A Concise Strategy for Maintaining CRM Procedure Documentation Post Go-Live

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) Go-Live is both an end and a beginning. It culminates many months of preparation, data cleansing, system design and testing, and training.

 

And once the system has successfully gone live and you’ve overcome initial challenges, the team still has vital roles to play. Firstly, you need to establish a concise strategy for maintaining CRM procedure documentation. Procedure documentation is a written text accompanying your software and acts as a guide, explaining to users how a product works and how to use it. CRM procedure documentation is the same but specifically for your platform.

 

Since CRM software is dense in detail and ability, procedure documentation is vital for continued success. This is because procedure documentation provides users with a reference point, helping them to troubleshoot and develop a deeper understanding of your CRM.

 

Typically, your Information Technology (IT) departments create formal CRM procedure documentation. But this responsibility isn’t a comprehensive strategy. 

 

Here’s what to consider as you develop a concise strategy for maintaining CRM procedure documentation post Go-Live.

Regular Reviews 

One of the most important things to consider as you develop a concise strategy for maintaining CRM procedure documentation post Go-Live is a regular review process. 

 

Procedure documentation for your advancement CRM must remain current and should be updated proactively. Plan to conduct regular, routine reviews—whether monthly, quarterly, or alongside significant CRM updates. Each CRM procedure documentation should have an assigned team whose primary responsibilities include overseeing reviews and updates. 

 

In addition to regular reviews, allow for an open record that includes sections of procedures that are no longer applicable or require potential improvements. This can be done through surveys, direct communication channels with an intentional procedure documentation development, and a standing feedback form. 

 

A standing feedback form creates a feedback loop involving engineers, administrators, and support staff using procedures. Encourage them to provide discrepancies or the results as they use procedures.

Automated Alerts 

Automated alerts and notifications within your CRM system are meant to flag documentation that hasn’t been updated or reviewed in a specific timeframe. By adding automate alerts to your CRM procedure documentation strategy, you ensure responsible parties are reminded and able to analyze documentation as needed. 

Version Control

The version control system aids modifications, assists rollbacks, and provides transparency in the procedure documentation review process. As you consider your procedure documentation strategy, decide how to clearly label and document changes to be made and archive previous versions. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Effective procedure documentation requires more standardization, not siloes. As you plan your post Go-Live procedure documentation strategy, consider how to foster collaboration between different teams to capture diverse perspectives. Specifically, how you can eliminate siloes and inspire standardization with cross-functional collaboration. 

Training Initiatives 

Lastly, your CRM post-Go-Live procedure documentation is a dynamic document that involves many resources and requires a continuous culture of improvement. An essential part of continuous improvement requires asking for and receiving regular user feedback. This feedback should then be incorporated into ongoing training.