaces developed for the vast majority of business systems, which makes integration easier.
On the other hand, the impact on current processes and the way people operate must also be considered, considering the three fundamental elements: systems, process and people, within the implementation strategy.
Change management.
The implementation of a CRM generates changes at the process level and in most cases in the structure of an organization. A successful CRM implementation not only changes the way a company interacts with its customers, but also the way it is perceived by them.
Most small and medium-sized companies choose to make very few changes to CRM tools, adopting the processes and best practices that are already built into the tool, which allows for faster implementations with a lower level of investment.
Since the implementation of a CRM represents a change in the way the company operates, it is important to consider a change management strategy, which should clearly communicate the objective being pursued, the benefits for the company in general, as well as for each of the employees involved, and the approximate duration of the project.
The commitment of the company's top management is vital to the success of the project. The way to transmit this commitment is, on the one hand, with an active participation in the communication process, and on the other hand, by being part of the committee that reviews the periodic progress of the project.
In conclusion, the reasons why each company decides to implement a CRM are varied, they may be looking to concentrate all customer information for commercial purposes, establish a way to measure and control the activities of the sales force, have a more predictable management of revenue generation, improve customer satisfaction, etc.
But regardless of the reason for such an important project, at the end of the day the impact will be very positive for customers. Today, customers are increasingly demanding to be served in a unique and immediate way and a CRM tool, hand in hand with the right processes and policies, will allow companies to remain competitive in the digital age.
