Well-defined requirements are the key to a good CRM implementation, but…

- From the CEO’s Desk

Choosing a CRM is only half the job done. Implementing it well is equally important. Business solutions, including CRM/ERP implementations on industry-leading platforms, have a high failure rate. While there are many causes for such a failure, the one that might be the hardest to surmount is the lack of well-defined requirements.

In the article, the Hardest thing about Engineering is Requirements, the author Jay explains why capturing requirements is hard. Foremost is the communication challenge between technical and business teams. Designers and engineers want crisp requirements so that they can roll up their sleeves to implement the desired flows and build a solution that is optimized to perform best for the stated use cases. But, business users are either unable to or don't have the time to write down use cases. They are unable to because new use cases or gaps in requirements only get uncovered when they see a working solution. 

Michael Lewis captured this wonderfully in the Six Levels Down episode (Against the Rules podcast). He shares how getting to the expert who knows business rules was the key to helping Athena Health become a Billion dollar software company. The experts are usually the actual users (6 levels down in the hierarchy) and not the ones in the boardroom. If you only have 5 minutes, I would suggest listening from the 30 to 35-minute mark of the episode.

Here are the key takeaways:

1) Have requirements in written form

  • Talk to the actual users. Document their requirements. What do they want from the software? What actions do they want to perform? What information do they need?
  • In our own experience, we have found that good brainstorming sessions can bring out many scenarios that can be captured in requirements.
  • Require key stakeholders to sign off on the requirements. While this might add delay, this will also force users to think it through.

2) Analyze requirements, Identify gaps, and Update

  • Implementation experts and developers should be aware that requirements will have gaps, and be good at identifying those gaps and get those clarified before the solution is implemented.

3) Design-in some flexibility

  • Designers and Developers should allow configurable templates, rules, alerts, reports, and flows.

4) Get early feedback by showing prototypes

  • Early feedback will save time since the recourse will require less effort compared to getting feedback after it is fully implemented.

 
 

Webinar & Videos

 
 

Have you been using Vtiger CRM for a long time now? 

We recently conducted a webinar that discusses the basics and how to customize Vtiger CRM to meet your business needs.

 

If you are a Sage user, then check out our video on Vtiger + Sage Integration.

 

Have you been using Vtiger CRM for a long time now? 

We recently conducted a webinar that discusses the basics and how to customize Vtiger CRM to meet your business needs.

 

If you are a Sage user, then check out our video on Vtiger + Sage Integration.

 
 

Vtiger Academy & Knowledge Base

 
 

Have you signed up for Vtiger Academy yet? 

We have a whole list of how-to videos that show how you can configure the CRM.

It is our one-stop learning destination for all things Vtiger CRM. Jumpstart your Vtiger CRM journey today!

 

Knowledge Baseis our repository of articles (help documentation) and FAQs. For quick know-how about a feature, search for, and read an article.

Our latest articles include the following:

 

Have you signed up for Vtiger Academy yet? 

We have a whole list of how-to videos that show how you can configure the CRM.

It is our one-stop learning destination for all things Vtiger CRM. Jumpstart your Vtiger CRM journey today!

 

Knowledge Baseis our repository of articles (help documentation) and FAQs. For quick know-how about a feature, search for, and read an article.

Our latest articles include the following:

 
 

CRM Buzz

 

(CRM News and Technology Trends)

 
 

Social CRM - engage directly with your customers from the CRM! 

 

As a business, are you active on social media platforms? Do you regularly post about products and interact with customers on these platforms? And most importantly, have you noticed that customers today are increasingly taking to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc., to publish their likes and dislikes, feedback, product reviews, and complaints? Moreover, these posts reach a global audience. 

Social media is the fastest way of bringing your product into the spotlight. It is also a great way to interact with your customers and identify market trends - a way to see how the wind is blowing. But It also has a downside - monitoring multiple social accounts and keeping track of customer conversations. 

Well, if you are a CRM user, then there is good news for you. Many CRMs include features that help you manage multiple social accounts with ease and interact with your customers directly from the CRM screens.

CRMs that integrate with social media platforms act as a bridge between you and your customers. You can track and manage conversations, respond faster to issues, and most importantly, you will be able to predict customer needs and requirements. What's more, you can manage multiple accounts directly from the CRM. 

Vtiger CRM comes with the Social module, from which you can manage all your social media accounts from the CRM. The Vtiger Social Module provides you with a dashboard to manage conversations, and post to multiple accounts simultaneously. You can also discover the latest trends by joining conversations related to your industry. Vtiger currently supports Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Watch this quick video to learn more.

 

Does your CRM do that? If not, it is time to switch over to Vtiger CRM.

 

Social CRM - engage directly with your customers from the CRM! 

 

As a business, are you active on social media platforms? Do you regularly post about products and interact with customers on these platforms? And most importantly, have you noticed that customers today are increasingly taking to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc., to publish their likes and dislikes, feedback, product reviews, and complaints? Moreover, these posts reach a global audience. 

Social media is the fastest way of bringing your product into the spotlight. It is also a great way to interact with your customers and identify market trends - a way to see how the wind is blowing. But It also has a downside - monitoring multiple social accounts and keeping track of customer conversations. 

Well, if you are a CRM user, then there is good news for you. Many CRMs include features that help you manage multiple social accounts with ease and interact with your customers directly from the CRM screens.

CRMs that integrate with social media platforms act as a bridge between you and your customers. You can track and manage conversations, respond faster to issues, and most importantly, you will be able to predict customer needs and requirements. What's more, you can manage multiple accounts directly from the CRM. 

Vtiger CRM comes with the Social module, from which you can manage all your social media accounts from the CRM. The Vtiger Social Module provides you with a dashboard to manage conversations, and post to multiple accounts simultaneously. You can also discover the latest trends by joining conversations related to your industry. Vtiger currently supports Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Watch this quick video to learn more.

 

Does your CRM do that? If not, it is time to switch over to Vtiger CRM.

 
 

My Favorite Feature

 
 
Sudheekar Reddy
Graphic Designer

Actions feature

My favourite is Actions. It lists all the events and tasks that I am a part of. It is also a great tool for internal collaboration since I get notified about tasks I am tagged on and helps me respond promptly. 

I also like the fact that you can easily broadcast news, updates, wishes, etc., across the organisation with the New Comment feature.

 
 

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