Embarking on a CRM project can seem daunting. But with the right guidance, you can create an invaluable asset that transforms customer experiences.
This roadmap distils decades of experience into six proven building blocks for CRM success.
By putting stakeholders first, embracing agility, testing rigorously, integrating intelligently, and supporting thoroughly, you’ll avoid pitfalls and realise transformational ROI.
With CRM at the heart of modern business, a customer-centric system tailored to your needs provides the foundation for growth.
Our actionable framework clarifies objectives, consensus among teams, adaptability to market changes, and confidence in outcomes.
Read on to discover tips that can lead organisations of all sizes to CRM success without compromising budgets or timelines. With concerted effort and this expert advice, you can implement an effective and scaleable solution that will be a competitive differentiator for years.
1. Clear goals and objectives
Defining clear goals and objectives for a successful CRM project is essential. This will involve identifying specific business problems that a new system must solve, such as improving customer service, streamlining sales processes, or gaining a deeper understanding of customer behaviour.
Effective goals and objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
This will give you a clear benchmark to answer the question, “What does success look like?”
In addition to identifying the overall goals of the CRM system, it’s also important to identify the specific features and functions required to achieve those goals.
This may involve conducting a needs assessment or gathering requirements from key stakeholders.
2. Involve of key stakeholders
A clear understanding of the goals and objectives will help guide your project, but this process should involve key stakeholders.
Involving a wider team of project sponsors and stakeholders will help to ensure that the final product meets the needs of each team.
Engaging with stakeholders across IT, sales, marketing, service and other teams early on in the process will identify their pain points and ensure their needs are incorporated into the project plan.
Ensuring clear communication and collaboration throughout the CRM project is also essential. This will involve regular meetings and updates to inform everyone of the project’s progress.
3. Agile development methodologies
Agile development methodologies involve rapid prototyping and iteration, which can be particularly useful for CRM development.
This allows project teams to test and refine the solution quickly based on user feedback. Agile development promotes collaboration and flexibility, which can benefit a complex project like CRM development.
In an agile development process, projects are divided into smaller, iterative cycles called “sprints.” At the end of each sprint, the team reviews and adjusts the product based on stakeholder feedback.
This allows the team to incorporate changes and quickly progress towards the final product.
At ServerSys, we advocate an agile approach to implement Dynamics 365 that achieves quick wins and minimises CRM project costs.
4. User testing
As a crucial part of each project, user testing allows project leaders to gather feedback and improve the solution before it is deployed in a live production environment.
User testing can be conducted through various methods, such as focus groups, usability testing, or online surveys. During user testing, the team may ask users to perform specific tasks using the CRM system and observe how they interact with the system.
This can help to identify any problems or areas for improvement. Either way, it’s important to involve a diverse user group in the testing process to ensure that the final product meets the needs of a wide range of users.
5. Integration with other systems
A successful development process will ensure that your CRM system is integrated correctly with the organisation’s other systems, technologies and data sources.
This may include integration with applications, such as ERP or marketing automation systems, and integration with SQL databases.
Effective integration will allow for automated data exchange that will support efficient processes which remove repetitive manual data entry.
It’s important to carefully plan the integration process to ensure it is carried out smoothly to protect data quality and support seamless processing.
6. Proper training and support
A CRM system is only as strong as its adoption.
Advanced capabilities go untapped without proper training and support while users struggle with avoidable obstacles.
That’s why project leaders must ensure education is an integral part of your rollout plan, not an afterthought.
Conduct role-based workshops, provide online resources, hold ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, develop quick guides, and distribute surveys.
This multi-pronged approach gives all personnel the skills and knowledge to utilise the platform while letting them provide direct feedback on pain points.
By championing education, troubleshooting issues proactively, and continuously optimising training content, you create an environment for long-term user competency. This lifts adoption rates, fuels capability development, and allows your CRM investment to transform customer experiences fully.
Next steps to deliver a successful CRM project…
The above points are some principles to remember when embarking on a CRM project.
Following these steps can help you keep you under budget and meet milestones. It should also ensure everyone is informed and engaged as your business undertakes this transformation.
These principles do not end when launching a CRM. Your system should continue to innovate and change with the needs of your business.
If you want further advice or support on a CRM project, please get in touch. We have over twenty years of supporting businesses of many sizes and industries to reach their CRM goals at different stages of the development process.
