Is your sales team resistant to CRM software? Here’s how to get teams using your CRM and improve the adoption rate.
There’s no point in having CRM software if your employees aren’t using it. While you’ll know that incorporating CRM into your business can bring a lot of value to your sales teams, if there’s a low adoption rate, then your company won’t be in a position to take advantage of all the benefits that it can bring.
There are many reasons why a sales employee may resist CRM, the biggest being that they’ll already have their own methods and working processes. But it’s worthwhile working to increase the adoption rate. In this blog, we’ll look at some of the most effective methods for getting more of your team to use CRM.
Involve Them In The Process
Ideally, you’d lay the groundwork for getting your employees to use your CRM software before you implement it into your business. Your staff would be much, much less resistant to the software if they were part of the decision-making process in the first place.
There are a few ways to do this. One is to actively look at different CRM options with your remote sales teams. You could also discuss how and when you’re going to implement it into your business.
The main takeaway? Involve them in the process.
Outline the Benefits
You probably wouldn’t change your routine unless you knew how those changes were going to positively impact your life. The same goes for CRM software. Your sales team will already have its own ways of operating. If they have to use CRM, then their current methods will have to adapt to a new environment. It’s understandable that people would be a little hesitant! The solution? Outline the many benefits that the software will bring to their life. They’ll be more willing to embrace CRM once they see all that it can do.
Offer Training
Of course, it’s not just enough for your team to see all that it can do. They’ll need to actively know how to use the software so they can make use of its awesome potential.
Your sales team may be computer literate, or they may not, but it’s always worthwhile offering training. Even the most basic CRM software will have powerful capabilities, and the more complex ones can do virtually everything except make the bed. Spend a few days showing your team how to use the software, and you’ll find that they’re much more willing to use it. If you need help figuring out how to use the software, get in touch with the creator.
Use It At Top Level
The principle “do as I say, not as I do” has never really been a good approach for anything. Employees always look to the senior members of staff and use their behaviour as the basis for their own behaviour. If the top executives at the company are not using the software, then you can’t have too many complaints if other employees aren’t either.
Plus, nothing will get people rushing to their CRM software more quickly than an email from the CEO that says something like, “I was looking in the CRM but couldn’t find….”
Checking In
You wouldn’t throw someone in the deep end without checking in to see how they’re getting on with their swimming. The same applies to CRM. Once you’ve got your employees using the software, make a habit of periodically checking in to make sure that everyone’s happy with how they’re using it. They may say that everything’s fine, or they might have a few questions.
Go Slow
Finally, look at going slow. Or rather, at least avoid rushing into CRM at breakneck speed. There will be reasons for your team to be hesitant to avoid using CRM software, and those reasons won’t be entirely invalid. Rather than expecting everyone to switch to a new way of working overnight, look at taking things a little easy in the early days. You might use your CRM software for some things in the beginning, with the idea that you’ll slowly transition to having your CRM do everything at some point. This will help to ease your staff into the new way of operating.
Conclusion
CRM can be a powerful tool that can unleash the potential of your employees and your company as a whole. The goal will be to ensure that your staff knows how it can help them to reach their full potential, rather than seeing it as something that they need to rebel against. But that’s achievable. And when you do, you and they will enjoy plenty of benefits!
