At the recent TechSmart 2017 event, Core was thrilled to feature in a presentation by Lawrence Withy of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which explored how they have successfully implemented and encouraged user adoption of Core’s CRM for membership platform.
The ABI employs around 100 members of staff, but is a much larger organisation, with more than 250 member companies and around 10,000 individual contacts. The ABI has made significant investment in technology to gain a 360-degree view of member engagement, and Core’s CRM solution is an integral part of achieving this.
The presentation covered the three key areas of implementation that ABI focussed on:
Preparation was key to the successful implementation of CRM within the ABI. Firstly, the teams who would play a vital role in the implementation of the CRM system were identified. These were the Technical (IT) Team, the Project Team and the Project Board.
The team set the foundations of a successful rollout through regular -but not overbearing- communication to staff by email, staff lunches and quizzes. HR and legal policies were outlined, and the Project Team defined common procedures.
The Rollout and Adoption stage was designed to compel users to adopt the new CRM, with an emphasis on training, education, demonstrations and influence. The Project Team were rebranded as ‘super users’ and led classroom training for all staff to further familiarise them with the new system. The ‘CRM Steering Committee’ kept CRM relevant and ensured continued change and improvements as increased usage results in new requirements. The benefits of time and administrative savings, self-service and BI, and a 360-degree view of members was used as a ‘carrot’ to tempt staff to adopt the CRM.
It was noted that the Rollout and Adoption process was a learning curve, offering up some useful lessons. Lawrence advises businesses and organisations who are implementing a new CRM system to figure out early on what the ‘carrots’ (incentives) are that will persuade your users to adopt and use the new system. He also warned that companies should expect some degree of resistance, and convincing staff to adopt the new system can take patience and time. Eventually, however, the obvious benefits associated with the CRM should show users that it is a positive change and get them on board.
The ABI are a great example of how a new CRM system can be successfully implemented and adopted by large numbers of staff. If you would like to know more about Core’s CRM for membership, call us today on 020 7626 0516 or contact us here.