How to achieve a successful CRM system Implementation

An effective and successful system implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) solution depends on many essential components. The first step is to understand why your organisation needs a CRM system and you will need to identify which areas you want to improve and which problems need to be fixed.

Regardless of how small or large your business is, the majority face common challenges in which a CRM system will help with: a requirement to get a better understanding of your customers and contacts, driving your business and sales revenue forward, improved processes to improve employee and team performance, better marketing and communication with your customers and improved reporting so you can keep track of your company’s goals, these are just a few of the most common drivers for CRM.

A key step in achieving a successful CRM system implementation is to realise that it requires careful planning, support and training. It also requires choosing a CRM partner who can assist in your project so you can gain valuable experience and guidance to maximise rapid deployment and user adoption so your business gains value from your investment.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is that they do not choose a cost-effective and intuitive software solution such as Act! CRM or Infor CRM. Many CRM projects initially end up being too complicated where costs spiral out of control and the importance of user adoption is forgotten.

Typical CRM Implementation stages:

• Needs Analysis and Project Definition
• Installation, configuration and Customisation
• Data Import and Conversion
• CRM System Training
• Ongoing support and Technical help

Our expert accredited team can assist in all areas of your implementation to ensure the rapid deployment of a superior and effective CRM solution.

Project Definition and Needs Analysis

When you work with our experienced Act! and Infor CRM consultants we will work with you to define your CRM system requirements and carry out a thorough needs analysis and project definition for your business so we can understand your challenges and pains, define areas of the business where productivity, processes and better communication can be improved. All this information gathered is crucial to make sure you get a system that works and you quickly hit the ground running so you maximise your return on investment.

Installation, Customisation and Configuration

The next phase of the implementation process is to customise, configure and install the CRM system by our team of experienced CRM specialists. They will customise Act! CRM or Infor CRM and add pre-defined fields, processes and reports as defined in the initial needs analysis. Our consultants will work with your IT department to make sure it is installed and configured and the software rolled out across users and mobile users as defined in the needs analysis and project definition.

Obtain Clean Data and Import

The success of a CRM system implementation and the goal of achieving a centralised CRM database that is clean depends on making sure that data is cleaned, de-duplicated and then mapped to the correct fields in Act! CRM. Our consultants will work with you to make sure valuable customer and contact details from existing systems are included in this process, these could be sources such as existing databases, accounts systems, mailing lists, spreadsheets and bespoke systems. The clean data is then formatted before being mapped and imported into Act!

Training for successful user adoption

The ultimate goal for a successful CRM implantation is that your company and staff work more efficiently and user’s lives are made easier and it empowers them. Training is crucial to achieving this and we have a wide range of courses for Act! available both online and on-site and we can also develop bespoke training around specific needs so your users understand all the features and functionality to make them more productive. We have courses available for all your different departments, such as sales, marketing and customer service, we also offer admin training so you can further develop the CRM system after the initial go live.

On-going support and technical help.

Once your Act! CRM or Infor CRM system has gone live we offer a range of support contracts to help you with the system going forward. Our support staff are there to help users and to make sure you have any technical queries answered promptly.

If you would like some help with implementing a new CRM system in your business, just fill out the form below or call us now 0330 043 0140 and our CRM specialists will be delighted to help!