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Adopting a new CRM system can be confusing and time consuming. The best way to ensure you get the most out of your CRM implementation is by hiring a CRM consultant to help your business through the entire process.
A CRM consultant is an individual or company with expertise in CRM software implementations. They’re mainly responsible for facilitating the set-up of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. It’s their job to take companies through the process of determining what is needed and to help tackle the pain points in the system to ensure a successful implementation. As part of the implementation, the consultant will assist with employee onboarding and training to ensure a smooth transition. They are there to ease frustrations that arise during adoption of a new CRM system and to help the end user maximize its benefits.
Taking on a new CRM system can be a daunting task. Hiring a CRM consultant or partner can take the team through the entire process more smoothly, from selection to implementation. To begin, a consultant will help you determine your business needs and which CRM system is the best fit for your business operations and goals. After the initial installation, the CRM consultant will also be there to add any additional customizations; ensuring the customer gets the most out of the CRM. A more custom solution may be needed to support a specific business process, overcome specific operational challenges, or provide an integration with other systems. Utilizing a CRM consultant provides outside expertise and guidance to ensure the end result works well for the organization. A consultant’s industry experience is also valuable, as they can identify different scenarios to help foresee potential issues and they are well versed in best practices. Finally, their knowledge is vital for training employees. This helps to ensure your company utilizes its new CRM to its full potential.
There may come a time in your business when you must decide whether to assign the role of CRM manager to an existing employee, hire someone new to fill the spot, or enlist the help of an outside CRM consultant or software partner. Typically, hiring an outside expert will be the most cost effective. The upfront costs may be greater when hiring an outside consultant versus adding an employee to staff but adding someone internally can cost more in the long term. Choosing to hire a consultant can help facilitate the time it takes to complete the implementation and speed up the process – as they are solely focused on the implementation while an in-house employee will have other responsibilities.
When selecting a CRM consultant, it is important to find the right one for your organization and/or industry. Here is a list of questions that are valuable to ask when deciding on hiring a CRM consultant:
It’s important to recognize red flags in the consulting relationship. If you feel your business needs to change to make a CRM consultant happy, this consultant may not be the right fit. Trust is a crucial factor. Do you trust the consultant is working on your behalf when you are not there to check? Is the software living up to its promise? These are all signs the CRM consultant, or the software needs an “update.” When you are not satisfied or recognize an issue, it’s important to determine if the consultant is the issue, the software configuration, or both.
When concerns arise, the first step is to voice those to the CRM consultant. Once you’ve discussed the situation, together you can determine next steps. Remember, not all relationships last forever and in business you can’t afford to be in one that no longer serves you.
ApostleTech’s team is highly knowledgeable about CRM and implementations. We know how impactful the proper software solution is to a business and we can answer any questions you may have about CRM systems or how consultancy works. Contact us to learn more about how we can help your business create opportunities for growth.
