CRM systems can be genuinely transformational, but they’re also a common pain point for businesses of all sizes. In fact, our research has found that just 40% of UK SME business owners say their CRM is used effectively. So how should you approach choosing, implementing and using your CRM?
We spoke to two of our Marketing Directors, Andy Chadbourne and Fareeda Jaleel from our North West team to hear their stories and advice about how they’ve helped marketing teams get more from their CRM systems.
There are countless CRM solutions out there. From the big names like Hubspot, Salesforce and Zoho, right the way down to niche CRM vendors for very specific use cases and verticals such as Synergist or Capsule. Whether you’re choosing a new CRM or trying to get the most out of the one you already have, it’s important to focus on real business needs.
“You've got to tune the CRM system to the problem you’re trying to solve,” Andy says. “And you need to understand what those problems are before you start thinking about solutions.”
Perhaps you’re struggling to accurately forecast revenue; maybe you want to integrate your web analytics with your CRM platform so you can see which areas of your site your prospects are visiting. Equally you may already have a CRM system in place, but it’s missing key features your team now needs.
“I was recently working with a business that had been using their ERP as a makeshift CRM system,” Fareeda said. “In that case, they wanted much more visibility into their sales pipeline and customer behaviour than the ERP could give them. But the ERP was still absolutely central to the operations, so we needed a stable integration with it. Understanding what the ERP was good at and what a CRM system is good at was critical to us making the decision to go with two platforms, but closely integrating them.”
CRM applications are very customisable, however there are risks to overcomplicating things just because you can. Organisations sometimes opt for custom data fields, but those are only useful if they’re reliably populated and add value to the sales process or customer experience.
“In a recent CRM implementation, I was actually brought in as a mediator to work between marketing, sales and IT because they were battling over the amount of customisation and additional fields that needed adding,” Andy told us. “And in this case, it was actually marketing that was the problem.”
Marketers love data. It helps us to understand our customers and tailor our marketing message accordingly. But the more CRM data we gather, the more complexity we can introduce and the more manual data entry we create. When responsibility for this data entry falls to colleagues outside of the marketing team, then you can create problems.
“It was clear in this project that marketing was putting too much emphasis on data collection. So instead we asked, what data do we absolutely need and how can marketing help collect that information using automation?” Always ask yourself, how can we take all but the essential data entry away from the sales team.
Keeping things simple when it comes to a CRM is good for everyone. It saves the business money on costly customisations, it lowers ongoing maintenance costs and it helps with usability, adoption and onboarding.
There’s a common misconception that sales teams don’t like CRM systems. But when the CRM platform is designed and implemented with them in mind, adoption is much more straightforward.
“Sales is a tough job,” explains Andy. “One of the biggest learnings for me was actually spending time with sales teams. They’re often up early and back late when on the road, and almost certainly working late into the evening. The last thing they want to be doing at the end of a long day is filling in 20 fields in the CRM system, just because marketing said so. Much better to say, ‘It’s just two required fields and here’s the benefit to you in completing them.’”
“Everybody wants an easier life - and salespeople are really busy,” Fareeda agreed. “I always recommend paying for those upgrades that make the sales process easier and make customer data more accessible. For example, I would recommend paying for the upgrade to get the mobile app so the sales team can hop on a tablet in meetings, or the VOIP integration so they can record and watch back calls from within their CRM.”
These small additions help the sales team see that the CRM is there to help them and not to create additional work. Spending time with sales can help you get a feel for what’s going to help and what’s not.
CRM implementations are a big commitment and mistakes can be hard (or costly) to reverse. This is why it’s critical to invest in experience and expertise whether you are choosing and implementing a new system or looking to get more value from the CRM platform you already have.
“I’ve been implementing marketing solutions for almost 25 years and the tools have changed dramatically,” Fareeda said. “But one thing hasn’t: if you cut corners or do things with a really tight budget, you’ll create issues that need to be fixed later. Get a partner who has done this before, or an internal team with relevant experience who knows what to avoid. Then you’ll get it right the first time.”
Andy agrees. “I’ve done around 15 CRM implementations over the years. They’re big decisions with a lot riding on them and a lot of people involved. You really need people who can take control and be absolutely clear about what matters and what doesn’t. Otherwise, without that clarity, it can descend into a power struggle between marketing, sales and IT.”
Our team of experienced Marketing Directors have implemented hundreds of CRM systems for businesses large and small right across the UK. If you’re struggling to choose the right CRM or don’t feel your current implementation is being used effectively, then don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll help you understand your options and pick the best path forward.