McKinsey on CRM Success Factors

Here's a snippet from that addictive ITfacts.biz site. (Well, addictive to me.)

McKinsey Consulting conducted a survey of companies boasting successful CRM implementation with the goal to define the factors of CRM success. Correct timing led the ranking of the top reasons for successful CRM implementation. Modules launched at intervals that promoted adoption by users - 79%. All affected business units provided input during planning - 69%. Users appropriately trained to use the new system - 67%. Cultural shift addressed - 59%.

More here. You'll have to be a subscriber to McKinsey Quarterly to read the article. What? You're not a subscriber? Then why have I had that link down on the right for a year??? :)

A good number of my clients, and at least two companies I consult for, have had a hard time convincing folks that CRM is more than contact management on steroids. For a globally-active, enterprise level CRM consultant, this is just shocking. CRM is where the rubber ought to meet the road in creating a competitive value proposition and executing it operationally, strategically, analytically -- at every touch point. Everyone at your organization should be involved in the CRM strategy and implementation. Unless you're just doing salesforce automation, in which case all of your competitors will eat your lunch.

If CRM is just contact management on steroids, then why are the best implementations correlated with a culture shift? Why would everyone need to provide input? If you're beginning to think that CRM is necessary, you should also be thinking that it is transformative. Or that it ought to be.

One quick example: Have you mapped the moments of truth your customers experience with you? No? Then how can you develop processes, technology and training to make sure you meet or exceed their expectations at those moments? Isn't that really where your organization's value is created or destroyed?

And what do these considerations have to do with contact management? I suppose you are starting to see that CRM is a not just important, but that it's a very big deal in creating market value. Or that it ought to be.

Now, please feel free to go ahead and use CRM software as a sales automation tool -- or to communicate to prospects. Just make sure that, when you bring in new customers, you aren't putting them into a meat grinder made up of poor processes, misaligned incentives, and garbage technology. Or else you're just annoying a larger group of people who will happily talk ill of you and then go to your competitors the next time.

SO.

Is CRM just contact management on steroids?