Implementing a Customer Relationship Management software can be a challenging process. It usually takes multiple months and can be tedious with the data migration, set up of new hardware and software and managing personnel involved. Getting every person on the same page with a formal plan may be difficult, but it helps if you compare your CRM implementation to a baseball season. Let’s look at four ways to view your implementation through a baseball lens.
From the day you begin looking for CRM, to the moment you get your first upgrade, and beyond, management is the key to delegating and getting the right CRM adopted. It is their responsibility first and foremost to keep the implementation running well. The same goes for a baseball team, where it starts with the owner, the GM and the manager. They pick the players, put them in positions to succeed and oversee the team’s overall success. This involves managing costs, strategies, and day to day operations.
When you are implementing a CRM software system, there are many people involved. IT needs to make sure the hardware and software are in place, assist in the data migration and run the setup efficiently. Accounting needs to make the numbers work for buying the CRM and management needs to ensure that employees are on board and properly trained. The exact same goes for a baseball team. The owner picks management team members, management picks the players and the players are indirectly responsible for success on the field. All these pieces need to work together to reach the desired goal.
Implementing a new CRM solution is not an easy process. There are many steps including initial setup, data passage and training the users. Everyone from sales, marketing, customer service, IT and others will be involved. There are always hiccups so it is important to have a clear plan with a focused team to handle these when they occur. In a baseball team, there is often a lot of moving pieces as well. This includes the injuries of the troupe, a change in personnel and change of opponents.
A CRM implementation can be very quick, especially in the cloud. However, the time factor that can make it a long process is the data migration, customization, and training. It can take months until everything is up and running and everyone is comfortable on the system. A baseball season is similarly long. In fact, it is a 162-game season. The next longest skilled sport is a mere 82 games.