Ten ways to make CRM succeed

1. The number one ingredient of a successful CRM software implementation is to have a CRM strategy in place first. It sounds obvious, yet 90% of our customers don't have one: and if you don't have a clear strategy for building relationships with customers, how can software help you do it? A strategy that emphasises increased profits will lead to a very different implementation from one that emphasises better customer service, for example. Without a strategy, you're flying in the dark - and no outside consultant can write one for you.

2. Second, and in keeping with its strategic importance, any successful CRM implementation must be driven by an organisation's most senior executives. Again, this hardly ever happens in practice. Typically implementations are driven by the marketing or sales divisions, or even from a call centre - but if the MD isn't the one ultimately driving it, a CRM implementation will fail. That's a strong statement, but I've seen enough failed implementations to stand by it. For CRM systems to work properly, they need to be used pro-actively; and that won't happen without leadership from the top. If your MD isn't in the first meeting with your chosen implementation partner, you're going to end up as one of the statistics.

3. That brings us to the third ingredient of success: the people you hire to implement CRM software for you. Choose a partner with experience in your industry; but don't expect to be able to leave them to it. If you've got your strategy in place - and if you don't, you shouldn't be talking to an implementation partner at all - CRM software will be part of a core system in your business. Off the shelf, it's pretty much worthless: it needs to be carefully and thoughtfully configured, with lots of input from the people who are actually going to use it, if it's going to deliver the value you expect.

4. Fourth, a CRM software implementation needs to maintain a clear focus. Don't try to fix everything at once: identify your biggest problems and aim to solve those first. Then, once you have a proven success, CRM can evolve to take a broader role in the organisation.

5. Fifth, make sure the software will actually get used. This is already more likely if you have a clear CRM strategy driven from the top, but there are additional techniques that can help. Provide good training, incentives and bonuses; identify CRM champions and show others how they're using the software to make their jobs easier, more productive and more rewarding; make the system an agenda item in board meetings, and measure adoption as part of employee key performance indicators.

6. Sixth, proper project planning and project management can make all the difference. Plan on an initial implementation timeframe of three to six months, then allow one to three years to get full adoption and arrive at the point where your CRM software is a permanent, constantly evolving part of the way you do business.

7. Seventh, the user friendliness of your chosen software will make a difference to its success. If you can leverage work people are already doing via email and their personal calendars and contact lists, so much the better.

8. Eighth, make sure you pull all your customer data into the same place: aim never to capture anything twice. When your sales reps and your debtors' clerks all have access to the same, up to date information, the value of the system will begin to speak for itself.

9. Ninth, employ someone whose job it is to support the system's users and help everyone use it most effectively. This support could range from individual training to capturing customer details for sales staff - whatever it takes.

10. Finally - and bringing us back to the CRM strategy - make sure you measure your success. This step often gets left off with CRM systems, but there are plenty of ways to build in measures of, for example, end user adoption within each business unit, the accuracy of sales forecasting or the percentage of returned mail. Again, what you measure depends on what you're trying to achieve.

All of this applies to all organisations, from the very small to the very big. If you do all of these things, starting most critically with a clear strategy driven by the leaders of the organisations, you're guaranteed a success.