Posted by Casey Horgan
Two tricks to drive adoption at the Executive level:
Customized views and dashboards are great.
Sometimes, though, you need a sophisticated look at the data, especially for managers and executives. What's the key to driving CRM adoption at the top-level, then?
Sometimes, though, you need a sophisticated look at the data, especially for managers and executives. What's the key to driving CRM adoption at the top-level, then?
The answer is powerful reports.
1. Refreshable Excel sheets
These are perfect for executives or managers that don't need to be in the system regularly (and don't have the time to learn it).
Start with any customized view in CRM and then export it as an Excel file.
Although the Excel file resides on the executive's desktop, it maintains a connection to the CRM. This means that the data can be refreshed at any time, giving the user a live snapshot of the data they need in an application they're already familiar with.
Refreshable Excel data can also be used to create pivot tables, giving Excel-savvy managers the ability to analyze to their heart's content.
Start with any customized view in CRM and then export it as an Excel file.
Although the Excel file resides on the executive's desktop, it maintains a connection to the CRM. This means that the data can be refreshed at any time, giving the user a live snapshot of the data they need in an application they're already familiar with.
Refreshable Excel data can also be used to create pivot tables, giving Excel-savvy managers the ability to analyze to their heart's content.
2. Reports that reduce work
What's the fastest way to get a salesperson to start using the software? Eliminate the need for him to generate a weekly report to his manager.
CRM has a robust selection of inline visualizations (reports) conveniently tucked away on the right side of most screens. It's a little hidden, so you might need to point them out to executives and managers.
The Sales Pipeline, for example, is available from the Open Opportunities screen. Changes made to the view adjust the report in real time. This means the Sales Manager can see exactly where his team is for the month without aggregating individual reports from the team members.
Best of all, these inline visualizations can be saved to the user's dashboard.
CRM has a robust selection of inline visualizations (reports) conveniently tucked away on the right side of most screens. It's a little hidden, so you might need to point them out to executives and managers.
The Sales Pipeline, for example, is available from the Open Opportunities screen. Changes made to the view adjust the report in real time. This means the Sales Manager can see exactly where his team is for the month without aggregating individual reports from the team members.
Best of all, these inline visualizations can be saved to the user's dashboard.
Note: There may be complex reports needed that aren't available from views - for example, when data needs to be combined with records from other systems. These can be developed with the advanced SSRS reports tool.
For more tips and tricks, get our free CRM user adoption guide. Be sure to also check out how (not) to win over your users.
