Here is a fun game to play – I call it “jacklighting executives”. The way it works is you ask an executive (the more senior the better) a question (often an obvious one) to which they have no answer and see how long they stare into space. You get 1 point for every second they are stymied.
My record score is 4 years, 8 weeks, 14 days, and approximately 11 hours.
Just kidding. (Sort of.)
The question that gets me this result is simple. I ask, “Who owns CRM user adoption in your organization?”
Immediate supervisors are the biggest drivers of CRM user adoption
Many organizations spend millions of dollars on CRM implementations without having thought about what it takes to ensure success and whose job it is to make it happen. This, as history has shown, is a great recipe for disaster.
If you want to improve effective CRM adoption within your organization, don’t just look at the end users. Look at their immediate supervisors. Managers and direct supervisors have the biggest impact on making sure CRM systems are used consistently and effectively. If the manager insists that their team use the system, it gets used. If they don’t, well, I think you know what happens.
Manage your managers for improved CRM adoption
When I work with clients, I often ask them, “what role do you expect your managers to play in driving CRM adoption?” Often times the answer is, “we hadn’t thought of that”.
It turns out that direct managers, those who are the most influential in driving CRM success, are typically not even asked to make sure their team uses the system. Managers typically don’t have this as one of their official job responsibilities. And they are often not given the tools and support they need to ensure their team adopts the CRM system.
Managers need to be held accountable for CRM use within their team
If you want to maximize CRM adoption in your organization, don’t just focus on the end-users. Target some of your efforts on their managers. Let managers know that this is an important part of their jobs. Set them specific targets, measure results, and hold the managers accountable for ensuring their team consistently and effectively uses the CRM system.
If you do this, you will be amazed at the results you get.
