Have you ever heard the moans of misery from a poor lost soul who found themselves in CRM hell? Or perhaps you’ve felt a shiver down your spine when you contemplate the cruel fate of businesses locked into systems that deliver nothing but pain.
These ghoulish tales of Salesforce implementation mistakes will make your hair stand on end. But before you run off screaming into the night, keep reading as we are going to tell you how to avoid the trap doors to technology terror…..
The Headless Horseman – No clear objectives
Our first horror story begins at a gallop, into unfamiliar territory, without any clear view on where that horse is heading. I think you know how this one ends – lost, in the dark and with no hope of finding a way out of the woods.
Don’t let this be your story. Make sure you know where you are going and take a map with you…that is to say make sure your business has agreed the key objectives you want to achieve with Salesforce.com before striking out. And take a road map with you, to make sure you’ve reached your measurable milestones along the way, to get you to the other side and into the light.
The Curse of the Mary Celeste – Poor user adoption
You may have heard whisper of this one – the enterprise system discovered spookily adrift, not a user in sight. Fully configured, with every dashboard, field and tab in place, it was found completely abandoned.
However fantastic your new Salesforce.com system is, no one is ever going to feel the benefits of your craft if you don’t take steps to get your people to use it. This means getting everyone onboard from the outset, from the top down, giving your staff great incentives not to jump ship, training on how to uncover the hidden treasure and a great steering committee for any stormy seas ahead.
Dracula Data – Doppelgangers, decay and general devastation
Decrepit data will suck the lifeblood out of your system faster than you can say Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
If you are moving your data from your old system to your new one, then make sure you leave your dreadful data records behind to Rest In Peace. Once you are in your brave new world of fully functioning CRM, be sure to stay vigilant – data ‘decays’ at a rate of 2% a month, so unless your records are up to date, you are looking a lot of decomposition.
Finally, give one person, or maybe a trusted few, the keys to the crypt. They are the ones who are going to own the data, and keep it in the land of the living.
Who customised this….Dr Frankenstein?
Our final terrible tale is one of frankly freaky customisation: a system with so many spare parts that the thing created can only be described as a monster. No one knows how to handle a badly botched together beast like this, and the only answer is to flee, screaming, never to return.
Define your business objectives to begin with, think about who is going to use the system and how, and then make it as simple as possible. Think very carefully before you start including custom objects and code. Good design is natural, human and easy to get on with. It shouldn’t make you feel like you are in the grips of a scarily out of control green monster with bolts through its neck. And that’s important.
If you want to talk to Desynit about how working with a Certified Salesforce.com Implementation partner can take away the tricks and deliver a treat, get in touch. We like all of our customers to sleep easy in their beds at night.
