A lot of planning and energy happens during a Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementation, and when you cross the Go-Live mark, you may think your work is done—that’s far from the truth.
After Go-Live, another level of focus and work needs to be done. This is because up to this point, everything you’ve discussed was in theory. But now that you’ve made it post Go-Live, the theory is realized and tested.
Post Go-Live sets the tone for ensuring long-term adoption and success. This stage of CRM implementation determines the impression of the system. For example, are users going to buy into the idea that the new CRM is better? And are they willing to step into a new era and master the system?
You have a 60-day window of opportunity post Go Live. Here’s how to maximize it.
Offer Continued Training After Go Live
Too often, organizations drop off with their training post Go-Live. But this is a mistake. Even though you used “real” scenario examples to train, users learned the CRM system in theory without worrying about making mistakes and their job performance. Not that they’re using it in practice, their point of view is different and what happens within the CRM matters.
Your 60-day post-Go-Live is a perfect opportunity to provide refresher training of what you covered pre-launch. Post-Go-Live refresher training increases engagement. Users can ask more meaningful questions and enhance comprehension because they have first-hand experience.
Consider these ways to continue training post Go-Live.
- Lunch and Learns: Instead of engaging individuals on a one-to-one basis, when you see issues or challenges emerge, host Lunch and Learns to engage users and eliminate redundancies.
- Peer training: It can be difficult for a training team to meet all the needs of users. Work smarter and leverage power users to provide peer training. Peer training also offers a personal perspective since they understand the CRM, the company, and its challenges.
Provide Timely User Support
Within the first 60 days post Go-Live, people may panic when faced with adversity. This is because the now that the experience is “real”, users can’t escape not doing things in the system like they may have in the early days. Users can no longer hide, and they must learn how to do their job effectively. But if they have yet to grasp processes and procedures, they may panic. Curb feelings of panic by offering timely and responsive user support.
Review Processes and Adjust Workflows
The first 60 days post Go-Live is also the perfect time to review processes and adjust workflows. During the post-Go-Live period, people tend to break their silence and share feedback. And as actual usage occurs you’ve likely uncovered processes and workflows based on assumptions that are wrong—maybe there are a few glitches or missed steps.
Overcome these challenges by identifying the processes and workflows that need to be revised, streamlined, or optimized. This is also the perfect time to consider automating the highly manual processes you couldn’t get to during implementation.
Practice Good Communication
Project communication remains critical during your CRM 60-day post-Go-Live phase. Communication with all those involved—whether users on expectations or stakeholders about progress.
For example, illustrate to stakeholders how far you’ve come, publicize wins, and discuss return on investment. There will likely be more qualitative than quantitative data to share during this stage.