GPS For CRM
Way back at Christmas time I got a portable GPS for a present – one that you stick to your windshield with a suction cup. Given that I drive a soft top I thought it was a ready-made disaster for vandalism, which means a hole in the roof. So, it went back to Circuit City. Hopefully, this return was not the final straw that broke that camel’s back. Interestingly, since that time, I have rented cars in multiple countries getting a portable Tom Tom at the rental counter and really enjoying the ability to confirm where I am going with less stress. Of course, the fact that Liechtenstein was not on the map was a bit problematic – an entire country lost in cyberspace (I did eventually find it, but with a bunch of wrong turns and wasted time involved).
This has only underscored to me the benefits of having something that assists you in plotting your journey and helps you find your way when you are lost. I wish there were a portable GPS for other things in life in addition to driving. For example, a GPS for the right way to drive teenagers would be really useful. The good news is that there is a GPS for CRM, but it is something I find much underutilized – just like me taking back my Christmas present.
I find that having a strong CRM program charter is the equivalent of having GPS for your CRM initiative. It points you in the desired direction, it helps you know when you are lost, and it can get you turned around and heading the right way without a lot of undue panic. Getting the charter built well requires a bit of effort and doing some key things correctly. But the extra work at the beginning of the program will have a big pay back, much like the effort needed to punch in your destination (which the navigation manufacturers do prefer you perform while stationary prior to your departure).
Ultimately, a strong program charter needs to be founded in a strongly defined set of business requirements and those require sponsorship from the impacted executive stakeholders. If anything gets in the way of creating a solid charter, it is the fact that multiple stakeholders must eventually reach consensus. I will never forget the day when working with a client team on developing a CRM program roadmap (notice the travel theme here) with representatives from the five impacted functions involved. One of the team members, referring to her boss, made the comment that I should not worry, that this executive was in consensus on a conflicting and serious issue. In other words, this executive was in consensus with herself and that because she had reached a conclusion there was obviously no more need to push for agreement. I had trouble keeping a straight face when I reminded her that consensus, as a rule, required other people to be involved.
But that is the problem, consensus does require that multiple people come to an agreement on what a program is supposed to achieve. It can be much easier to get a single sponsor to support a program and get it launched, but CRM, by its nature, is multi-functional and therefore stakeholders from the respective functions need to be involved with the direction setting process.
A second key element of a solid program charter is the clear definition of scope - what is in and what is out and in what time frame. Getting expectations aligned around strategic scope is related to the difficult issue of developing sponsorship. Should CRM focus on business development or should it focus on service effectiveness? Could it include both and does one set of groups advance before another set of groups? This is the nature of setting strategic scope and it is a contingency for setting direction correctly for a CRM program. For example it is common that clients request that we help with selecting CRM software but not unusual that this simple definition of scope is not in place when are expected to begin. How do we know which is best if we don’t even know for sure which groups are to be satisfied? Getting strategic scope clear in the program charter is essential.
Finally, there is a third key element to building a solid charter, which focuses on the outcomes of the program investment. A good charter must have a targeted end game – what do we get from all the work? Are we doing this to facilitate growth or is this more focused on pulling out costs? Is it our drive to improve the customer experience or is CRM intended to address internal customer-facing processes? Nothing creates clarity like the drive toward the end result and the pursuit of business benefits. This final element of the program charter serves as the motivator, the reward for getting to the destination (and the reason for staying on track).
In all fairness, a solid program charter does not necessarily map out the route to take, at least not the three elements just described above. In this case the metaphorical comparison is not exactly like a nifty GPS unit. However, with a solid charter in place, the program team can build the path, working out the priorities and laying down the steps needed to get to the outcomes. So, a good program plan adds to the value of the charter, and truly completes the GPS metaphor. However, I thought it important to raise attention to the charter itself, and the need for getting the direction set – something that too often is neglected or rushed in my experience.
Get those coordinates correctly punched in to the Garmin and you are going to be ready for much smoother sailing than otherwise - enjoy the trip!