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It should be simple. A system that automates certain tasks, helps save important customer data and brings all interactions with customers and potential customers under one roof. What's more, working in systems has become much easier in recent times. Most vendors offer a range of functionalities that create advanced automations with just a few clicks - without a single line of code. But:
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Why is it hard to find the right system?
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Why do you have to sit in never-ending workshops and meetings before you even get started working with the system?
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Why should management be involved? Surely it's just plug and play, honk and go?
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Why should you have consultants to implement these solutions?
When we talk about digitization, we are not just talking about the transition from analogue to automated processes - but about the whole digital evolution. Digitization is about using new, digital technologies, systems and solutions to make businesses more modern, efficient and flexible.
It is about starting to use technology to streamline internal tasks and to better understand customer needs and behaviour, as well as prioritizing data (data collection, data quality, and data availability) in the organization. It is and must be part of a larger strategy: the digitalization strategy.
In a change process that takes the organization from the present to a future where it acts on data and bases its decisions on facts, technology is only one piece of the puzzle. However, people and processes are the power behind the change. Technology is only as good as the processes implemented around it, and processes are only as good as the people who execute them!
Therefore, technology will never be the solution to any problem by itself.
Why should you take external help in a CRM project?
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Choosing the right CRM system
From choosing which CRM platform best suits your needs, to supporting employees both during and after implementation, there are many aspects that can lead to failure if not managed correctly.
CRM systems are often very similar when compared across the board. It is only when you start to dive into the details that the systems start to differ. This work is in turn important for managing expectations and can be used as a training session on the possibilities and limitations of the different platforms. It is as important to buy into a solution's capabilities as its limitations and it is not always easy to know the limitations as vendors like to leave these out of the picture in their demos.
An independent consultant can help you understand which features are important for your business, help the team discover the differences between the platforms and prioritize the right thing instead of falling into the shiny-object trap.
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Time & Resource
"Practice makes perfect"
The CRM industry is a very dynamic field where new trends, technologies and solutions emerge every day. Consultants specialize in this field, working with different industries, creating an understanding of pitfalls and how to avoid them. This gives them the ability to carry out implementations both time and cost effectively.
Your internal resources can also carry out the work, but alongside all their other tasks, implementation is slowed down. This, in turn, increases the risk of parallel databases making the migration more difficult and less smooth. Unfortunately, these costs are rarely factored into the project and come as negative surprises afterwards.
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Best practices
One of the main reasons to hire CRM consultants is their vast knowledge of a variety of CRM best practices. When you hire an external consulting team, you're not just hiring people who are technically certified in your chosen CRM system. But you are hiring a team of professional experts who have encountered a variety of business situations with many years of expertise and who know which strategies and technical approaches work best and which do not. Not knowing the exact challenges you have faced in the past gives the consultants the advantage of thinking outside-the-box and suggesting solutions that you might not have thought of yourself.
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People before technology
"It is business processes that should drive technology, not technology that defines business processes!"
It is important to define the business processes independently of the technology and systems in which the business processes will be implemented.
Bringing all stakeholders affected by the system selection from the very first step, gathering their requirements and getting buy-in from them throughout the process will be a success factor for the implementation.
An independent partner not coming from a specific department with a cross-functional approach makes requirements gathering more efficient. Consultants are experts in this. They do not get caught up in the hierarchical structure of the company, can interview different stakeholders, gather requirements and extract information that would otherwise not be available.
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Pre-developed solutions for advanced functionalities
When you hire an experienced CRM consultant, it is possible that they may have encountered some similar business problems to your company during their previous consulting assignments. Therefore, the consultant can then recommend the best proven methods to solve these business problems within a CRM solution.
This can range from previous experience with data migration from the old to the new CRM system, to advanced features that have been developed for similar challenges.
CRM projects require a full commitment to best practices. When you implement the solution without going through business process modeling, change management, testing and other critical tasks, you reduce your chances of achieving widespread user adoption or even getting a well-functioning system.
Consultants have several projects under their belt. They understand the importance of providing appropriate user training and following a proven strategy to ensure your instance supports your goals.
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