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Transform CRM simply

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When it comes to CRM implementations, conventional wisdom is to customize the solution up front and roll it out in phases, region by region or business by business. But after years of doing it this way, many enterprises still struggle. There’s a better way to transform CRM.

In a modern digital economy, it’s not enough run a business that puts customers at

the center. Enterprises have to surrender to the idea that customers are in the driver’s

seat. What that means is that enterprises must create a frictionless yet intimate

customer relationship and then let the customer choose when and how to engage.

There are a number of strategies and technologies to enable this, and for most,

customer relationship management (CRM) will sit at the center. But enterprises often

get tripped up on the complexities of global CRM initiatives, and end up spending too

much time and too much money for too little benefit.

The trouble is not necessarily with the CRM software and services, but with how it

is deployed. There is a smarter way. By starting with a simplified solution based on

fundamental business processes that stretch across the organization, rather than

leading with a smaller, customized solution in a particular region or business line,

enterprises can train a large swath of end users all together and capture broad

benefits early on. From there, using agile practices similar to those in DevOps,

enterprises can add customizations iteratively. The sooner CRM is working for the

business, the sooner the business will succeed in today’s customer-driven economy.

Aim high, but start simple

CRM is one of those technologies that business users get, at least in theory. That’s

because they know that improving customer relationships improves sales, which in

turn improves revenue. Putting CRM into practice is harder. Like any other enterprise

application, CRM software is complex and data driven, so implementations need to

be well planned, well executed and well supported, not only by C-level executives but

also by the end users themselves. Employees need to have a say in CRM processes

and practices and need to know how to use the system well, if the business is going to

experience CRM’s rewards.

When it comes to implementing a new CRM platform, the business is always going

to ask for the moon. But business users don’t have to implement CRM, IT does. And IT

has to show success.

A simplified solution speeds the time it takes to acclimate users to a new platform

and lowers the risk of costly project overruns. Starting simply with a global rollout

and then leveraging agile customization in later stages of the deployment once all

users are familiar with the CRM platform helps ensure that actual business needs and

objectives are being met.

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The risks of up-front customization

Starting simply may run counter to more conventional CRM implementations

where all the customization decisions are made during the initial project scope,

but designing a CRM platform solution with heavy customizations in the beginning

can stifle flexibility, making it more difficult and costly to enact changes later as

processes mature.

In software implementations, two factors affect costs the most: licensing and

customization. Creating customization up front, especially when trying to redefine

sales processes, can run the risk of needless spending.

Customizing solutions in the beginning also makes it difficult to integrate and expand

the CRM platform to other business units such as product management, service

centers, marketing and operations. And change is difficult for employees, especially

when trying to learn a new platform. Standing up users on a predefined, customized

and complex system creates complexities in training.

Beginning with a basic CRM template and then customizing along the way as

more and more users work with the platform lets companies methodically plan for

and choose the customizations that best suit their needs. It also helps them more

efficiently manage the costs of the development team. Rather than engaging teams

up front for the entire project, resources required for customizations can be brought

into the project when needed, based on business outcomes rather than an upfront

design.

The risks of region-by-region rollouts

More traditional CRM implementations typically run rollouts sequentially, in phases

with smaller groups of users, often implementing the customized solutions region

by region or line of business by line of business. The idea is to address each group’s

specific needs with a custom system, then move on to the next. But the phased

approach can drastically slow adoption rates, even as enterprises are still paying for

the software.

Customizations might also affect implementations in the other regions. Additionally,

there is a risk of missing deadlines, or of standing up new groups on a system

that is still undergoing quality assurance (QA) for known issues, thus causing an

unsuccessful implementation in terms of time, cost and user acceptance.

And no matter how beautifully designed and developed a solution may be, if users do

not adopt and embrace the system fairly quickly, the goals of the initiative may be

strained, and future adoption efforts may be affected. It can take 2 to 3 months after

employees are given access to a new platform before an enterprise begins to see any

measure of success and determines which areas need improvement. This time frame

is particularly critical when there is a specific date for decommissioning an existing

CRM solution.

Finally, regional rollouts run the risk of the “trickle effect.” Those waiting to be placed

on the platform will hear other regions’ experiences, likes and dislikes, which can

affect perception and user acceptance.

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Simple, in practice

Consider the global customer

relationship management (CRM)

implementation underway at a

multinational networking and

telecommunications company.

The European telco had decided to

decommission its existing CRM system

and implement a new CRM system.

Rather than make customization

decisions early on and take the

traditional, phased approach, the

company decided to roll out a templated

implementation to all users globally — an

approach recommended and supported

by DXC Technology. This will unite all

the sales and marketing users, bringing

them together to experience the new

platform in a simple way. By the time

the decommissioning of the prior system

occurs, all users will be onboarded onto

the CRM platform.

The telco has planned for some

customization in the beginning, but it will

be minimal. While the initial release is

being deployed, the company plans to

use a process methodology to engage

business and process experts at the

regional levels to gather information

about the requirements specific to

local user groups. This way, region-

specific processes can be identified and

analyzed for consideration as candidates

to be rolled into the template. These

data points can then be analyzed and

prioritized for future releases.

Designated local and regional teams,

identified during process methodology

sessions and also made up of employees

who want to be part of the process, will

test the CRM software to make sure it

can handle required tasks in real-world

scenarios, according to specifications.

As they use the new platform, the teams

will collaborate with each other to begin

analyzing the sales process, collateral

and tools, and identifying what really

works for them — the processes that

close sales faster and make sense at

regional and local levels.

This gives users a voice during the

CRM transformation and allows for

user feedback in the beginning of the

implementation rather than afterwards.

Feedback from user acceptance testing

(UAT) will be used to refine processes

and prioritize customizations based on

business outcomes.

During the implementation, new

features and enhancements will be

shared bimonthly, along with training

and knowledge transfer, establishing

a cadence that gives users regular

updates, but won’t overwhelm them with

major releases that are too frequent.

Throughout the implementation, executive

management will have quick and easy

access to regional and global reports on

sales performance, and will also be able

to provide input as sales processes that

need to be changed, discarded or added

are identified. As the CRM deployment

grows, it is expected that the reports will

provide greater insights.

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Bring in testing at the beginning

In traditional approaches, testing generally happens after the coding is done, prior

to deployment. Implementing a testing methodology can cut costs for testing and QA

because these processes are being automated all along. Developers can check their

code while in the process of developing, rather than at the end.

Doing this will help ensure a well-coded CRM instance and best practices for the

development team in the beginning, rather than correcting mistakes at the time of

user acceptance testing (UAT) and deployment.

Transform through change management

When enterprises go through an enterprise application implementation, many fail to

recognize the importance of organizational change management (OCM) — and its

most important components. A professional OCM team can lead a company through

the implementation process and help craft and deliver the right message around the

CRM transformation.

Sharing a communications plan with users before, during and after a major

implementation is critical; it provides them with an understanding of what is to be

expected and helps ease the pain of change.

An OCM team can also take some of the burden off the development teams by

creating knowledge content for the enterprise, conducting training and acting as a

first-tier help desk to answer questions and guide users.

DXC Technology has years of CRM implementation experience, and that experience

plays a significant role in discovering innovative new ways to help enterprises

achieve success with their CRM transformations. Rather than design complex

customizations up front, start simply with a basic CRM template. And rather than roll

out that complexity region by region or business by business, give all users across

the organization the opportunity to use the first-phase simple solution and then add

customization through an iterative and agile development process.

This approach — a refreshing makeover of traditional CRM implementation

approaches — will help maximize use of the CRM platform, mitigate the risks of

complexity, control or even cut costs, and drive successful CRM. Companies will

have the tools and processes they need to move beyond customer-centric business

models and finally give their customers the keys, ultimately building better customer

relationships that lead to better business outcomes.

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www.dxc.technology

About DXC Technology

DXC Technology (DXC: NYSE) is the world’s leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, serving nearly 6,000 private and public-sector clients from a diverse array of industries across 70 countries. The company’s technology independence, global talent and extensive partner network deliver transformative digital offerings and solutions that help clients harness the power of innovation to thrive on change. DXC Technology is recognized among the best corporate citizens globally. For more information, visit dxc.technology.

© 2018 DXC Technology Company. All rights reserved. November 2018

About the author

Ben Hughes is DXC Technology's product manager for

Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP and customer engagement

offerings. Ben has more than 20 years of experience in

strategic planning, business transformation and product

development, working with major technology and business

consulting firms, high-tech, media and telecom companies.

Learn more at www.dxc.technology/CRM