5 Ways to Perfect Your CRM Training Program

In the endless tug-of-war between management and staff over CRM experience implementation, little seems to get accomplished. In order to break employee resistance, try training agents on Customer Relationship Management System Software from their perspective rather than your own. "I've implemented several CRM systems software and find that the most important thing is to make sure the users understand exactly what the system can do for them," said Edward Siegel, director of marketing at SuperOffice ASA.

One way to successfully pitch CRM experience software to staff is to present it as "knowledge tracking" rather than "transaction tracking." The emphasis is on gathering customer information rather than simply evaluating the sales representative. You can also highlight a few time-saving features of CRM experience software solutions at the outset of the training session so that staff views the following presentations in a more positive light.

Nevertheless, if you are going to successfully convince staff that using CRM experience tools is beneficial to them, you must ensure that the software CRM experience setup is user-friendly. Otherwise, frustration and suspicion will soon set in. "It would only be by sheer luck that the setup you chose is the right one from the start. In reality, it will need to be tweaked and customized - and you will need to move quickly as often those changes will be directly related to productivity," said Flynn Penoyer, telesales guru at Penoyer Communications.

Here are five tips on how to perfect your CRM experience training program so that everyone is on board and work flows smoothly:

Convince users that the best CRM experience will benefit them by immediately introducing them to a helpful feature. "Implement functions that are easily accomplished, easy to use, and save a lot of time for the users even if they mean nothing to management," advised Lars Andersson, marketing manager at Sweden-based Lundalogik AB. "It could be as simple as a really good template or a time-saving order guide."

Lundalogik's CRM software is used by approximately 2,000 companies worldwide and by over 100,000 users. "Our focus on the user crm experience has definitely been a key to our success," said Andersson.

The company has also found that when it comes to CRM experience training, simple and quick solutions are best. "We offer an online training program that is available to all our customers at any time," said Andersson. "The program covers the basics of using Lundalogik CRM and is divided into small modules that can be completed in just a few minutes."

Andersson also recommended assigning a "champion" to be responsible for training new users and promoting CRM adoption within the company. "The champion doesn't need to be an expert in the software," he said. "But they should be someone who is passionate about using CRM to improve their work."

Finally, Andersson advised companies to make sure their CRM experience system is always up-to-date. "New features and functionality are released all the time, so it's important to keep users engaged by ensuring they have access to the latest version," he said. "We offer a free upgrade program for all our customers, which makes it easy for them to stay current."

Train by task, not by feature. If the agent understands how to complete the task at hand, they can follow the process easier rather than trying to memorize all the bells and whistles. "To teach a user how to log into the CRM experience is one thing, but to truly teach a CRM experience user how to be more productive, effective, and efficient you need to add the element of methodology," said Mike Morgan, CEO, and co-founder of COMPLETExRM. "This concept has changed my understanding of training CRM more than anything else in the last few years."

When it comes to CRM experience training, it's important to emphasize the element of the methodology. This means teaching users how to complete tasks rather than trying to memorize all the features. By understanding how to complete tasks, users will be more productive, effective, and efficient. COMPLETExRM CEO and co-founder Mike Morgan say that this concept has changed his understanding of training CRM experience more than anything else in the last few years. 

3. Make training a hands-on experience. Never make the training sessions pure lecture, advised Penoyer. "If you are doing a training manual for a CRM experience solution, it should be driven by tutorials that walk the user through the process - then ask [the trainee] to take new data and repeat the process on his own," he said. "The program should also have built-in quizzes to ensure the user understands the solution and can apply it."

In addition, consider having trainees work in teams so they can learn from each other, advised Baker. "If you're using a new CRM experience system, get employees into groups and have them work together on a problem or task," she said. "This way, they can all benefit from each other's expertise."

Finally, make sure to schedule regular CRM experience check-ins after the initial training is completed. "It's important to have a plan in place for continued education and reinforcement," said Baker. "It could be as simple as a monthly webinar or e-learning course. Just make sure you keep the momentum going."

Teach reps the purpose and use of each of the CRM experience program's different fields. If the software has been installed properly, each field has a specific use. If information is entered incorrectly, some functionality may not operate correctly. "If the team doesn't understand the fields, they will end up not filling them out, putting in the wrong data, or even entering junk. In all three cases, the data begins to lose value," said Penoyer.

In order to get the most out of your CRM experience program and maintain accurate data, it is important that your sales reps understand the purpose of each field. Teach them how the different fields are used and how incorrect data can impact the functionality of the software.

It is common for staff to be tested immediately following the training session. But that one test may not be enough. "They should be retested later to make sure the learning was not simply short-term memorization," said Penoyer.

When it comes to CRM experience training, it's important to test staff more than once. This will ensure that they are truly understanding the concepts and can apply them in a real-world setting. Staff should be tested on their knowledge of the system as well as their ability to use it effectively. Not only will this help to identify any areas where training is needed, but it will also help to build confidence in the system and its capabilities.

There's a reason that customer relationship management system has software that has become an approximately $55 billion industry worldwide; they're mandatory for managing the inbound sales process effectively, satisfying customers with continuing positive relationships, and reporting and measuring sales success. 

CRM experiences offer more than just managing a list of contacts. Enterprise CRM experience software allows teams across your company to ensure a smooth buyer and customer experience and achieve your business goals.

To help you pin down your options and select the right software CRM experience for your business, we've highlighted some capabilities and key features to focus on:

• Look for enterprise software in the CRM category for its free and paid version. CRM software may offer a free trial for up to 30 days, charge a small user price, or offer a free plan. Before choosing a CRM system for your company, you must make a CRM experience software comparison. At least ask one person from each department of the CRM software vendor to complete common tasks to check if the features of the customer manager software are intuitive and accessible.
• Analyze third-party integrations: CRM experience solutions are usually cloud-based. Connected technologies are really helpful for small businesses in designing effortless experiences across all channels, from social media messaging apps to self-service applications. Check out the integration process while making the CRM experience tool comparison. When you compare CRM systems, explore supported apps and read CRM software reviews and CRM ratings by the original users to ensure your CRM tools work with the CRM software solutions.
• Analyze business use cases. Find out if a fully functional mobile app is essential for your sales team or if they can acquire customer information outside of the office. Some sales CRM experience software tools offer contact management and basic data entry through a mobile app, while others support sales pipeline management worldwide.

Establish the best CRM experience by training your employees about using and implementing Customer Relationship Management System Software. Keep your sales pipeline full by choosing a user-friendly sales CRM experience. You can scale up your business and collaborative efforts by keeping your customer experience management staff and sales & marketing team on the same platform. CRM experience system software works magically to build loyal customer relationships.