No matter how useful or effective a new piece of business software can be, a lack of adoption and use on the part of employees can lower return on investment and severely limit the effectiveness of a system. Customer relationship management systems are one example of such platforms, so businesses need to make sure they're giving employees the necessary resources and providing engaging and useful training. The specifics of such an approach are best discussed between the business and its CRM partner, as the unique nature of each company and the differing characteristics of various CRM systems mean each implementation will be somewhat different from the next.
Although the specifics of each implementation will vary to some degree, there are best practices to follow no matter the size of the business or its specific reason for using CRM, whether it's for the first time or as a replacement for a legacy solution.
Appeal to the more selfish motivations
When company leaders decide to select a new CRM system, they're doing so with overall benefits in mind. While many employees will understand this decision on some level, they also want to know if a new system will help them do their jobs - and if the platform will make certain duties more complicated. This is a somewhat selfish consideration, but it's also understandable on a practical level. After all, staff members are facing potentially major changes to the way they go about their daily routines.
U.K.-based CRM vendor and installer Preact suggested that businesses lead a new CRM adoption program by showing employees how it will help them become more effective and efficient. This approach can encourage staff and turn them into eager adopters, as well as dispel notions that CRM will be a hindrance or is mainly being instituted as a performance tracker. For many roles, defining the benefits of CRM will be easy. Sales and marketing staff have a bevy of different advantages and insights provided by CRM, for example. There are benefits provided to many areas of operation, however. Improved customer profiling and tracking can pay off in the accounts payable and receivable departments as well.
Education: Early and often
An article from ClickZ pointed out that training is a major consideration when it comes to CRM. Getting employees encouraged and eager to adopt a new system won't end well if they don't understand how to use it. There are plenty of considerations to make when it comes to educating employees on the proper use of CRM. On one level, they should understand how a system will benefit a business in the overall sense, promoting better visibility and efficiency across a variety of operations. On a more personal level, staff also have to learn how to operate the specific functions of a system they'll be dealing with multiple times each day. In a related area, employees should have a grasp of how what they do in a CRM system will impact other users, for better or for worse.
Providing different avenues to learning is key when it comes to effective education. Some users may be able to quickly start using CRM and want to learn as they go. As long as they aren't making major mistakes or uncorrectable errors, then this approach is fine. However, others may require more intensive training or followup efforts. Materials based around visuals, group learning or instructional manuals should also be considered. Providing many learning opportunities helps employees, regardless of their style of learning, become effective users of CRM.