The Sizzle That Sells CRM Internally

Five tips to build employee support for customer relationship management

Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 - 12:16

The difference between a good product and a great solution isn’t just the quality of the technology but how the solution is presented and marketed internally. We all have personal technology devices that we love. Whether it’s a Microsoft Surface, iPhone, or Bose noise-cancelling phone, users line up for the next upgrade before the new features are even announced. No one needs to push these. So how can we make customer relationship management (CRM) just as enticing? Our favorite devices offer some clues.

Ease of use is a big one. Our devices solve a problem; they’re convenient. They’re multifunctional. Do you remember when a phone was something you talked on? Making phone calls is probably the least-used app on smart phones today.

However, the key to getting people to use something is getting them to enjoy using it. True value and return on investment for CRM comes only when people enjoy using CRM in their everyday business processes. Here are five tools that can help create CRM solutions that users love.

1. Invite users to work-in-progress showcases
Get your users engaged early and often. People support what they help build. Frequently showcasing the build progress to business users not only will make them feel involved in the process but will also prevent any major deviations from what they visualized during the requirements-gathering phase. They may even start coming up with ideas for next phase improvements.

2. Create a wiki
Create one location where users can go to get all the information they need about CRM. This can be a SharePoint wiki or a web page. In a SharePoint wiki, you can also store all relevant documents and create a wish list to add future enhancement requests.

3. Develop internal CRM branding
Branding is a major component of all products, and CRM is no different. Get a mascot image for the applications. Plan communication. Create teams. Issue certificates for all users who complete their CRM training successfully. Give away desk toys. Do whatever it takes to get people excited about the possibilities.

4. Develop video training
No one likes to read boring documents, especially dense training materials. How can we make CRM training more engaging? Shoot videos! Make them as short—and as interesting—as possible. We all spend hours on sites like YouTube and TED for our own learning. CRM training videos can be fun and created economically. You can also create GIFs for quick tips.

5. Build proactive support procedures
Don’t make users wait until an issue escalates and a support call is placed. That’s too late. The user is already upset. Provide proactive support by initiating contact with users and personally guiding them through procedures—especially before and during user acceptance testing. Be sure to continue training and support using internal champions to answer any questions and check in regularly. This makes users more comfortable with the application and can ensure the implementation is a success.

First published July 15, 2015, on the mcaConnect blog.

About The Author

Nawal Mohsina

Nawal Mohsina is a principal consultant specializing in Dynamics CRM implementations. She has experience working across multiple industries including finance, oil and gas, government, and manufacturing. With more than 13 years of professional experience, Mohsina has spent the last eight years successfully implementing Dynamics CRM projects in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. She also runs a local philosophy chapter and mentors young professionals in establishing a career in business analysis, software testing, training, and functional consulting.