You’ve got ideas about how to make your customer relationships as beneficial as possible. Your CRM ideas are simple, they speak to your customer base, and they validate your customers’ choice to use your business. If only you could make them a reality.
How do you change your current processes to implement your new ideas? Follow this quick, four-step plan to get your CRM ideas moving.
Pick one opportunity—and run with it
It’s hard to take it slow when you’re excited about improvements, but focusing on one change at a time will help you execute each one to the best of your ability. Choosing just one opportunity will aid focus and ensure quality results.
Address the bottom line
How a CRM shift will impact your business’s bottom line should be a major consideration during the planning stage. If you’re working on a change that won’t translate to bottom line success, it may be beneficial to revisit your list of ideas to find one that will positively impact your revenue. You can still make those minor changes if you like, but move your real game changers to the front of the line.
Put your plan into action
Transitioning your chosen idea to execution can be a struggle if you’re unprepared. Be sure to know the problems your plan will solve, who will be responsible for executing the plan, and how your plan’s success will be measured before implementing changes. Doing this will keep your team—and your CRM goals—on track throughout the process.
Begin Again
Once you’ve taken your first CRM plan from idea to action, assess the process to pinpoint what worked (and what didn’t). If you can, automate the parts that performed well and reexamine ways you can execute parts that didn’t. Once you have your entire process down pat, your team can sit back and relax as more CRM ideas move through the action channel to create better CRM for your business.
Scott McLaren is CMO for Fortegra Financial Corporation,