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| Jul 25, 2005 3:22 am |
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re: Can someone give me a basic primer on CRM? |
Paul Brodsky
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One of the first things you need to understand with any CRM implementation is that CRM is NOT just software. It's as much philosophy and general business technique as anything else.
The various software packages that are out there have simply made implementing and automating CRM easier and more robust. In the last 15-20 years CRM (also know as Sales Force Automation (SFA) or contact management) has seen huge successes and dramatic and expensive failures. However, the philosophy has been around for a long time (a "tickler" file using 3x5 index cards is technically a form of CRM)
Before you decide on any software package, you need to first analyse your business processes. For example, what information do you currently keep about customers and prospects? How do you keep track of things like who am I supposed to call on and when? What kind of reporting do you have now, or would like to have? What processes, if any, do you currently in place for handling calls from prospects asking for more information? Do you send them literature, assign them to a sales rep, set up a meeting or phone call, etc. etc.?
Consider this, if you were searching for a new accounting system, you would first work with your accounting department and determine what their needs are and how they do business now. CRM is no different. You need to understand what the companies sales and marketing processes and goals are and then find an application to fit.
With regard to your list of terms. The definitions that have been posted thus far are good but again, you need to consider how you classify records in your company. If someone calls your company now asking for information, what do you call them? Again, this goes back to doing the pre-software analysis of your organization.
Be prepared though for some pushback from your sales staff. Depending your company, this may or may not be an issue for you but often sales people view CRM as a tool for Management to monitor their activities rather than a tool for them to better manage their contacts. Management will also sometimes not see the benefit and not understand how to utilize the data that is collected. Again, the key to this is understanding how the company works and demonstrating the benefits. It's not unusual to look back on a successful CRM implementation and realize that a culture change took place at the same time which was the reason for the success.
If you have the time/budget, you might be best served by finding someone to help you with your implementation. It doesn't need to be a long term relationship. Sometimes the hardest part is just determining what is needed, getting the databases properly setup, and putting the initial processes in place. You should also consider if a staged implementation is best for you.
So, do the research, define as tightly as possible what the needs of the organization are, and move forward steadily and with tenacity and the benefits to the company can be extreme. In any CRM implementation I have been involved in, once it became part of the company culture, the payoff was huge.
I know this was long but I hope it helps.
Later,
Paul Private Reply to Paul Brodsky (new win) |
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