Every couple years our family ventures back to my wife Sony's native country of Brazil. When we do this it always offers an outside looking in perspective on what we are doing at CNP and gives me a chance to reflect on the things we should be focusing on to ad value to our customers. I am often making comparisons between the many cultural differences and observations about the many similarities . My analogy is that it is the same ice cream with slightly different flavors. Our second home in Navegantes SC is a community exploding with tourism and the people come from all parts of Brazil to vacation there. In some ways it is a step back in time since there are a lot of local folks that have not caught up with use new technologies since this grew out of a fishing village. Many of the visitors are well in pace with the trends of globalization so this makes for an interesting perspective on how technology is getting integrated in to the commerce and culture here. It makes me remember the importance of human relationships and something we should never lose in our engagements with customers or friends and family.
One interesting example of this community is when I wanted to purchase a used bicycle and was asking a group of older local gentlemen for directions to a place that would sell me a good used bike, since a gringo on a new bike stands out and I just want to blend in and relax a bit when I am here.
The response was... "go up the road to Edwardo's place and ask anybody" since everybody knew the guy that sold used bikes. Well I think you can get the idea here that these directions implied first the value of reputation since Edwardo's place was just an ordinary house of someone respected in the community. It emphasizes the importance of gaining the trust and awareness of real people in your community since it is often how others will navigate to your business. In a virtual web world this is kind of like saying "go to Google and type in "XYZ" then read the comments of others for direction".
I will be the first to admit that I am a bit of a geek and I like my techno toys/software and all of the magic they can do but one of the lessons I take from this is how important it is to not get distracted by all of the "cool" technologies we have and lose sight of developing real relationships in the right circle and community of your piers.
The priority should always be the relationship and the technology should never get in the way or distract from nurturing quality relationships.
This past week I was contacted to review a CRM Timeline. This timeline covers many of the high points in the evolution of CRM and is very interesting for a general overview of the evolution of CRM (Know more now as Social CRM) as an industry. One of the recommendations I made was to include the open source movement for CRM that really began with the SugarCRM project. Since projects like Joomla! CMS have help to pave a way for open source and the adoption of Social Technologies for small businesses so too has the branch of SugarCRM called info@hand and it's powerful integration with the Joomla! CMS. This combination is an ideal solution for Social CRM or as we affectionately call it "Social CRBM".
Discovery of the Info@hand CRBM
Our company CNP Integrations jumped on this bandwagon of "CRBM" (Customer Relationship Business Management) early on just as Sugar was gaining momentum and generating buzz in the open source community. After using the Community edition of SugarCRM we found that it just did not have a complete solution so we started exploring other options that were more inclusive. It was then that we found Info@hand CRBM which has more features useful for business management rather than just salesforce automation and it seemlessly integrated with Joomla! CMS.
Since this new CRM system integrated with Joomla! CMS as a frontend customer portal solution and I was already on my was as an evangelist for this amazing new platform, I quickly grabbed Michael Whitehead's book "Implementing SugarCRM" and a few others including Paul Greenberg's' "CRM at the Speed of Light" and I set out to become "An Expert". Well the journey I found to be quite significant and I will never gain the depth of knowledge a CRM guru like Paul Greenberg has, but I was able to become a power user of the info@hand CRBM platform and found that our experience was worth sharing with other customers to offer extended support as a VAR partner for the info@hand CRBM. Support for Info@hand was a natural addition to our portfolio of services to the Joomla! CMS community since we already had this expertise.
One great integrated platform is a lot to keep track of
Well that was four years ago and though the CRM timeline introduces the birth of SugarCRM they did not include the birth of the Info@hand CRBM solution in this evolution as they rightly should have. Folks like Paul Greenberg have been keeping track of the massive complexities and ongoing growth and transitions of the overall CRM industry while we have been closely involved in the specific evolution with info@hand CRBM as a VAR partner. Believe me, I do not know how Paul does it since we have our hands full with just staying on top of one mighty platform and what we believe it is by far the best choice for small b2b and b2c businesses that use Joomla CMS!.
Keeping Pace and Stride with the big players
We have watched a significantly smaller well focused development group at the Long Reach Corporation combined with a dedicated user group and partner network surpass products with big money behind them. While many of the CRM platforms like Salesforce which have significantly deeper pockets both for development resources and marketing, the Info@hand CRBM platform has been steadily growing in features functionality and stability to offer a competitive edge for features but significantly lower cost of entry for small to midsized business enterprises. With the gigantic buzz around Social technologies and "Social CRM" Joomla was the perfect marriage for info@hand since Joomla Now has one of the best platforms for building out Social Communities.
Time fly's when you are building any business
This has been a fast passed path and keeping up with the comparisons has been a rather time consuming process we are not always able to keep up on documenting but every time we do we see Info@hand clearly taking strides over their peers. In our own info@hand timeline, we have seen the evolution of integrations with QuickBooks, Microsoft Outlook, and eCommerce transaction management (Sync with Virtuemart Shopping Cart System for Joomla! CMS) with inventory, shipping, and ERP functionality. Integration with DimDim conferencing and GoogleDocs, Calendars, event, email campaign and subscription management and much more... Perhaps someday we will have the spare time to gather our own timeline and present it but for now we are just happy this platform delivers such robust features with a fraction of the overhead costs.
"Surf's up"
One day very soon this best kept secret of the Info@hand CRBM with Joomla! CMS is going to catch the right wave in popularity with the big boys and we will see small businesses flocking the call out of "Surf's up for Social CRM"
Build Value by following a success program and planning carefuly
I have been following the ITtoolbox.com discussions lately and ran across these comments below. It reinforces much of what we have learned and why we have designed a consulting practice around our Value Building Methodology. Notice the date of these articles. In other words this is not new information but folks are still making the same mistakes nearly 4 years later.With the new Social CRM and social technologies that we have to now integrate into these systems it is only going to get more challenging.
Invest in good training, support and consulting to align your initiatives
To implement CRM effectively it often takes an outside consulting team to help plan, execute, train and align an organization's people and processes with the technology. Thinking you can just buy some software that an ambitious CEO or IT manager likes and that you can implement it without a full support package from a qualified consulting firm is a path for disaster. It tends to be a rather expensive proposition on so many levels when you do not invest in the right balance of consulting with your technologypurchase. It is a myth that one you purchase the software and turn it on that your investment is over. This will become a paridigm shift in most cases for the way you do business and will continue to evolve over an extended period of time.
Open Source solutions positions you for future needs
This is one of the reasons we like solutions built off of an open source code base. The cost of entry on the software is much lower so you can get more implementation resources and training for the same investment while not being held over the barrel on the software should you want to modify the system to meet unique requirements down the road. Many of these requirements you may not even know you need yet.
Full Article:
Disclaimer: Contents are not reviewed for correctness and are not endorsed or recommended by ITtoolbox or any vendor. Popular Q&A contents include summarized information from CRM-Select discussion unless otherwise noted.
1. Medium-size company wanting to facilitate revenue growth purchased SFA software without any sales strategy. They expected that the software would make their life easier. As most SFA software, it came with its own pre-packaged best practices, which did not fit the company's processes. The implementation dragged out as the company realized that they had to re-examine their processes.
2. A large company purchased call center software to address the growing backlog of thousands of unanswered customer emails. After the software was implemented, training followed. During training, the users scream: we can't use this system, we won't use this system. Two reasons: first, same as #1, little effort was made to align process to packaged functionality, and second, no effort was made to engage the users and build champions among them.
3. A fast-growing company with a solid CRM strategy purchased and implemented SFA, Call center, and Marketing automation software. They did not, however, consider the importance of data quality in the beginning. The Result: reports could not be trusted, pipeline and trending was worthless, and the project went through a major crisis until these issues started getting addressed.
After a number of years, the company in #1 has abandoned the original SFA software and opted for a more simplistic and less costly solution from an SaaS vendor. The company in #2 has taken a step back, re-examined their CRM strategy, re-mapped its processes, and rebuilt most CRM components. The company in #3 has continued building upon the described solution, overcomming the initial data quality issues.
Outside the scope of pure CRM systems, but within the scope of business-critical systems, plenty:
All boil down to: 1) Rubbish needs analysis 2) Rubbish solution analysis and selection on top of poor needs analysis 3) Poor end-to-end implementation, with little outcome-based assessment of the implementation team (with a serious stress here on training and external change mgt) 4) Zero, or poor metrics in place to measure success, not only before, but during, at time of go-live, and for 12 months minimum after.
The key points are 80% point one, and 20% point two. The third and fourth are merely confusing factors, that while important, could not *really* (other than in a completely dysfunctional org) exist without the first two.
CRM implementations fail for three reasons, and it all boils down to Human Nature! If a business owner can overcome these three things, CRM will pay for itself rather than be a huge expense.
1) CRM implementations live and die by its EMPLOYEES acceptance... PERIOD!! If the user refuses to use it, IT BECOMES AN EXPENSE!!!
2) Not only is there no BENEFIT for a user to learn and use a CRM application, it's actually a DETRIMENT for an end user to learn and use a CRM application!!!
3) If you encounter a businessman who is looking to purchase a CRM solution, regardless of price or company, they should be able to answer, INTELLIGENTLY and TRUTHFULLY, this one simple questions... "How will your EMPLOYEES benefit from learning and using a CRM application?" If they cannot, they will LOSE MONEY ON THE PURCHASE. Let's see if they can actually ENFORCE the use of a CRM if their sales department is under the impression that it will help line the pockets of the CEO/OWNER even further while THEY have to work harder with no compensation to learn and use it for that purpose.
The graphic below is an example of a 5 step process used for implementing new technology. Some venders or consultants have variations on the process but for the most part this is a good guide. Missing or bypassing a step can seriously impact your success or utilization capabilities of your CRM system.
Training, strategy and proper implementation are key.
We have found the biggest gaps for companies implementing new complex technologies are between having a clear vision, strategy, mapped processes and how the humans are trained to integrate with the technical aspects of the applications. For example; most folks use a fraction of the features when they purchase MS Office products or other applications. They buy them for a couple very targeted capabilities. One user may use any of the suite of tools more than another such as excel, PPT or word and some may need to use them all. Most will have a few specific tasks they need to perform over and over again. However, the one time you need that advanced feature/capability... I know I get really frustrated if the right tool was not there when I need it. I also better be able to find someone who can help or some training or other online resource to help me find this feature/tool and turn it on without wasting a ton of time or it often defeats the purpose of having the tool available in the first place.
Sorting out what your users are going to need up front, setting a clear roadmap and providing the support they need over time is monumental to the success of implementing CRM solutions or any complex technology for that matter.
This seems like a double edged sword...
CRM systems are usually designed with tons of features because they are required to associate a lot of complex relationships between different types of data and information profiles. The reality is in order for any good CRM system to be financially feasible to develop it has to be versatile and adaptable since every business model and implementation is unique. Face it, these systems are just complicated in nature and it is very challenging to offer a custom business system that meets every process spec with the functionality required under the hood and a simplified user experience for non technical folks.
One of the other challenges we have found with any complex software application is that when the next batch of new features are released, often, with the new features comes a few bugs. With this comes frustration, which stirs emotions, thus making it harder sometimes for end users to get excited about the new processes or the software.
CRM is complicated by design... so is your business
Most businesses are like a complex web if information and resource associations that are then departmentalized to groups of folks performing roles in the organization. The systems have to be complex to accommodate this. It is often hard to find the right implementers that have the technical savvy to understand the complexity of the CRM systems under the hood as well as the overall required business processes this is intended to support. What this means is that not only is the software configuration different for every customer but the process in which it is deployed is also unique to the culture, participating talent and size of the organization.
Who is involved in getting this done?
I think another challenging issue may be that often folks in sales and decision makers are not in tune with specifically what the end user will need to work more efficiently. When you have a lot of people accustom to their own existing systems and processes it can be hard to get them to adopt the new systems and processes. They need to be convinced this is going to be a better process and make their job easier. This is one key reason why CRM has to be brought into any company both from the top down and the bottom up. It is also very important to maintain open dialog and flexibility across the organization so you can adapt appropriately to changing conditions.
Set your priorities, strategy first and map it... to your technology and with your people
What we found here at CNP integrations was that if we start at the first pain point which is the decision making process, we can help organizations implementing complex technologies with a proven method for getting the most out of their investment. We do this by asking the right questions up front and setting a clear roadmap for success.
I know when folks think of "consulting" they think expensive and it is the first thing they want to cut out of the budget but by far the costs of implementing CRM wrong or picking the wrong technologies to support your needs will far surpass any upfront investment in consulting or follow on training and project alignment support.
Check out our Value Builder Program and Small Business Success programs for more information about our methodology and associated services.
3 New programs to help small businesses grow and prosper http://bit.ly/tB9Md
You can also participate in our online video podcasts (Starting in mid July) where we bring experts together to discuss many key topics related to successful technology deployment and trends with Social CRM. http://webinars.learningcrm.com
Commercialism is like a rigged slot machine do you ever win?
This week end I drove by 10 garage sales. I'll bet most of us in America have a collection of a bunch of stuff we do not need or use any more. This got me thinking about our economy and what I believe may be a culture that has grown off course in America. Are we not programmed to go work hard for money just so we go buy stuff? Are we buying what we need and can realistically afford our purchasing appitites? It seems quite often we end up buying many things out of impulse that we do not really need on credit and then pay interest. To me it is much like a rigged slot machine at a casino. So where did this mind set come from? Perhaps from the many clever advertising, merhandising and the persuasive sciences which have evolved in the last few decades? As someone marketing a product we want to master these techniques yet as a consumer we want to beware to not fall prey. We all need to be aware of the impact these techniques have on our purchasing decisions and the aftermath of when the wrong purchasing decisions are made.
The funnel game always eats your quarter
In many ways selling is like pointing a vacume at a customer with the hope you can "suck them in". It all reminds me of the funnel game I have seen at local malls where you roll in a coin and get to watch it go around and around in the funnel but eventually the coin goes into the bottom and all you got was to watch it spin around for a while. The real reality check came for me a few years back on a trip to Mexico. At the time I had a great paying job, penthouse apartment and what most folks would consider an upscale life style. The problem was that under the hood I was just not happy and the stress really kept me from enjoying these acquired pleasures. In Mexico I met a family of 8 living in a single room hut with very few worldly possessions. I watched how they interacted with their kids and each other and there was no doubt they we very happy and satisfied with who they were and what they had. They did not seem to be corrupted by the "keep up with the Jones's syndrome" or the "glamour and fashion trend setting craze" since they did not get blasted with the constant programming contained in advertisements. They had what they needed and since they had limited resources they put a lot of thought into any purchase they made and only "consumed" what they needed.
Addicted and under the influence
I get the feeling we as "Consumers" are addicted to this need to keep buying stuff that we really do not need or because we want to have the latest and greatest of a brand just because we can. Caught up an a never ending cycle that continues to draw us back in to the center. If you think about it we are so programmed and it feels a bit like a modern form of slavery. We either buy stuff the ends up in our next garage sale where we sell it for pennies on the dollar after the quick joy ride and impulsive enthusiasm dies. Who are the real profiteers in this game anyway? Ching, ching, ching... three jokers is not a win on this slot machine. How can we get away from the emotional impulsive response to this science and step back to a more practical and focused decision making process?
Program yourself with the right questions
I wonder what it will take to un program ourselves. How can we step back and ask the right questions as we make our future purchasing decisions. I tell my son of 5 yrs old as he is learning to navigate the world and make decisions with his piers that before he does something he should ask the right questions.
"Is something going to get broken?
Is someone going to get hurt?
Is it the right thing to do?"
Perhaps we can program ourselves to ask the right decisions about what we spend our money on.
"Do we need this?
Will it bring value to my life?
How will this impact the world around me?"
I am sure you could think of even more appropriate questions. If we can do this I think we can all prosper on so many levels. One we will only purchase what we actually need thus giving us more time and less stress in our lives. We also take away the power of the mighty marketing machine that acts like "The man behind the curtain" in the wizard of OZ. Pulling our fear and heart strings to milk us of our time and resources.
Don't listen to the snake oil salesman
So the next time you have a garage or yard sale think about the stuff you have and ask yourself if you asked the right questions when you first purchased this and did it really bring value to your quality of life and how did it affect the world around me? I am sure you will find that something in your collection of stuff that you just would have been better off without. Every little purchase made wrong keeps you from what may bring greater value to your happiness and life experience. Perhaps we need to get out of our easy going thought less sheepish behavior and step up to a thoughtful engagement in our decision making processes by putting more consideration on the big picture in our lives and the lives of others instead of just feeding "the machine."
Value Building to protect your time and resource investment
One of the things we take very serious at CNP Integrations is asking the right questions before we engage with a new or existing customer. Life is way to short to have our time and technologies shoved off to your next corporate garage sale. We want to make sure the right decisions are made and that you are purchasing the right tools for the specific needs of your team as it grows. We also want to make sure you are aligned with your priorities. One of the cool things about the tools in our CRBM Platform is they can do just about anything if you configure them correctly. This is however a double edged sword since this capability is like drugs to an addict or candy to a child and the many choices can distract you from your key objectives. The Value Builder Methodology developed by CNP Integrations is designed to help you get the greatest value out of your technology investments and to help you with establishing priorities so you do not spend your time or money on stuff that will not bring significant value to you and your organization.
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Every couple years our family ventures back to my wife Sony's native country of Brazil. When we do this it always offers an outside looking in perspective on what we are doing at CNP and gives me a chance to reflect on the things we should be focusing on to ad value to our customers. I am often making comparisons between the many cultural differences and observations about the many similarities . My analogy is that it is the same ice cream with slightly different flavors. Our second home in Navegantes SC is a community exploding with tourism and the people come from all parts of Brazil to vacation there. In some ways it is a step back in time since there are a lot of local folks that have not caught up with use new technologies since this grew out of a fishing village. Many of the visitors are well in pace with the trends of globalization so this makes for an interesting perspective on how technology is getting integrated in to the commerce and culture here. It makes me remember the importance of human relationships and something we should never lose in our engagements with customers or friends and family.
