Posted by Paul Haag
Imagine it from an employee’s perspective:
A 20-year Sales veteran knows that getting a prospect to close on the deal is about establishing a relationship and building trust. He does that through regular communication in email, over the phone, and in person.
His thought: “I don’t need some website to do my job.”
From his point of view, the pressure coming down from above to document everything just gets in the way of his ability to produce results.
By the same token, a Customer Service rep understands the value of maintaining detailed client records, but just getting through each day’s tickets without adding to the backlog is daunting.
There’s no time in her schedule for “figuring things out.” She sees the mandate to switch to a new system as a block to her ability to get the job done.
Both of these employees have been told to “do it or else,” so they grudgingly log in to the CRM system for the first time, only to be greeted with overwhelming information. Even users who have been trained extensively in CRM will find the system a challenge when they first start trying to use it. If they are presented with confusing navigation and irrelevant data when they make their first foray into CRM, they’re going to put up a strong resistance.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Companies that adopt the following tips win significantly higher CRM adoption:
Imagine it from an employee’s perspective:
A 20-year Sales veteran knows that getting a prospect to close on the deal is about establishing a relationship and building trust. He does that through regular communication in email, over the phone, and in person.
His thought: “I don’t need some website to do my job.”
From his point of view, the pressure coming down from above to document everything just gets in the way of his ability to produce results.
By the same token, a Customer Service rep understands the value of maintaining detailed client records, but just getting through each day’s tickets without adding to the backlog is daunting.
There’s no time in her schedule for “figuring things out.” She sees the mandate to switch to a new system as a block to her ability to get the job done.
Both of these employees have been told to “do it or else,” so they grudgingly log in to the CRM system for the first time, only to be greeted with overwhelming information. Even users who have been trained extensively in CRM will find the system a challenge when they first start trying to use it. If they are presented with confusing navigation and irrelevant data when they make their first foray into CRM, they’re going to put up a strong resistance.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Companies that adopt the following tips win significantly higher CRM adoption:
1. Customize user preferences
The IT folks like to use the term “default user” a lot, but the reality on the floor is that each person has a different work style.
Start the CRM experience with a positive presentation by changing the default pane and tab for each user. Instead of seeing the default list, they see a collection of information that is useful to them.
While you’re in there, we recommend you also change the default number of records that shows in lists. The default is set to 50 records, which means that many users will need to use the “next page” button fairly frequently. Setting it to 250 records presents a more useful list to the user without adversely taxing the system.
Start the CRM experience with a positive presentation by changing the default pane and tab for each user. Instead of seeing the default list, they see a collection of information that is useful to them.
While you’re in there, we recommend you also change the default number of records that shows in lists. The default is set to 50 records, which means that many users will need to use the “next page” button fairly frequently. Setting it to 250 records presents a more useful list to the user without adversely taxing the system.
2. Don’t overdo activities and notifications
Your new CRM can be set up to let users know when records have been updated, and while this seems like a great way to get users involved in using the system right away, be careful! You can quickly turn this useful feature into a deluge of aggravation for your users through over-communication.
Take, for example, when a service ticket is assigned to a user. The initial tendency may be to alert them that the record has been assigned to them through an email. While this seems valuable at first flush, the reality is those emails are going to be quickly deleted (or worse, have a message filter placed on them in Outlook).
First off, your users are sophisticated in how they use their time and prioritize their tasks. They’re not likely to drop what they’re in the middle of to check out the new assignment.
So why interrupt them?
Furthermore, once you’ve created valuable dashboards for your users (more on that later), they will be able to quickly and efficiently see all the records that need action.
Save notifications for situations where immediate action is called for, and you’ll avoid “alert fatigue.”
Take, for example, when a service ticket is assigned to a user. The initial tendency may be to alert them that the record has been assigned to them through an email. While this seems valuable at first flush, the reality is those emails are going to be quickly deleted (or worse, have a message filter placed on them in Outlook).
First off, your users are sophisticated in how they use their time and prioritize their tasks. They’re not likely to drop what they’re in the middle of to check out the new assignment.
So why interrupt them?
Furthermore, once you’ve created valuable dashboards for your users (more on that later), they will be able to quickly and efficiently see all the records that need action.
Save notifications for situations where immediate action is called for, and you’ll avoid “alert fatigue.”
3. Limit security
We understand that going through and setting up granular security settings for each role in your organization can be tedious. However, this is a step you can’t afford to skip, and not just for security reasons (though those are compelling in their own right).
Providing a Customer Service rep with access to leads and opportunities screens and dashboards just adds to the unnecessary clutter. Likewise, a sales rep requires access to a limited number of dashboards.
In addition to preventing users from accidentally altering records they shouldn’t have access to, you’ll be simplifying the system navigation and creating a more personalized experience for your users.
Providing a Customer Service rep with access to leads and opportunities screens and dashboards just adds to the unnecessary clutter. Likewise, a sales rep requires access to a limited number of dashboards.
In addition to preventing users from accidentally altering records they shouldn’t have access to, you’ll be simplifying the system navigation and creating a more personalized experience for your users.
4. Simplify forms
Each record type in the CRM is capable of storing a mass of information, which is great for those users who need detailed information. But what about users who only need the basics? Don’t force your users — especially those who rarely use the system, such as executives — to visually sift through tons of extra fields.
You can quickly and easily modify all of the forms in the system to show only the fields that are relevant to that user. Once this is set up, they’ll see the simplified version every time they access those screens.
You can quickly and easily modify all of the forms in the system to show only the fields that are relevant to that user. Once this is set up, they’ll see the simplified version every time they access those screens.
5. Disable error reporting in live
Few things will turn users off a new system as fast as error messages. Whether valid or not, when users are presented with system error messages, they can quickly become:
Want more tips? Download your free CRM user adoption guide here or read about how (not) to win over your CRM users.
- Frustrated at having to click through messages that don’t seem to affect anything
- Distrustful that the work they’re doing will be captured
- Worried that the new system is “broken” or “buggy”
Want more tips? Download your free CRM user adoption guide here or read about how (not) to win over your CRM users.
