Our economy has been softening, which isn't all that surprising with the various internal and external pressures bearing down on us during the past years. The economic outlook for the immediate future isn't looking all that rosy either.

It has therefore become crucial that companies continue to bring in those all-important sales that keep the business afloat. A successful enterprise will outsmart their competitors with outstanding service, competitive prices, and using the latest marketing techniques to promote branding to the existing customer base, as well as attracting a new customer base. There is one often neglected area that really needs to be given attention when times get tough, and that is CRM.

What every successful organisation needs is an effective CRM strategy that has been properly implemented and which everyone in the business subscribes to. Management at all levels of the organisation should support and subscribe to this strategy, showing their commitment to the entire staff by fully participating in it.  Very often senior management implements such a strategy, acquires all the necessary technology and software, and then leaves the entire process in the hands of the sales manager. In order for it to be effective and to deliver results the MD needs to take ownership and responsibility for the company's CRM effort.

 

How does one ensure CRM success?
What separates successful CRM implementations from the unsuccessful? A number of factors ranging from respect for customers, to the people skills of the implementing company to attention to detail, to software selection, can make the difference. But in an uncanny way, the vast majority of successful CRM implementations follow a pattern—a sequence of four implementation steps that together reflect all the major success factors:

1. Developing customer-centric strategies.
2. Redesigning workflow.
3. Re-engineering work processes.
4. Supporting with the right technologies.

Different people use different and equally valid descriptions of these steps, such as combining Steps 2 and 3 or adding a discreet step for change management rather than having it included in every step—but the differences are semantic. CRM implementers that take these steps one at a time, in sequence, usually succeed.  It's that black and white.
An Excerpt from Strategic CRM: The complete implementation manual
By Dick Lee, Customer-1 http://www.h-ym.com. © 2002. Richard A. Lee. All rights reserved.

 Developing customer-centric strategies
CRM is more than a product, it’s a philosophy. When your company chooses to implement a customer relationship management (CRM) system it’s taking a dramatic step forward in customer commitment. And, since customers drive your business, you’re leaping ahead in your ability to generate and manage revenue, too. Success is not difficult to achieve, given good groundwork and careful project management.

The number one ingredient of a successful CRM software implementation is to have a CRM strategy in place first. The more thoroughly you embrace a companywide CRM philosophy, the more your company will benefit from the features your CRM software offers. CRM philosophy is simple: put the customer first. This is a modern development of the old “the customer is always right” saying on which so many successful businesses have been built.

 Identify the CRM process, both for servicing and retaining existing customers, as well as generating new customers.  Document these processes properly, with the co-operation of management as well as operational staff.  Invest in proper training for everyone concerned - on the job training is not always the best answer, rather invest in professional training regarding sales, marketing, product service, call centre, data capturing. In order to utilise your CRM software package, everybody should know exactly how to use the software, in order to implement the strategy properly. Employee buy-in is the key to a successful CRM implementation.

Focus on CRM goals: improve customer satisfaction, shorten sales cycles, and increase revenue. Never lose sight of the fact that the customer is the reason for your CRM implementation. Get feedback from customers to see if their satisfaction levels are really increasing, or if there are improvements they would like to see.