User Review
( votes)
Small Business CRM
Small Business CRM-Change is never easy, even when we know it’s necessary to improving our situation or our business. While the familiar is comfortable, sticking with the way we’ve always done things is often the quickest killer of advancement. This often holds true for using the same legacy customer relationship management (CRM) systems. It is often the resistance within small to midsize businesses (SMBs) that keeps them from adopting or even considering a new or alternative CRM, which, in turn, keeps them from growing and thriving.
For SMBs, the prospect of changing CRMs can seem like an impossible task met with lots of opposition. What all stakeholders and users should understand is that, when properly deployed, a new CRM will not only improve efficiencies and processes throughout an entire company but also help better serve customers. And better-served customers are in everyone’s best interest. If you can commit to making a change with the right help and guidance, implementing a CRM might be one of the best decisions you could make for your business.
Here are a few tips for helping your company mitigate resistance to changing CRMs.
1. Commit to a Customer-Centric Mind-Set
It’s important to remember that a CRM is not just about the technology. Rather, it should be viewed as a vision and strategy; after all, CRM is designed to help you provide better customer service. Ask your CRM users to commit to a customer-centric mind-set across the entire business.
To have a successful CRM vision means that all system users, from the leadership down, need to operate from the same playbook with clearly defined goals and expectations. These may involve spelling out how internal processes will transform, explaining what steps will be taken at each point in the CRM implementation phase, learning what users wants to achieve with a new CRM, showing how you’re measuring success, and regularly communicating how your CRM system is going serve the business.
2. Get Buy-in Early and Often
Prior to purchasing and implementing a system, ask your staff what insights they’d like to have to better manage their customers. They may have used numerous systems before, so ask them to share what’s been helpful, and what’s been a hindrance. Think of it like gathering customer feedback to drive a product roadmap. You can’t meet every request, but you should consider the input as you select a new solution and get it customized to your business. More importantly, users want to feel included.
