Microsoft Dynamics Implementation Like Leading a Horse to Water

You’ve heard that old saying “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”.  I often hear managers complain that their CRM doesn’t work because they don’t have enough user acceptance. Well “leading a horse to water” is the same type of dilemma. 
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Two basic principles must be in place to achieve user acceptance of a CRM system.

1. What is in it for them?
2. What business processes are reinforced to drive the desired behavior?

“What is in it for them” is all about giving the end-user what they need to be more productive. Dynamics 365 CRM can’t be laid on as more work. It must cut down work and make it easier for the end-user to do their job. You reduce their daily tasks and deliver in one place the information that they have been scrambling to collect from other sources. You achieve this first principle and you will have a CRM system that can’t be pried away from users in six months.

The second principle, building around business processes, will take longer to achieve but is worth the effort. The first hurdle is defining the processes.  Do you have a sales process, a lead follow-up process, and customer complaint process? Not having a process that users agree on is often what keeps this principle from being achieved. Once a simple process can be flowcharted it can be put into CRM to follow.  Stages with required actions can be defined and time required to move between stages can be measured with Dynamics reporting. Of course, you are well aware of another principle – if you can’t measure it, it can’t be improved.

​So rather than drag your horses to water, first make sure they are thirsty. 

Stay safe and healthy! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.
 
[email protected] or call me at 330.929.1353 x 5224.
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