I have been working as a fulltime CRM consultant for over 20 years. I like to say I work with CRM from “A to Z” as i have worked with Act, Zoho and many other CRM products. Unfortunately, no one ever calls me up to tell me how much they love their CRM, or to tell me how well it’s working for their company. However, I do field lots of calls from users that are having “CRM Issues.”
Most of the calls revolve around one of these issues; many of them are pretty easy to fix.
- No one has the responsibility to make sure that customer information remains accurate and current.
- There is no regular employee training so users learn by “trial and error.”
- The CRM does not integrate with other key systems, such as your company’s marketing and sales tools, resulting in double entry or no updating of key information.
- No workflows are in place to automate repetitive tasks and ensure consistency.
- The CRM does not properly reflect the established processes of the business.
- There is not a knowledgeable source to turn to for timely customer support for any CRM issues that may occur.
- There is no analyzing and reporting on the performance of the CRM system.
- There is no ongoing collaboration with your team to continually refine and improve the CRM.
- The CRM is not properly segmented making it hard to use for marketing.
- There are no procedures in place to make sure that the data is secure and being properly maintained.
There are a couple of old adages that have been used to describe technology issues including there is “a loose nut behind the keyboard” or a “defective keyboard controller.” There is even a euphemism, PEBCAK, which stands for “Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard.” The bottom line is that many of these issues can be resolved through the use of a competent database administrator as well as a good dose of of proper end-user training.
