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	Views - The Secrets of Successful CRM There are no clear guidelines to successful CRM that I can offer you. The approaches undertaken by organisations will vary according to its type, size and customer centricity etc. I can however, give you some pointers based upon what we have found to be of importance. Most of it is common sense but I can't stress the importance of it enough. Firstly, define your CRM strategy and deliver the CRM vision throughout the organisation. Ensure you have buy in from all people within the organisation, from the board of directors to those who will make it work on a daily basis. Once defined, break it down into small manageable chunks. Aim for some quick wins, or the 'low-hanging fruit'. This will help build momentum within the organisation and drive the CRM vision forward. Remember, CRM should be an evolution and not a revolution - small achievable steps that form part of the larger picture. When defining your CRM strategy and requirements, you need to explore the current capabilities within the organisation matched against the desired capabilities. You need to define the technology, people and process barriers, anticipated business benefits, measurement methods, priorities, timescales training requirements and so on. Secondly, look at the existing customer information sources and define the path towards achieving a clean single view of the customer. The use of multiple customer databases containing duplicate records creates inefficiencies and errors within the organisation. Next, analyse the information. This will help you identify which segments / customers to build relationships with. It will also help you revise your business strategy to ensure optimisation of revenue. And finally, set realistic timescales and expectations. The timescales involved to recognise the benefits of CRM will depend upon a number of things including the complexity and size of the existing organisation, its customer centricity, the current capabilities and the existing technology. It is unlikely that full CRM capabilities and benefits will be realised within an 18-month period. However, it is possible to achieve some small gains much sooner. Set realistic expectations to avoid disappointment and lack of interest. Many companies who have started the CRM journey will give you a hundred and one reasons why CRM is so important. It is. But, what they may fail to tell you is that to achieve successful CRM, the journey is a long and hard one. Get it right from the beginning and you will save yourself the stresses later. Note: If you have a view that you would like to share with others, please email it to marketing@focus2020.co.uk. We will try our best to publish it for you.