How to Increase CRM Adoption in Sales Teams

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is one of the greatest success investments a company or business can make in its lifetime. It is also a significant factor that fosters success for businesses that face consumers directly. For you to get the most sophisticated benefits of using CRM, you must be sure that the system is being utilized properly by your employees, especially the sales team members. 

How to Increase CRM Adoption in Sales Teams

The customer relationship managementmarket has seen a steady growth in the recent past. For this reason, its value is estimated to stand at $19 billion. However, migrating to the use of the new system is not one of the things you should take for granted. Despite the overall market success, the customer relationship management initiatives have suffered more than 60 percent failure rates in the industry. However, people admit that these failures are out of exaggerations. However, their existence indicates a weakness in a flawed process. 

Reasons for failure

Many ways are available for CRM to fail so that its adoption can gain favor in the eyes of the sales team members. The best way it fails is by choosing the wrong product for your work or business. Maybe it may lack the correct features for having the workflow of the sales the company makes. In some occasions, it may come with numerous features that cause the representatives find frustration and complications. Maybe it does not have the capability to integrate with some products you normally use like email sharing. 

A customer relationship management system can be of no use if it does measure usage and track investment returns. This is true when it does not enforce and support key leaders. No pay out, and no buy-ins. 

Ways to boost adoption

The adoption of CRM is not about forcing people to use it. However, it is all about showing them the true value it adds to the sales processes as well as equipping them for success in usage. Let’s look at the strategies below.

Upper-management buy-in

When most buyers consider adoption, they think about forcing sales representatives to use the system. However, the only target audience is not the end-users. The upper management of the company should also be engaged. Leadership plays a role in enforcing usability standards and selling it to the company.

Employ buy-in

Intrinsic motivation is more important than extrinsic motivation. Instead of forcing the use of CRM by your junior members, let them make it a choice to use it because of its benefits. Before committing a product, let them get your input. What do you hate or like about this system? Provide rewards or recognition to top performers after installing the system.

Provide on-going and pre-emptive training

For an average sales rep, it can be a daunting task to learn the use of a new system. While the old systems had its problems, they managed to use it. Training process involves training users how to use the new system. Some vendors offer online training tools through webinars, video tutorials, and a troubleshooting guide. Beyond training, ensure they access updates, support tools, and best information practices.