Directions North America 2019 in Las Vegas is a primarily Business Central focused event. Despite that, these days you can’t talk ERP without throwing a little CRM into the mix. CRM of course now being labelled ‘Customer Engagement’ by Microsoft. And what were people saying about CRM, aside from not understanding Microsoft’s licensing? They were asking how we as partners can successfully implement CRM and avoid the 40-70% failure rate.
You read that right; there is a 40-70% failure rate for CRM installations. How is a tool that is easily configurable, deployed on all mobile devices, and fully integrated with Business Central so prone to failure? Let’s discuss the 3 most common ones; lacking UI simplicity, lack of customer responsibility, and sticking to the old processes with the new tools.
UI simplicity
With the ability to configure the system any way we choose and capture everything you could ask for, we often get lost and complicate the user interface. For our customers, that means a steeper learning curve for their users’ right when the grief curve is just starting. Designing with the user experience first, and rolling out features in sprints can help maintain a simplified UI and a positive user experience. All the bells and whistles are great, but sometimes that’s too much noise.
Customer responsibility
The hardest challenge is one of communication. As CRM consultants we need to communicate more effectively with our customers the impact their management team can have on an implementation. A manager who holds his team responsible for learning, and using the system can knock that 40-70% failure rate down to 0%. It is our responsibility to meet the needs of our customers, ask the right questions, and guide them through the implementation and provide support after that. However, that is merely a pipe-dream if the customer doesn’t accept a certain level of responsibility for the implementation’s success.
New process development
When implementing a brand new system, it is essential to communicate with your customers that existing processes will change. Moving from 1 toolset to a completely new one, while trying to do the same tasks can often lead to a longer grief curve. Users will pushback as they have to learn new systems to perform old familiar tasks; Tasks that they’ve already mastered in legacy systems. It is, therefore, critical upfront to understand the impact the new software can have on your organization’s processes and start planning.
To get more updates on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, join us May 16 from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM at Microsoft Canada for the Best Manufacturing App Seminar (BMAC).
The BMAC is a one-stop experience that brings together Canadian manufacturers and industry experts and keeps them ahead of manufacturing’s digital transformation.
Conference Agenda:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for Manufacturing– What Is New for Canadian Manufacturers in 2019
- 14 BMAC Exhibitors Will Present Their Product and Service in An Allocated Time Slot.
- An Open Exhibit Hall -Visit and Try Out the Software with The Exhibitor That Catches Your Attention.