In A Fix
I had this noise and it finally crossed the threshold. The original diagnosis was that the drive shaft was bad, but I let it go on for a while. The noise got to a point where I was afraid I would leave a large chunk of iron on the pavement at 70 MPH. So, I left the car with the mechanic during one of those trips where I was away for a week, giving him plenty of time to get the repair accomplished.
You can imagine my frustration when I picked up the car on the night of my return and that horrid noise had not gone away. It turns out that a wheel bearing was bad and I really didn’t need to address the drive shaft. If only I had requested for the mechanic to look it over one more time before simply making the repair.
This thing happens all the time in businesses across the globe. The CRM system is not working – it is making a terrible noise and needs to get fixed. Most of the time the expectation is that the fix should be a replacement with a new product. We get these requests continuously. The CRM program is not delivering on expectations and the tool is taking the blame.
The far majority of the time the tool is not the problem, but it can take some serious convincing to get my clients to accept the diagnosis. It is much easier to blame the technology than accept that more difficult repairs may be needed. Sometimes it is the data and sometimes it is an issue of adoption. There can be a lack of management sponsorship or there can be process issues. Most of the time it is a combination of these factors at work.
What is sad is that many companies replace their CRM technology because of a bad diagnosis when these other factors are actually the issue. It appears as the easier and more attractive fix, but results in wasted resources and unresolved organizational problems. It is no wonder that so many are skeptical about the real possibility of getting benefits from CRM.
If you are sitting on a CRM program that is making bad noises be very careful with your diagnosis. Take a close look at multiple sources of potential contribution. Even when there are some obvious improvements needed with the technology, there is a very strong chance that other factors are contributing to the unmet expectations. Give the technology the correct level of attention but don’t let it become the scapegoat. If that happens you may be the next one.
