What drives CRM success is getting the people, process, and technology mix
right. The people side of a CRM initiative accounts for 50 percent of its
success, so it is especially important to tackle that aspect from the
outset. Prior to an initiative CRM leaders should create a change management
strategy that answers the question, "What's in it for me?"
For the strategy to work, be sure to include these four components:
Educational sessions Take time to help move people up the hierarchical
change management ladder, from awareness to understanding to acceptance to
involvement to commitment. And remember, you can't jump rungs on this
ladder.
Multimodal communications Use different communication means (e.g.,
one-on-one or town hall--style in-person meetings, video or Web
conferencing, hard-copy memos, newsletters, or email) to reach all target
audiences frequently throughout the duration of your CRM initiative. To
accomplish this, create a change management matrix that describes what will
be affecting whom and when. The matrix should document the expected impact,
challenges, strategies, and resolution action steps for each affected
audience.
Learning by doing One of the most effective ways to convince a CRM skeptic
is by demonstrating success. Be sure to boldly promote your CRM quick wins
and successes.
Goal alignment Put into place the right carrots and sticks to align the
actions needed. For many companies the CRM initiative will mean personnel
working together in ways they may never have had to in the past. For
example, in creating holistic customer profiles, cross-functional teams like
sales, marketing, and customer service will be encouraged to share
information about customers. Be prepared to openly talk about organizational
changes that range from revised job responsibilities to new organizational
structures.
A major health insurance company recently used a change management strategy
to propel its CRM success. The firm created a CRM program team divided into
business process specialists, technologists, and change management
specialists. Early on in the CRM program the team of change management
specialists created a multistep change management framework. The framework
included establishing a sense of urgency, building a competent project
management team that could lead the change, creating a vision to help direct
the change effort, and keeping communications simple and personal. It also
included giving constructive criticism to change agents, creating multiple
short-term wins, continuously invigorating the change management team with
new ideas, and making change stick by articulating the connections between
new behaviors and organizational success. In other words, the change
management specialists took the initiative to anticipate managing change.
While the importance of the people component of a CRM initiative is becoming
increasingly understood, proactively addressing this area remains a
challenge for even the most forward-thinking companies. But as more and more
companies adopt this change management philosophy, it is increasingly
imperative to turn your attention to driving successful people-change
now--before your competition does.
Barton Goldenberg
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