So, you’ve decided to adopt a CRM! Congratulations!
Chances are, you’ve done your research, looked into your best options and are now ready to bring out your “bundle of joy” and implement this amazing, life-changing CRM into your life…
Aaaand then, what happens? Your staff becomes overwhelmed by the thought of change. They have a “who moved my cheese” moment and dig in their heels. Some people use it, but only half the office, and the rest of the office goes back to their spreadsheets and previous methods. You don’t have time to train or implement the software, and even though you’ve adopted it, you’ve left it sitting there alone, unused because you didn’t come up with a strong plan for unrolling the software.
There’s also the problem that, even though you might understand just how amazing and helpful a CRM can be, your employees are in the dark when it comes to the functionality of the software and how it can keep them in contact with your customers. Maybe they’re nervous because they don’t know how easily and seamlessly it integrates programs you’re already using. Maybe they haven’t been informed just how much of a difference a CRM can make in your life.
So, instead of fretting and stressing about this great program you’ve adopted that no one’s using, identify and overcome the barriers standing in your way. Tear down the wall, and start to get your employees on the same page so you can truly move forward with your software.
Barrier #1: Your Office Doesn’t Understand
Why do employees fear change? Because it’s unknown. It’s mysterious. They know what’s working, and how to keep their customers happy. They’re sure they have a system in place to stay on top of leads and meet every sales goal in the pipeline.
Then what happens? A flu virus sweeps into your office during the busiest month of the year, and suddenly no one knows what’s going on and you’re rousing sick, frustrated employees in their pajamas because you don’t understand their spreadsheets and their filing systems. Or worse–someone leaves your office and takes their contacts and information right out the door, and everyone’s back at square one.
Help your employees understand the value and importance of making the change to a CRM. Talk to them beforehand about your sales goals, the current battles they’re facing and what hurdles they hope to overcome. Ask them what’s important to them when it comes to managing relationships with their customers and then find a product that meets their needs. When employees feel personally invested in the product, and know they’ve had a voice in the implementation, expressed their concerns and been heard, they’ll be on board and ready to embrace your new arrival.
Barrier #2: You Failed to Plan (and Now Plan to Fail)…
So you didn’t think about your rollout, or come up with a timeline for implementing your CRM. Even more importantly, you didn’t talk about the guidelines for going forward. You went in with a “if we buy it they will come” mentality, hoping everyone would just get on board once they had access to this great software.
Oops! It’s time to get things back on track. You need to implement a timeline. Sit down with employees and look at what you have coming up in the next few months, and what you can feasibly tackle. Make a policy to use your CRM for all leads going forward, and business of the future, while you catch up on training and execution.
If employees aren’t sure about the functionality, and they’re nervous about learning new programs, have them watch some tutorials and take time out of their busy schedules to really learn the program. It may be hard to press the “hold” button right now and train everyone, but it’s not going to get any easier as you go down the road. Nip failure in the bud by coming up with a timeline now, today, and figuring out a training and implementation schedule ASAP.
Make sure you set your team up for success by training them properly and giving them a chance to try the program. Let them see how much it can actually help. Tell them about integrations with their Google Calendar, MailChimp, Quickbooks and other programs they already rely on. Once your employees are all on the same page, roll out shouldn’t be a problem.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
