User Adoption – The Key to CRM Success in a Sales Organization

Beth Scheidt is CRM Practice Manager here at BroadPoint and our guest blogger today.

User Adoption – The Key to CRM Success in a Sales Organization

By Beth Scheidt

CRM systems are implemented for a variety of reason in a Sales Organization but generally with one common goal – to improve profitability. The IT departments may implement CRM to reduce the number of systems they are supporting. Marketing may implement a new system to improve their lead management. The executive team may want a CRM system to gain greater transparency into their pipeline.

The success of the goal hinges on the group of people least likely to have a reason to implement a CRM system and most impacted by the change – the sales staff. The key to a successful CRM implementation is sales rep adoption of the new system.

Try to imagine the point of view of the sales staff. The top sales reps already have a system that is working well for them. Why should they change? For those reps who are struggling, it is often viewed as a means to justify letting them go (which frequently does happen). There are several ways to help bring this critical group of people to the table and improve your chances for successful user adoption.

First, be sure to include them in the implementation process from the very beginning. They should be included in the system selection and design as well as testing and final roll out. Ask for their input and be sure to use it. Be aware of their time constraints, too. Time is money for the sales rep. So, every minute they sit in meetings is potentially a lost sale. The inclusion in the process will help build system ownership. As part of this process, be sure you pick the right sales reps to participate. Look to include those reps who are seen as leaders as well as those who are early adopters. However, you should always include those who are slower to adopt change. Their cautious approach will often provide insightful additions to implementation.

Second, make sure you have the right sales process in place before you choose, much less implement, the CRM software. Sales processes are often very messy. Executives often choose to implement CRM to clean up this process. However, the best practice is to make sure you have a working, well defined process in place BEFORE you implement CRM. Knowing your process will also help you understand which CRM tool will work best for you. Another clear benefit of having a solid process in place prior to an implementation is that only the CRM software will be new, not the process, too. The CRM tool should also be able to automate the process in many ways. Another plus for the implementation!

Third, be sure you implement the appropriate data security model. Sales organizations that are implementing a CRM system for the first time are also most likely introducing the concept of shared data, too. Sales reps need to have confidence that their data isn't going to be changed or deleted in error. A sure way to lose your user adoption is have them revert back to using their personal Excel spreadsheets because that's the only data they trust.

Fourth, make sure management is leading by example. So many times, sales reps are slow to use the system, hoping that the lack of use will make the system fail and go away. And that tactic works more often than you would think! However, if management relies on the data in CRM to manage the staff, the sales reps will be inclined to use the system. This goes double when executives use CRM data to manage their company. Management needs to be visibly and vocally using the data, especially pushing back on old or inaccurate data. If management isn't using CRM data to manage sales, it will be a fast path to low user adoption.

Fifth, be sure you don't create a system that becomes a sales prevention tool. Sales reps make money for your company by interacting with people not machines. Don't design the sales process so that sales reps are required to enter burdensome amounts of data. Keep data entry to the minimum and assist with dropdown lists or automated workflows and data population whenever possible. Whenever you add a piece of data to be collected, always ask how that information will help them sell. Out of the box CRM systems always have fields and entities that don't apply to every organization. Remove any unnecessary or only nice to have fields and entities at the start of an implementation. Those can always be added later when the basics are covered. Keep it simple to start with!

Sixth, make sure you have a very responsive support plan in place during and after the roll out of the system. Provide users with a knowledgeable and responsive help desk to handle technical or training issues that come up during the roll out. Make sure that support and training aren't just for the roll out but are planned for going forward. A support plan sends a clear message that the system is there to stay. On the subject of training, provide appropriate training based on the sales reps needs. If you need to train the sales reps for more than a day on the system, then you have probably implemented the wrong system. There should also be a process for implementing changes to the system. Requested changes should be given due consideration and implemented when deemed appropriate.

CRM implementations are most successful when you treat the sales staff as customers. They need to be sold on using the system, too. Take every opportunity to point out what is in it for them and be sure there really is something in it for them. Have the end users get the basics down first. Phase in changes to the system rather than overwhelming them with a plethora of new changes. Take care of your sales reps and your user adoption will happen.