CRM employees engagement – The C-suite managers of an organization completely understand the value which lies in having a customer data view in a unified form. They develop their own methods and tricks to manage customer relationships using spreadsheets, Rolodexes or sometimes even, notepads. However, with these techniques sales were manageable in the previous century. Today, when you can score a possible lead all the way from social media to personal text messengers, you cannot rely only on traditional methods. Now, CRM is happy to help.

CRM systems are software, which helps you connecting your sales channels, automating the routine steps and reporting to you with forecasting and data insights of your business. Therefore, for many companies implementation of CRM is becoming a necessity these days.

If we are talking about implementation, how can we not talk about people who will be using CRM in your company? But CRM can only support you in the sales process. A business will grow only if your employees know how to use it effectively and efficiently.

According to an article from McKinsey, 70% of change programs fail in an organization due to employee resistance and management’s weak support. Hence, it is evident that it is not easy to bring everyone on board for the creation of a new centralized customer database if your employees are not interested in using new sophisticated systems.

We will discuss 5 ways which will help you in engaging your employees with the new CRM:

CRM employees engagement – Choose your change champions

This is a pre-implementation exercise for you. You have to analyze carefully your sales cycle and select some key people as change champions. You should choose these change champions based on two conditions. Firstly, CRM should implement a lot of things in your business if your team will use it. Secondly, they should hold influential positions in their teams so that they can inspire others.

There will be many positive aspects if you use a selection process for change champions like:

These people, and ultimately you, should not buy costly but useless features of CRM.

They will be the first go-to person or mentors if anybody needs help with the new system.

If they will identify themselves as “the chosen ones” for the implementation, they will automatically assume the role of advocates for the new CRM.

Make them aware

Communication can solve more than half of your problems. Take help of your HR team and schedule awareness sessions when you can discuss the new system. You can create a buzz about the new software by:

Sending fancy mailers highlighting all the benefits of the new system over the old one.

Sharing 2-3 minutes of new CRM overview video as videos are more attractive.

Don’t forget to share the statistics related to CRM’s performance in other companies and what are the goals of your company associated with this new system.

Train them

CRM employees engagement – It is normal human psychology that if we don’t understand something, we start disliking it. Especially, in the case of new technology. How many times have you seen elderly people getting irritated while using their newly bought smartphones? This is because they do not know how to use it properly.

It is your responsibility to train your employees and provide them with all the resources necessary to learn the new CRM. Mostly all companies which provide CRM software, also provide you certified trainers at some extra cost to train your team. Following are some tips regarding the training:

Train the change champions first, they will enthusiastically teach others which will reduce your training costs.

Explore online courses and e-learning modules provided by the CRM-company. They are a cheaper option compared to full-fledged classroom training.

Don’t expect immediate results from the training. Transfer from learning to execution may take some time, therefore be patient.

CRM employees engagement – Integrate with other apps

Here you have to do a little bit of research about the apps and software that your business already uses. And then you have to choose a CRM which will integrate with those apps. For example, if you already use Gmail as your email service provider, you cannot opt for a CRM that will not integrate with Gmail. Since you are already bringing in a new CRM as a change, you cannot expect your employees to switch to altogether different apps and software.

So then:

Make sure that data from all integrated systems and apps are synced successfully.

Check the compatibility of CRM with the already existing system for data migration.

Ask for a minimum period of post-implementation support from the vendor.

CRM employees engagement – Game-adoption process

Games are engaging. And you can convert a CRM adoption process into an interesting game as well. But this should be done with complete dedication because boring games are rejected as soon as they are introduced. Leaderboards, rewards, badges, and levels are required to create a good game. Here are some ideas:

Create weekly targets for time spent and data entry in the new CRM. Recognize top participants with badges and appreciate them publicly.

Set rewards for individuals and teams who have achieved sales goals using CRM.

Increase levels of the employees from “beginner” to “legend”, as they go through their journey of using new CRM.

Conclusion

CRM employees engagement – There are many B-schools, who teach management as a full-fledged course. But no formal education can make you understand the culture and people of your own organization. Therefore, it becomes your responsibility to make sure that your HR strategy is aligned with your business strategy. Many business owners have a perception that CRM implementation is just a one-time event. Let’s be clear. It is a long-term strategic move. Of course, CRM can support your business. Its success depends on other stakeholders as well. Especially your employees. Sit with your HR department and draft a plan to engage people with your new CRM and see your sales going up in the future.