CRM Steps for Success – Managing Expectations, Part 5 of 7
Many CM and CRM systems are over-sold and over promise on the capabilities they can deliver from day one. This generates a high level of expectation and anticipation which puts pressure on the new systems and its ability to perform. No system is a cure-all and is unlikely to deliver excellence the moment it is implemented.
The reality is that during the first few months, everyday tasks will take longer to accomplish and information will be harder to find. For those using the system, excessively high expectations can generate high stress levels compounded by information overload and a feeling of disappointment. Experience leads us to suggest that it is far better to aim in the early days for a base level of use and then consolidate benefits before moving forward.
In the early days and weeks of implementation, the support infrastructure may ‘wobble’ and the help desk ‘fall over’. For a toddler, this is a natural part of the process of learning to walk, but for employees used to functioning efficiently with the old system, these setbacks can pitch them in to a trough of disillusionment.
The Customer Attuned process avoids this because a high level of reality is injected back into the user base. From the start it is made clear that:
- Your start point will determine the level of frustration that you experience
- This frustration should be confined to the first few weeks or months
- Over time problems will be ironed out and you will find shortcuts
- You will probably only ever use 20% of the rich functionality offered by the system
- In the first instance therefore, mastering 20% of the system will more than meet requirements
Get staff involved and engaged by getting them to start thinking about the system and the part that it can play in helping them to do their work easily and more productively:
-
How might it impact the way they work with other individuals and departments?
-
What difference could it make to the way in which I fulfil my role and responsibilities?
-
What opportunities does it create for customer interaction?
Download the entire CRM Steps for Success Series e-book, fill out this form and we will email it to you
[Form id=”15″]
Mark Hollyoake
His is an expert in B2B Customer Experience and Customer Management. This includes CM strategy development; execution of improvement plans (incl. organisational modelling for customer management); programme design; and partnership & alliance development.
Latest posts by Mark Hollyoake (see all)
- 2019 – The Growth of Trust as a Core B2B Relationship Driver - January 25, 2019
- Exporting and International Business Development - November 27, 2017
- Is your distributor up to the challenges ahead? - November 20, 2017
