Why choose QGate as your CRM Consultant?
We know what it takes to make a CRM project a success and we’ve done just that for companies across varying industries and sectors. We’ve been there from the start and we’ve stepped in to save the day so we know just how to help companies complete a successful CRM implementation.
Before you decide to partner with a CRM consultant on your implementation, there are a few things you’ll want to know, including:
- Why CRM implementations fail
- What value a consultant can bring to the table
- What qualities you should look for in a CRM partner
- Where partners fit into a CRM implementation approach
Why do CRM implementations fail?
Though studies have found it difficult to determine exactly how often they fail, anywhere from 20-60% of CRM projects are deemed failures. There are a number of reasons why these projects don’t go as expected:
- Lack of support – there is a disconnect between executives and the CRM project team that hinders progress, discouraging the team on the project
- Insurmountable difficulties – companies run into problems they don’t foresee and don’t have the expertise to solve and the project is abandoned
- Poor user adoption – the project team loses sight of the Day One System and the first live phase is not up to scratch in the eyes of the users
- Unhealthy data – the CRM data is so unhealthy, either duplicated or inaccurate, that the users don’t trust it and prefer to rely on individual database methods
What are the benefits of partnering with a CRM consultant?
A good partner brings experience and knowledge to a CRM implementation that you would not have access to internally or through self-education on the web. This person or partner company should be willing to share skills and tasks in order to help you manage your time and costs.
A CRM consultant, like QGate, will be there from the beginning; assessing your needs, processes and procedures to find you the right CRM solution rather than just a CRM solution. They are your best source of information on everything CRM and the right consultant can be an asset to your business for the life of your system.
What should you look for in a CRM consultant / partner?
When looking outside of your own organisation for help with CRM be sure to think about these factors:
- Likeability factor – Make sure you choose someone you get along with. Your overall project and need for ongoing support will last a long time so make sure you choose a partner you’re happy to talk to and trust if or when things go wrong or not to plan
- Industry focus – You may want someone with a focus in your particular industry. A company who has implemented CRM in a similar environment may have some useful advice or intellectual property that can smooth the way for you based on their experience.
- Added value – Choose a consultant whose expertise supplements your own internal resources. Your implementation needs people with the right mix of technical, business analysis and project management skills if your project is going to run smoothly
Where do partners fit into a CRM project?
In order to have the most effective CRM implementation, you need to make sure you have an established approach that takes you from your initial idea to prioritising those ideas to qualifying a solution – all the way to phasing the project, training and delivery and ongoing support.
A good CRM consultant will be there with you every step of the way to make sure you are maximising your resources to deliver a system your users will actually use and find value in.
With user adoption as a key measure of a CRM system’s success, CRM partners keep you focused on this goal and move you smoothly through every stage of your project.
How does QGate approach CRM implementations?
As an example, we use the Microsoft Sure Step methodology as the foundation for our implementation approach. This method provides a great way of breaking up a project into sub-phases for a scalable implementation.
The Sure Step method makes sure that the company implementing CRM (You) and your partner (QGate) have a common approach from the very first pre-sales conversation through to ongoing CRM support.
By working with a partner using a scalable implementation approach, you can reduce risk by getting an end system more closely aligned to your organisation’s needs quickly in order to maximise the return on your investment.
Reach out and start your CRM project off right. For more information on CRM consultancy, please contact us.
