Help My Company Spent a Fortune on a new CRM Solution and No One is Using It.
It is one of the most frustrating aspects in this business. We work hard to show value and ROI for implementing a CRM solution, the customer assembles a selection team, we go through the ‘us vs. them’ selection process, sometimes for months on end, then the customer makes a decision.
The implementation starts: evaluate the processes and business requirements, design customizations, decide on implementation methods, assemble prototypes, convert data, and create integrations. Then, the work with the users starts so that we can try to get a solution that provides all people in the organization value: the sales people have a tool to manage their prospects and customers, sales managers have a tool to forecast and evaluate their direct reports and the sales VP has a tool to see what is going on in his/her organization from a high level view. It’s the ultimate, all in one solution to everyone’s prayers.
During training the users extol the virtues of the new system and all it will do for them. The managers are promising accurate forecasts, customer service is promising to improve response to customer’s issues.
Then go-live and, nothing! A week later and only three people have started scheduling a few appointments. Six weeks later, there are only a hundred entries in history and 50 to 60 activities scheduled. No opportunities, no tickets. What’s going on?
At some point, someone comes to us and says, “They aren’t using the system … why did we buy it?”
Back in the ‘80s, I was consulting in the medical equipment maintenance management industry. During my stent in the industry, we saw all kinds of quality improvement programs for hospitals. It seemed that every year, there was a new trend. I recall an article that was published in a business journal entitled ‘Why Quick Fixes Fail’. The article outlined a scenario similar to the one above. An organization makes a substantial commitment to make a change, to improve productivity, to improve customer satisfaction, to improve employee morale; they bring in the consultants, do the evaluations and set up the training sessions. Everyone is on board and starts using their new-found procedures and knowledge and all works well until someone upstream has to change the way they work. The article concluded that quick fixes work until the boss has to change what they are doing.
We see a similar phenomenon with CRM solutions. We carefully craft our solutions to provide management with the information that they need to make informed decisions. We are much attuned to the end users, though. A hard to use solution will not be used. We have even recommended against customizations because we knew that the end-users would not cooperate and management would not get what they want. “Let’s hold off on that one and see how it goes. We can always add it later”.
Our goal for an initial implementation is to give everyone something; a tool to make their job easier or information to better manage the business. But everyone must do their part.
Look at a simplified example: ABC Company has no CRM in place. They have five regions nationally with five reps in each region. Key performance indicators include number of on-site visits and pipeline activity. Any out-of-box CRM solution can meet these requirements. We need to count completed meetings and have an opportunity forecasting module. Three months after roll-out, there are no meetings and no opportunities in the system.
The problem is not with the sales people. They will do what they have to do to increase their compensation. However, if the regional managers are not reviewing the reps’ pipelines and schedules with them on a regular basis and don’t make using the system a priority, then the reps will continue to work the way they have always worked. If, however, the regional manager developed the habit of reviewing completed meetings (from the CRM solution) and reviewing pipelines (from the CRM solution) then the reps would quickly learn to use the system. Likewise, the Sales VP should be reviewing pipeline statistics with the regional managers.
I’ve heard that it takes three weeks to break or develop a new habit. If your sales reps have been using Daytimers for ten years, it is going to be a life-changing event for them to change. If there is no reason to change – i.e.: their boss isn’t using the information in the CRM system, then the change will never occur.
Some people think that a new CRM solution will make everything work better. It won’t. Only people can make everything work better. It takes a team effort, with everyone at every level committed to the change. But the change has to come from the top. Without management buy-in and participation, you cannot expect more than about 30% utilization of your solution. The adopters will tend to be younger, more technologically savvy individuals. They will make great use of the system and even find ways to export the information to give to their boss the spreadsheets and Word documents that he wants for routine reporting. The remainder of the solution will go unused.
To break this cycle, everyone must make a three-week commitment to fully embrace the solution. It will be very hard at first. Make sure that everyone throughout the organization understands what is expected. If the number of on-site visits is a key indicator, then the sales staff must at least schedule on-site visits in the system. During sales meetings, the regional manager should have the schedules available and discuss the visits. The reps will start getting the idea that if it isn’t in the system, then it doesn’t exist. Likewise, the VP of sales should be holding the regional managers accountable for meeting their numbers as recorded in the system. Throw away all other reporting. Do not accept spreadsheets or documents listing the activities. Commit for three weeks.
At the end of three weeks, carefully review what is working and what isn’t working. You might even want to invite your business partner to the meeting. Additional training might be required or you might need to tweak the solution to improve the process.
Regardless, if you haven’t made this level of commitment, then you have wasted your time and money. If you are considering a CRM Solution, realize that it will take this level of commitment to make it work. Software is not a magic pill that will cure all your ills. It is hard work. Once implemented and adopted, though, you should realize substantial improvements in productivity and information management.
