CRM Strategy and Implementation

Editor's Notes

• #3: CRM StrategyCRM Implementation - I hope I can share some of my experience with Loaded TechnologiesI come at this from an vendor agnostic point of view.
• #4: What we are talking about here is should be doing to make our organisation more customer centric.OrWhat initiatives can we implement that will be valued by the customer and provide a point of differentiation to our competitors.CRM strategy must be aligned to the overall strategy of the business
• #5: So far there is nothing earth shattering about these observations. Being a customer centric organisation has always been important. The customer is king and has been since we were barter goods and service in medieval time. However what may have changed to today in the environment in which we operate and the responses to that environment.
• #7: In a word the internet. And the buying model is much more complex.
• #9: In relation to people what strategies might we consider to become more customer centric.MeasureI am a big fan of Fred Reichheld approach to measuring customer satisfaction. He has an a single survey question which is “How likely is it you would recommend our company to a friend or colleage” On a scale of 1 to 10.
• #10: In relation to processes what strategies could you implement to become a more customer centric organisation
• #11: In relation to Technology.Firstly it is probably the least important tool at your disposal dispite that amount of time and money spent on it.
• #12: And when you move to a more customer centricorganisation you would expect some of the follow changes.Customer Orientation – Full explainationAdvice Orientation – Transactional to advisoryBusiness processes – One size fites all to tailored business streamsOrganizational linkages – Limited trust across organizational boundaries to a High degree of organisational trust.
• #13: As I said earlier, CRM is a strategy… a strategy for growing your business by gaining and retaining customers. But before you can set your sights on where you want to go, you have to first identify where you are at. To help you understand where you are at today and where you are going tomorrow, I’d like to tell you about the four stages of the CRM Adoption Curve.
• #14: The first stage is what we call the “Manual Stage”. This is where every company starts. Your sales, marketing and customer support teams are just getting started and are doing whatever it takes to just get the job done, no matter what. This typically means: Every employee approaches the job in a different way with no standardized processes or training program in place Customer data is trapped in email and spreadsheets on each person’s desktop As a result, management has very poor visibility into what is going on with customers Which leads to a lot of effort spent on scrambling around, but: no clear path to measurable success, little confidence in hitting goals, and a lot of unhappy customers.This is where many companies first turn to aCRM system for help.
• #15: The next stage is the “Managed Stage”. This is where you’ve taken a step back from the chaos and: identified repeatable processes, implemented a basic CRM system, and started training your people on a common approach to working with prospects and customers.Your CRM processes are maturing, though many are still manual – which is ok. Repeatable processes will lead to better automation, even if everything is not integrated. You have identified goals, but measuring progress isn’t always complete or accurate. Some of your teams are hitting their objectives, but not consistently. You are better at being responsive to customers than in the Manual Stage, but you leave a lot of customers unhappy. In short, you are beginning to chart a course towards CRM success but you have a lot of work ahead of you. Every SugarCRM customer after purchasing our software quickly achieves this stage. The challenge is to not stop here.
• #16: The third stage in adopting your CRM strategy and driving company growth is the “Defined Stage”. This is where your hard work starts paying off. At this stage, the customer-centric processes that you began defining in Stage 2 are now battle-tested and automated in your CRM system. Your CRM professionals are collaborating within, and across, teams because they now have access to the same data. Management has clear visibility into the processes and has begun predicting future success with accuracy. Your company is more responsive than ever to prospects and customers and your customer acquisition and retention rates have grown.Keep in mind, it can easily take six to twelve months to move from the Managed Stage to the Defined Stage. Progress doesn’t just magically happen. It takes focus and dedication. This is where our local implementation partners can make a big impact on your CRM adoption success and help you accelerate your customer growth plans.
• #17: The fourth stage is called the “Optimized Stage” and is the ultimate goal of a customer-centric company. You now have a dedicated team focused on continuous CRM improvement which is driving marked growth in the company.Your customer processes are now highly efficient and differentiated such that you can align and alter them according to market needs and changing business demands. The systems required by your CRM professionals are fully integrated for both data and process.  Management not only has visibility into the current efforts, but can predict future success based on the accuracy and consistency of the data. Your CRM solution is agile and able to easily meet the evolving business needs Achieving the “Optimized Stage” usually requires at least one year of continuous process refinement from when a company first adopts SugarCRM at Stage 2, the Managed Stage. Again, our local SugarCRM implementation partners can help you chart a path to the “Optimized Stage”.
• #18: I have found that far too many companies get stuck in the Manual Stage, working hard but never seeming to make progress. They find that they are routinely losing new sales deals and losing existing customers to their competitors. Only by defining and investing in a CRM strategy will you be able to climb the CRM Adoption Curve and differentiate yourself from your competitors.It is important to note that true competitive differentiation only starts truly effecting the business once you have reached the Defined and Optimized stages. You will see this in the arc of the curve on this chart. My view is if you are just interested in moving to 2 or perhaps 3, you need a generic system which much of the CRM functionality will be delivered out of the box. If you really want to move beyond this you need a system that is highly customisable.
• #19: Part 2 is more about the practicallity and getting down to the nuts and bolts of CRM implementation. I hope I can share some of my experience with the whole range of customers I have dealt with over the years.
• #20: What is a CRMMarketing automationSales force automationCustomer ServiceBusiness intelligence around customersImplement CRM strategiesUnderstand customer needs360 View of customer
• #29: Workday.
• #30: Enforce this. If it is not in the CRM it does not exist. Eg calls, meetings and Think about each and every sales person leaving and what state you would like them to leave there accounts.
• #35: Questions and enquiries to [email protected] webcast will be sent to attendees