Anatomy of a CRM project – part one…

As I mentioned in Monday’s post, I want to walk you through a CRM project to give some feel for what we do, and why we do it – and, because it is a real project, some feedback on how things actually played out.

By way of background, this project was the follow up to a project we took live earlier in the year. The initial implementation had focussed on the needs of the sales and marketing teams. The objective of phase two, as the project became known (note to self – we really need to come up with more dramatic project names), was to enhance the productivity and effectiveness of the technical support and service functions of the business. Just to clarify what we mean by technical support and service – if you came into the office one morning and found your xyz machine was no longer working, you might call the supplier of said malfunctioning machine for assistance. They would endeavour to resolve your issue on the phone, or arrange for an engineer to visit to rectify the problem. Phase two was designed to enhance the tracking and resolution of that support call. These support and service processes involved around fifteen people in the business.

The origin of this part of the project, dates back to some analysis we carried out for the client in 2004. The starting point for most of our engagements is to analyse a client’s existing situation. We do this through review of existing systems and operating procedures, and interviewing key staff in the business. The aim is to identify with the client where CRM is likely to have the greatest positive impact in the unique context of their own business. These are not lengthy exercises, in this case five days, including reporting back. What it produces however, is a clear vision of the business benefits the technology will bring, which in turn helps clarifies objectives, generate buy-in, momentum, and, very importantly, provides the foundation to get the right budget and resources – something that kills a lot of projects stone dead from the start.

To be continued –

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