| | November 20179CIOReviewListening To Your Users and Responding to Their Specific NeedsWith those basics, the foundation is set for how to engage the users throughout development and implementation. The project team must commit to listening and responding to feedback throughout implementation. This can mean meeting with the users as the platform is being built to demonstrate the functionality. And it can mean taking a different approach to the rollout. With CRM, we often find ourselves under time pressure to launch the solution so we can reap the rewards that CRM promises. This translates to a small pilot with a subset of users before a full rollout. Before doing that, ask the users what it feels like to be part of a pilot. You will likely find that a pilot is something that we do to our users. A beta launch is often a better approach because, generally, people are eager to participate in beta launches. When Google launched Gmail, it was cool to be part of the beta group even though Gmail barely had any features at the time. Your users will react in the same way. Start as small as possible in terms of features, but only launch to a select group of beta users. Make sure the beta offers something exclusive and then have the project team fully invested in the feedback. Beta needs to last longer than two to three weeks and it should last long enough for your development or implementation team to make real changes to the software based on user feedback. That feedback will ensure that what you rollout to the broader user base will incorporate the desires of the beta group. Now you have not only made your product better, but you have created evangelists. Use them wisely and adoption will follow.Measuring AdoptionMany organizations, vendors and clients, will tout metrics like sales lift and ROI from their CRM implementations. While these metrics should not be ignored, you will not have them on day one or even by the end of the first month. Because these metrics take time to mature, start on day one by measuring users. How many of your users are in the CRM every day? How many customers are they interacting with daily? What features are they using more frequently than others? If you know the answers to those questions, then you can coach and lead the implementation and you can use that feedback to improve the next release. If 95 percent of your users are in the CRM every day then you are on the right track to ROI. If you don't know, then you are just hoping the promise of CRM comes true for your organization.If you believe, like I do, that the ROI from CRM is the product of functionality and adoption, then focus on the latter. Functionality is ever-improving and there are great vendor solutions and in-house solutions that can meet your needs. Ultimately though, these solutions will not matter if you do not achieve front-line adoption. The best approach is a platform that is tailored for the user and by the user. Speak your user's language; provide over-the-top service and response; make it simple and beautiful; let the field leaders lead; and above all, listen. That's the secret to CRM success. With CRM, we often find ourselves under time pressure to launch the solution so we can reap the rewards that CRM promises
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