Last Updated on May 14, 2023 by Rashid Hassan
You want to take your business to the next level and have thought about integrating a complete CRM to help you achieve it, but thinking about CRM implementation gives you nightmares. Are you overwhelmed by this process and don’t know where to start? Take a breath, we promise you that it is not as complicated as you think.
In this article, you will find the 7 steps you have to follow to implement a CRM in your business. You will see that it is worth making this small effort, and your business will thank you in the form of sales and satisfied customers.
Not only large companies need a CRM. This tool is also very useful for startups and companies of all sizes.
Of course, you should not confuse CRM with ERP. The latter is a system that is geared towards internal workflows, while the focus of CRM is leads and customers.
Steps to implement a CRM
1. Analyze your business
The first step to implement a successful CRM(customer relationship management) is to know your business well and the sector to which it belongs. Each company has a way of working, a certain volume of clients, a type of potential clients, different processes, etc.
2. Identify your particular needs
Make a list of all the needs and objectives to be met with the CRM system and order them from most to least relevant. Thus, later it will be easier for you to design the strategy and establish the different automation processes.
3. Choose the right type of CRM
There are different types of CRM available, so it is important that you choose the one that best suits your strategy. The three main types are operational, analytical, and collaborative.
4. Define a strategy to implement CRM throughout the organization
Set all the parameters and marketing automation workflows that you would like to create with the CRM tool. Even estimate the results you will get once they are up and running.
5. Implement your strategy in the CRM
Configure the CRM taking into account all the information you have collected and the mapping you have created, and launch the marketing automation through the CRM software.
6. Offer training to employees
It is essential that the people who work in the different departments that are going to use the CRM understand 100% what it is for, how it is used and what objectives are intended to be achieved with it.
7. Review your implementation
Once the implementation process is complete, it is important that you check that there are no errors in the automated processes and in the other tools that you have configured.
Although CRM seems like a complex tool, you can implement it without anyone’s help. You will see how, if you follow these steps, it will be quite simple for you.
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Steps to use CRM
1. Analyze your business
The first step to implement a successful CRM is to know your business well and the sector to which it belongs. Each company has a way of working, a certain volume of clients, a type of potential clients, different processes, etc.
The more detailed the analysis of your business, the better. Try to collect as much information as possible and form a work team in which the point of view of the different departments is taken into account, especially that of those who will be most involved with the CRM, such as the sales department. or customer service.
The list of points to cover can be very long. But, in general, some of the aspects that you should take into account when analyzing your business are the following:
- Customer satisfaction: collect information from the customer service department, opinions published on the internet, emails sent by your customers, etc.
- Communication channels: what are the channels you use to interact with your leads and customers (social networks, email marketing, call center, etc.)?
- Relationship with potential and loyal customers: whether or not you have a lead nurturing strategy, if you have achieved good customer retention, etc.
- Existing databases: take into account the programs you have used so far and collect all the company’s databases to later migrate them to the CRM.
- Business culture: what is the relationship between the departments like? What is the leadership style?, etc.
- Commercial process of your company: what process does the commercial department follow to generate leads and retain customers?
- Internal company processes: decision making, workflows, connection between departments, etc.
- Departments and number of people employed: how many people are employed in each department? What does each one do and who is the person in charge of each of them?
- Company performance: what are the company’s results to date and where is it standing?
- Accounting and budgets: what budget do you have to acquire and implement a CRM?
- Company’s activity sector: what distinguishing characteristics does the company’s sector have and what are its competitors like?
Put this entire process in writing so that you can review it at any time, as you will need it at different stages of the CRM implementation project. In addition, this way anyone who joins your team or needs to consult it can take a look at it.
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2. Identify your particular needs
A CRM can be approached in different ways, so you have to identify what your particular needs are. For example, perhaps your main goal with CRM is to increase the number of quality leads, retain customers, or win back inactive customers.
Other needs that can lead you to implement a CRM in your company are saving resources and reducing the budget, improving customer service, increasing the productivity of your workers or optimizing the sales process.
Make a list of all the needs and objectives to be met with the CRM system and order them from most to least relevant. Thus, later it will be easier for you to design the strategy and establish the different automation processes.
It is normal that you find more than one need. Luckily, there are complete platforms, like ActiveCampaign’s CRM, that have numerous tools to address the needs of different departments.
3. Choose the right type of CRM
Once you have analyzed your business and know which are the most relevant needs to cover, it is time to choose a CRM. There are different types of CRM available, so it is important that you choose the one that best suits your strategy.
The three main types are operational (to see the customer journey), analytical (to analyze customer information and behavior), and collaborative (to share information with your collaborators).
You can also differentiate between traditional CRM and social CRM. In the latter, the focus is on connecting with leads and customers through social networks.
The decision of which one to choose depends, above all, on the needs of your company and the departments that are going to use it, for example, the sales team or the marketing team.
4. Define a strategy to implement CRM throughout the organization
Just as before building a house you have to make a plan of it, before starting with the implementation of the CRM you have to define a strategy. In it, set all the parameters and marketing automation workflows that you would like to create with the CRM tool. Even estimate the results you will get once they are up and running.
For example, you could establish that when a person provides you with their email through your website, a welcome email with a small discount will arrive immediately. If after X days that person has not used the discount, another email is automatically sent to remind them that it is available and that they may lose it if they do not use it.
To keep the information clear, create an outline in which it is easy to organize all the data. It merges in it all the information of your business that you have collected, the needs that you have and the resources that the CRM gives you. Then define the strategy.
Do not forget to include in the strategy all the people and departments that will use the CRM, indicating what part each one will deal with and how they will connect with each other. We also recommend that you listen to various points of view, so you can better fine-tune each process you design.
5. Implement your strategy in the CRM
This is a key step, as the time has come to bring the strategy you’ve developed to life. Configure the CRM taking into account all the information you have collected and the mapping you have created, and launch the marketing automation through the CRM software.
Thus, your customers will be able to interact with your company in real time, for example, through email marketing automations, which will increase customer satisfaction and conversions.
An important part of this stage of implementing a CRM is the migration of the database to the CRM, only then will it have as much information as possible. Otherwise, you will not be able to manage your existing leads and customers.
Customize the CRM software as much as you can, adapting it to the needs and the way of working of your company. On the other hand, once you have all the data imported, remember to segment your customers to get more out of the CRM.
To be able to do all this, you will have to know the CRM you have chosen like the palm of your hand, being clear about how it works and what tools it offers. Take your time to learn everything you need, so you will make your choice as profitable as possible.
6. Offer training to employees
Your CRM strategy is ready, waiting for the whistle to go off, but are the players ready too? It is essential that the people who work in the different departments that are going to use the CRM understand 100% what it is for, how it is used and what objectives are intended to be achieved with it.
They have to understand the benefits of a CRM, how this tool makes their work easier and saves them time thanks to the automations, the information it offers and the follow-up of leads and clients that can be done through it.
7. Check the implementation
The implementation of a CRM in your company is a big step, one in which a lot of information of different types moves. Therefore, once the implementation process is finished, it is important that you check that there are no errors in the automated processes and in the other tools that you have configured.
Otherwise, you could be in for a nasty surprise. Imagine that a person subscribes to your newsletter and immediately receives an email indicating that their order is on the way. Clearly, the beginning of their relationship with your company would not be positive at all and you will have to send an apology message to the affected customers.
If you see that any part of the strategy that you have created is not working as expected, focus on it, notice in which stage it is failing and apply the necessary changes. Afterwards, don’t forget to inform the personnel involved in that stage so that they are aware.
Also, make sure that everyone who uses the CRM has understood how it works. And if there is any question that you cannot resolve, contact the CRM support service.