When The Software City Becomes A Digital Village

17 Mar 2011

or “Why You Shouldn’t Skimp On Professional Service”

Before I start let’s take a look at a couple of ideas:

• CRM software can appear to be incredibly complicated

• With an adult workforce, the chances are school days are long gone, and additional training generally gets met with a groan

Now we’ve got that out of the way, if you want that opportunity to groan please do it now! Yes, a good implementation of a CRM system is going to imply training. After all, you want to get the most from this incredibly useful piece of software don’t you?!

Here’s something to think about…

Imagine

moving to a new town. At first it seems huge, and you spend the first couple of weeks getting lost – unless you have a map or guide to help you.  And as time goes by the place becomes more and more familiar. You learn where the shortcuts are and become adept at finding your way around. One morning you wake up and the town that was once like a huge city has become a village to you. Without that guide though, you still won’t learn where are the best places to have a coffee, which shops open late on a weekend, or just how you get front row tickets to events in the local arena – if you are very lucky you’ll gather this through trial and error.

Now apply that knowledge to your CRM system. As time goes by and with an expert guide to assist you – the software city becomes a digital village, even if at first it seemed all the signs were written in a foreign language!

But without training sessions and professional service, the CRM software will not be as valuable a tool to your organisation as it should be. Chances are it will just be used as an expensive Contact Management tool.  Other areas and modules will seem daunting, perhaps with terminology your organisation isn’t used to and as a result they will be ignored. Your organisation could be missing out the tools for Lead Management, running a good Campaign, or optimising Project Management. And that’s just for starters!

Sales Pitch: At OpenCRM we have a Project Management team that works hand in hand with clients in setting their system up. We also recommend our clients use the professional training services available to help them get up and running as quick as possible and to guide them through the system. Furthermore, our professional services are there whenever there is a need for a “refresher course” or to introduce new staff members to OpenCRM. A little investment in CRM education goes a long way in optimising system use.