Your Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementation is a big undertaking—one that takes many months of planning and work. As you head closer toward Go-Live, you might be anticipating an end of the to-dos. But reaching Go-Live is just the beginning and not the time to retreat. 

 

Regardless of your CRM platform, a Go-Live Command Center supports your CRM implementation and increases adoption success. An effective Go-Live Command Center creates a centralized operation that is critical to triaging issues, questions, and concerns.

 

Here are five things to consider as you establish your Go-Live Command Center. 

#1—Staffing

Your Go-Live Command Center is only as effective as the staff that supports it. When it comes to adequate staffing, it’s all about balance. Staff your Go-Live Command Center with personnel from various departments and skill sets to make your offerings robust. 

 

For instance, a technical person addresses issues troubleshooting, whereas a project manager or lead type coordinates efforts or connects other resources. Having both available in your Go-Live Command Center better supports users and increases the likeliness of long-term success.

#2—Analysis and Assessment

Once you’ve determined who will be a part of your Go-Live Command Center, next establish how you’ll analyze and assess requests. This proactive approach allows you to monitor performance and identify errors early on.

 

For example, if a component of your CRM system is down or an integration is not running that day, you can address and communicate the issue to eliminate request redundancies. Communicating errors early on eradicate the need to respond to numerous similar requests, but it also conveys confidence in your support team.

 

Here is a sample message to that communicates challenges. “Yes, the [insert CRM platform] is currently experiencing [insert challenge] and it is a work in progress, but we’re on top of it and will update you as soon as it’s resolved.” 

#3—Solutions

Once you’ve established your team and a process for analyzing requests you can decide how to deliver solutions. As you decide on delivery, you must also consider a timeline because now is not the time to rush the delivery. Rushing delivery increases the likeliness of introducing more problems. Comprehensive testing decreases risk and ensures you’re providing solutions with long-lasting effects. 

 

#4—Training 

We’ve mentioned including staff members from varying departments and skill sets in your Go-Live Command Center. For them to be effective, you must provide adequate training. Anyone who will be a part of the Go-Live Command Center should be appropriately trained and in sync with the information provided. 

 

Establish a training plan—prioritizing those supporting the user population and the persons who input information into the system. This streamlines your Go-Live Command Center experience and prevents errors.

#5—Escalation 

The final step toward establishing an effective Go-Live Command Center includes an escalation component. Your Go-Live Command Center is at the forefront of your CRM. The quicker you can identify catastrophic points or issues, the better you are at successfully getting on top of that issue and enacting a contingency plan. The more delay that occurs, the more harm to the system and decreased user confidence.

 

An escalation process helps everyone—from individuals to executive leaders—develop a deep understanding of the criteria and be able to classify high-risk issues.