Most CRM consultants engage their clients with extreme confidence. Yet, they are confused when it comes to end user acceptance and very seldom include change management considerations in their project plan. Most people fear technology and presented as such, they will cling tight to the power they currently have.
If you believe that CRM is a customer-centric business realignment, you should create a project team that includes key players. That means from all levels. These folks, who would normally be problems in a technology only initiative, will become invaluable in suggesting ways to change, taking ownership of those ideas, and helping to identify more risk areas with regard to internal friction.
Protecting Turf - You aren't making small changes, you're making huge changes, and this can be a big problem for some folks
Change Management - If your company had silos along departmental lines, or product lines, managers will begin seeing processes they own change, disappear or migrate to another authority. Ouch. Don't leave this person on the outside looking in or they may feel their job slipping away, or subordinate jobs being cut or reallocated. Effective change management needs to address managers who may feel their importance diminishing or changing.
Protecting Work Processes - Individuals may take pride in work processes that tend to disappear as work flow is realigned and the tasks they perform each day become automated, if they aren't eliminated from the new work flow completely. Your CRM team should have representative (non managers) from each functional area of your business so they can take ownership of the new way of doing things.
Increased efficiency doesn't mean you have to cut staff. It can also be used to grow your business without adding expense. Effective change management can be used to address the way office workers will react to their changing roles. We're not talking about cosmetic surgery here. We're dealing with tumor removal.
Communicating Change Internally - Not everyone can be on the team. Strong leadership requires dedication and great communication skills. However, if you've ever worked in a large company and heard your fearless leader address you from a podium, you know that the snickering can begin. So, it's important that your CRM project team address how its representative core members can shape the opinions, and address the fears, of their peers.
Communicating Change to Customers - Effective change management also relates to your customers. It may be that your new customer focused efforts is so fantastic that it speaks for itself. But, just in case, you had better ask yourself how your customers will deal with any hiccups as the changes begin. After that, they should be thrilled because I know that you came up with a strategy, realigned work flows to support the strategy and used technology to make the process brilliant.
Knowing your customer is important in this process, and that comes from communication. For instance, there was a transitional time where sending customer service automated emails to customers would have been a problem. Many mom and pop shops relied on fax even into the new millennium. Not handling that reality would have alienated good customers. - 15246
If you believe that CRM is a customer-centric business realignment, you should create a project team that includes key players. That means from all levels. These folks, who would normally be problems in a technology only initiative, will become invaluable in suggesting ways to change, taking ownership of those ideas, and helping to identify more risk areas with regard to internal friction.
Protecting Turf - You aren't making small changes, you're making huge changes, and this can be a big problem for some folks
Change Management - If your company had silos along departmental lines, or product lines, managers will begin seeing processes they own change, disappear or migrate to another authority. Ouch. Don't leave this person on the outside looking in or they may feel their job slipping away, or subordinate jobs being cut or reallocated. Effective change management needs to address managers who may feel their importance diminishing or changing.
Protecting Work Processes - Individuals may take pride in work processes that tend to disappear as work flow is realigned and the tasks they perform each day become automated, if they aren't eliminated from the new work flow completely. Your CRM team should have representative (non managers) from each functional area of your business so they can take ownership of the new way of doing things.
Increased efficiency doesn't mean you have to cut staff. It can also be used to grow your business without adding expense. Effective change management can be used to address the way office workers will react to their changing roles. We're not talking about cosmetic surgery here. We're dealing with tumor removal.
Communicating Change Internally - Not everyone can be on the team. Strong leadership requires dedication and great communication skills. However, if you've ever worked in a large company and heard your fearless leader address you from a podium, you know that the snickering can begin. So, it's important that your CRM project team address how its representative core members can shape the opinions, and address the fears, of their peers.
Communicating Change to Customers - Effective change management also relates to your customers. It may be that your new customer focused efforts is so fantastic that it speaks for itself. But, just in case, you had better ask yourself how your customers will deal with any hiccups as the changes begin. After that, they should be thrilled because I know that you came up with a strategy, realigned work flows to support the strategy and used technology to make the process brilliant.
Knowing your customer is important in this process, and that comes from communication. For instance, there was a transitional time where sending customer service automated emails to customers would have been a problem. Many mom and pop shops relied on fax even into the new millennium. Not handling that reality would have alienated good customers. - 15246
About the Author:
Mike Boysen is a CRM expert and publisher of Effective CRM Consulting. More about his informative perspective on CRM and effective change management can be found there.
