How to
Overcome User Adoption Issues for CRM
Systems
Implementing a CRM
(customer relationship management)
system is an overwhelming task –
selecting what system you will purchase,
customizing the system, getting your
data into the system, and training all
of your personnel on the system. In
addition, you have to make sure that
your personnel –the people using the
system every day, are actually going to
use the system.
Sure, there are reports
you can run that show when and how often
a user logs into the system, and how
many records they created or edited.
But are they really getting value out of
the system, because if the answer is no,
then you will most likely lose these
users as active participants rather
quickly.
How do you keep your
users excited and engaged in your CRM
system? The following bullets outline
the key steps:
-
Build excitement
during the development process
-
Maintain the
excitement level during training and
rollout process
-
Make sure their needs
match the value they are getting
from the system
-
Documentation,
documentation, documentation
-
Keep it simple
-
Get periodic
feedback.
Build
Excitement During the Development
Process
As you begin your journey
through the CRM implementation process,
you will need to keep your users in
mind. After all, they will be the ones
that will determine the success of the
implementation! If they don’t use it,
you just took all of that money spent on
a system that is supposed to improve
your business, and threw it away.
First, make sure all
necessary personnel (the people that
will end up using the system on a
regular basis) are aware that you as a
company will be implementing a CRM
system, and what it can do to improve
their day-to-day lives. This is
important – because if they think it’s
just another software tool you will be
requiring them to learn and use, you
will have an uphill battle to fight.
Instead, outline the key features and
benefits the system will be providing
them. If you have diverse user groups
in your company, then spend some time
breaking out these features and benefits
for each distinct user group. Spending
the time upfront now to break out this
information will pay off tremendously
when you look back on the success of the
implementation!
Second, once you have
begun to build momentum and excitement
amongst the users, make sure you keep
that morale up throughout the entire
process. Some CRM implementations take
6-12 months to complete, from beginning
to end, so you want to make sure that
they do not forget about why they are
excited.
Maintain the Excitement
Level During Training and Rollout
Process
Now that you’ve spent the
last few months maintaining a level of
excitement amongst the users, it’s time
to introduce the product to them. You’ve
been working hard for the past several
months with the development team to make
sure the product meets everyone’s needs
and the data is ready for use. You want
to make sure your hard work is revealed
with the same level of excitement (if
not more) that you’ve built up to this
day.
Depending on your
company’s culture, there are several
methods to maintaining this level of
excitement. One is to make the training
sessions fun and interactive. Turn it
into a game, give out prizes for correct
answers (chocolate always works well!),
or come up with a fun idea of your own.
If you are not able to
make the training “fun”, see if you can
use the post-training follow-up as a way
to instill fun into the process. Turn
regular use of the system into a contest
– create teams of people or keep it
“every man for himself”. Of course, the
prize at the end needs to be something
of value to the users, otherwise the
contest will be a flop.
Regardless of the type of
training and follow-up stimulation you
use, the key is to make sure the users
feel the excitement level coming from
the implementation team, and that it
translates to immediate value to the
user.
Make Sure Their Needs
Match the Value They Are Getting From
the System
This is a fairly simple
concept, but easier said than done.
Needs matching value is something that
should be considered from the onset of
the CRM implementation, and not just as
you roll out the product to the users.
Did you interview several people from
each user group to find out what their
needs are – what is their current
process to complete certain tasks, and
how can a CRM system improve upon that
process? Did you communicate to the
users how you will resolve some of their
concerns/problems by utilizing the
system?
Constant communication is
key – to build the excitement and
morale, and to ensure their needs are
being met. The value of the system will
automatically be translated once this is
communicated clearly and often. If your
implementation process is going to take
six months to complete before the users
actually see the system and get trained
on it, then make sure to check in with
them, either through an email, a memo,
or a team meeting, at least every other
month, if not monthly.
Documentation,
Documentation, Documentation
Both during and after
training, it is vital that you provide
clear and consistent documentation for
your users. This can be in the form of
a user’s manual that covers all aspects
of the system they will need; how-to
documents that are short one-page
documents walking the user through
specific steps to complete tasks within
the system; or an electronic
knowledgebase, which stores all
documentation in the form of help menus,
Word documents, PDFs, etc.
Whatever format or
combination of documentation formats you
choose to use, make sure that it is easy
to understand and follow. If it is
written with technical jargon the user
is not familiar with, you are leaving
yourself open to a slew of support calls
from your users with questions.
Aside from a full user’s
manual, the other documentation you
provide should be in simplistic,
bite-size portions, allowing the users
to comprehend what they’ve been given
without providing too much information
all at once.
Lastly, as new features
and/or functionalities are released for
the system, whether by the vendor or by
your own development process, make sure
the information is shared with all
necessary users in a timely manner.
They will appreciate the upfront
knowledge of such changes/additions,
otherwise the next time they log into
the system, they will be very frustrated
and/or confused, which will only create
more work for you in the end through
additional support calls or usage
drop-off.
Keep it Simple
As you are implementing
the system, think about the different
user groups you have in your
organization. Then break out the
different key areas of the system,
identifying which user group(s) need
each area. For example, if your system
includes a Case Management/Support area
and the only people that need to use
this area are your implementation team
and the IT department, then make sure no
other user has access to this area.
Not only should they not
have access to this area of the system,
but they shouldn’t even know it exists!
In the world of CRM and user adoption,
less is more! The less extras a user
sees that are not relevant to them, the
less confused they will be over how to
navigate through the system to do their
critical day-to-day tasks. So make
their lives easier from the start and
you will see the benefits in the end –
less support calls from the users, and
easier user adoption from them.
Get Periodic Feedback
Once your system is up
and running, and your users are trained,
your job is not quite complete. Equally
as important as a quality training
program, the post-training follow-up is
essential to the implementation’s
success. A couple of weeks after the
training is complete, reach out to your
users and find out how they are feeling
about the system – is it easy to
navigate through? are they finding it
is improving on their job productivity?
do they have any specific questions or
suggestions for improvements? These and
other questions are critical to the
success of your system implementation.
In addition, by asking
your users directly how they feel and
what they think about the system, you
are keeping them engaged and involved,
which should translate to them feeling
like a valued part of the process. And
if they feel valued, they will most
likely continue to use the system and
talk to others in the organization about
how well it is working for them.
If you would like to
learn more about how to ensure your
system implementation is successful
through user adoption, contact Kendra
Von Achen at DB Pros at (973) 607-1627.
DB Pros is equipped to help you conduct
a successful and productive system
implementation.
__________________________________________________
Kendra Von Achen is
President of DB Pros, a database &
business consulting company based in
NJ. For more information on this and
other database-related topics, contact
her at
kendra@dbprosconsulting.com
or visit their website at
www.dbprosconsulting.com.
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