When you implement a new or upgraded CRM Solution, be sure to build consensus. All stakeholders – business users, management team, and IT staff – should agree with, or buy into, the decision to upgrade. All should understand the benefits and the risks of the project.

Building consensus takes work that starts long before the new CRM Solution is purchased, installed, or implemented. The team that chooses the CRM Solution needs to have members of all stakeholder groups as active participants.

IT Staff: The right CRM Solution will reduce the workload of the IT Staff, making it simpler for them to respond to requests. Their buy in should be enthusiastic. They should be able to see:

• New tools that are provided in the upgrade that will enable them to respond more quickly to users’ requests.
• Ways in which the upgrade allows end users to answer their own questions via tables, reports, queries, various methods of viewing data, etc.
• Possible savings to IT as a result of consolidating hardware or consolidating software licenses.

Management Team: The right CRM Solution will be affordable and will have a positive impact on the overall revenue stream. It should have tools that will improve the productivity of employees in Sales, Marketing, and Support. The CEO, CIO, and CFO should see cost savings to the organization. All members of the management team should be able to see:

• The upgrade reduces maintenance and/or support costs.
• The upgrade is scheduled for a time that is convenient for each unit of the business as they are expected to be involved.
• Each unit understands the expected time frame for a return on the investment (ROI).
• Each unit knows the benefits of the upgrade and when those benefits will overtake the costs of the current system.

Business Users: The daily users of the CRM Solution must see the benefits. They need to hear things like “the upgrade will include enhanced workflow that streamlines complex processes.” Further, they need to know:

• The key benefits that they will realize because of the upgrade.
• What the key features are and how they will function to make their lives easier.
• What indirect benefits the users can enjoy with the upgrade – things like streamlined processes or quicker calculations.
• That they will not lose any of their favorite functionality or capabilities with the upgrade.

To keep the CRM Solution on track, consensus is critical. All stakeholders must be involved in the process of choosing and implementing an upgraded CRM software solution.