WARNING:
CRM project pitfalls ahead!
Given the
scope and complexity of a typical CRM project, there are plenty of
opportunities for things to go awry. And go awry they often do.
Here are
some of the mistakes that most commonly undermine your CRM initiative, as
nominated by a panel of experts.
For those of
you that are about to undertake a CRM project, take note! And for those of you
that have recently deployed CRM – are there any pitfalls that we’ve missed?
Trying to do too much, too soon
“When implementing
change in any aspect of a business it’s all too easy to see the end goal and
want to achieve it as quickly as possible,” says Julie Hessselgrove, group
president of Xerox CMS. “Instead, invest in an evolutionary manner, rather
than going for it all at once. To be successful, you should consider creating a
transformation roadmap based on your overall strategy and implement it
incrementally.”
Webalytix CRM strategist Kate Amos adds:
“Trying to do too much too soon and investing in advance CRM software before
the business is ready. It is much better to start with a very basic approach
and achieve success with this approach before developing a more complex CRM
strategy which is support by advance CRM software.”
Failing to secure buy-in from top to bottom of the
organisation
“It needs
complete buy-in from the team that cascades from senior managers down,”
explains Andrew Brittain, MD of digital agency Advantec.
“If teams understand a system and the objectives that the whole business is
working towards, then they are more far likely to buy-in to it, to use systems
correctly and to start seeing results!”
Creating a CRM system without collaboration with those
who will be using it
“Creating a
CRM strategy and system in isolation from the people who will actually be using
it is a common mistake,” notes Matthew Walko, head of strategy at Omobono. “It’s vital to understand the needs and requirements
of end users and to include them in the process so that the end product is
gratefully adopted, as opposed to forced upon them. The CRM system should be
selected based on CRM objectives, customer needs and end user requirements.”
Failing to properly plan CRM’s integration into
existing systems
“Failing to
think about and plan how a CRM system will be integrated within a business’
existing operational systems can lead to problems, such as doubling up on
entries or missing data,” says Brittain. “Check all the dots will be joined
together. If the process is not logical and easy, it can lead to negativity and
time wasting. Can all team members get what they need from the system?
Can it easily be updated? Can reports and analysis be produced quickly?”
Failing to take adoption and change management into
account
“Businesses
often forget to ensure CRM will be adopted by end users, they seem to neglect
to introduce mechanisms for convincing users to utilise the new solution, which
can cause failure of CRM implementation,” suggests Marcin Malinowski, Head of
International Services at Outbox.
“This should be planned in the early stages of strategy development.”
Using fragmented solutions instead of a single
centralised on
“The most
common mistake is to allow different business units to run their processes in
different ways, with different platforms and with different suppliers,” says
Hesselgrove. “This makes innovation expensive and slow. A centralised
communications solution, shared throughout a company is far better practice.”
Prioritising the technology ahead of the customer
“Another
common mistake is that they don’t put the customer at the centre of their
strategy; they invest in a CRM software solution before creating a CRM strategy
and find they are bound to the strictures that software applies to their
policies and procedures,” suggests John Everhard, technical director at Pegasystems.
Focusing on quick wins rather than taking a holistic
view
“Some
companies choose not to look holistically at customer relationship management
and instead look for ‘quick win’ solutions that on the surface may appear to
have near term benefits, but in reality do not solve the bigger challenges with
customer relationship management,” highlights Yossi Zohar, head of product and
partner marketing, customer management division at Amdocs.
“For
example, a company may want to increase online sales by installing a shiny new
eommerce platform in their website, but neglect to integrate this platform into
their ordering system and product catalogue. On the surface, customers may be
able to order more easily, but the lack of integration may cause undetected
errors in order entry that lead to order fallout, delays and customer
frustration. Such mistakes also cause inconsistencies between channels. A
customer that sees an offer online and then calls the contact centre to order
may find that the offer is no longer available, which may cause frustration and
abandonment. Other companies may choose to focus on deploying a business intelligence
and analytics platform that predicts customers likelihood to switch to the
competition, but do not complement these predictions with guidance to the
customer-facing agents on how to handle the customer in real time.”
Underestimating the ongoing resources required to
maintain CRM
“The most
common mistake is to underestimate the time it takes to maintain an up to date
CRM system, keeping contacts / notes up to date and ensure all staff are
involved and working smartly with the same system,” says Sylvain Reiter,
Development Director atCyber-Duck. “The biggest failing of any CRM is neglect, this comes through lack
of/poor procedures or incentives for maintaining and updating contacts.”
Underestimating the importance of social media to
modern CRM
“When developing a CRM strategy,
businesses often make the mistake of overlooking social media and failing to
see it as an integral component of their overall strategy,” says Zohar.
“Companies need to embrace the social media revolution and meet customers on
their terms. For the most part they are not leveraging the power of social
media even though, according to recent research of the telecoms industry, half
of smartphone customers looking for support have complained on social media.
What’s more, three out of four of these complaints are not addressed or
resolved, resulting in almost 80 percent calling the contact centre. This means
that operators are missing the opportunity to reduce the operating costs by
deflecting calls to a low cost channel. Furthermore, they are missing an even
greater opportunity to learn more about their customers, as a whopping 64
percent would share their social media identity if their problems could be
resolved over social media.”
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