CRM SUCCESS
•
CRM SUCCESS
STARTS
AT THE TOP
IF ONE thing has changed rapidly in business over the last
decade, it is the interaction with customers and the utilization
of new technologies. Historically, if a company made the
decision to buy into a CRM platform, their end goal would be for
the sales team to have a way to centralize the information that
they get from customers in order to both predict future sales
and analyze past sales trends. Salesforce has traditionally been
one of the most popular platforms for that purpose. Building on
the initial positive acceptance that companies have received
from their sales teams, they are now looking for ways to utilize
the platform to its fullest potential. Here are some starting
points:
• Utilization of CRM at the top level is paramount.
Managers need good data and metrics to make
decisions. As the old adage goes, “What gets measured
gets managed.”
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Failing to demonstrate the value of CRM to the sales,
service, and operations teams could cause them to
not embrace the product in a real and meaningful way.
• Increasingly, companies are seeing the need to change
the way they are using CRMs and are taking steps to
make them more relevant to the sales, service, and
operations sides of their organizations.
Here are a few ways companies can communicate that to
their employees:
• Explain how Salesforce will benefit your end users.
Make it relevant by not only using it as a giant Rolodex
but also as a 360° view of the customer.
• Create a committee that can steer the way the CRM can
provide that 360° view. Champions at various levels
and different departments of the organization will
help you discover which processes could most benefit
from digitization.
• Utilize surveys and the steering committee to help
develop personas for users and customers. This
will help the leaders in the company find out what
is working and what isn’t working. From there, you
can find more effective ways of accomplishing your
business goals.
Don’t feel isolated if you are struggling to find a way to
implement your current CRM effectively. You are in good
company. Fortunately, there is a large community of users
and consultants who can share their experiences.
Visit success.salesforce.com for a wealth of topics and
online information as well as local user groups. You can also
sign up for monthly tips at:
thefurygroup.com/training/tips.