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Many businesses are forced to embrace the do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos at some point. When there’s a lot to do, and resources are strapped, doing it all yourself may be the only path to keeping your business running.

When you start to see growth, however, it pays to have the right tools for the job. This is especially true when adopting a new business technology like customer relationship management (CRM) software, and with that comes CRM implementation. We’ll learn the steps to CRM implementation, benefits of expert help, and how to get started.

• What is CRM?
• What is CRM implementation?
• The 9 steps of CRM implementation
• Benefits of hiring a CRM implementation partner
• Three successful Salesforce CRM implementation stories for SMBs
• Getting started with Salesforce CRM

Let’s define our terms. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a system for managing all of your company’s interactions with current and potential customers by organizing, automating, and synchronizing customer data. The main goal of CRM is to improve customer relationships, increase productivity, and support the growth of your business across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT teams.

A great CRM provides a holistic view of each customer to everyone across your company, which helps teams personalize interactions based on customer data, boosting satisfaction and loyalty. And nowadays, CRM has artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities built right in that can change the whole game.

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CRM implementation is the process of setting up and integrating your CRM system. This involves assessing your business needs, software installation, configuration, and training your team to use the system effectively.

The goal is to streamline and improve your relationship with each individual customer and improve your business growth. CRM implementation typically includes understanding your business needs, choosing the right CRM software, and customizing it to fit your goals. It can look like migrating data, adding new workflows, and training your team on the logistics.

Overall, when you have a CRM implementation that works — it works for you. When you get the right CRM in place, it can lead to actionable customer insights, better customer service, and increased revenue. CRM is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity for growing businesses.

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No matter if you’re a small or medium-sized business (SMB) or a Fortune 500, these are the basic steps for implementing your CRM:

The first step is to identify the goals your business aims to achieve with a CRM system. This means consulting with stakeholders including sales, marketing, customer service, commerce, and IT departments to get all your requirements and expectations.

Now it’s time to choose the CRM platform, based on your needs assessment. Factors to consider include scalability, ease of use, compatibility with existing systems, and CRM feature set.

Next, outline a detailed plan for your CRM implementation process. Set a timeline, define the scope of the project, allocate resources, and establish your metrics. You may want to consider a CRM implementation partner to help you set up.

CRM software is customized to fit your specific workflows and processes. This may involve adjusting settings, creating custom fields, and integrating with other tools like email, calendar, automation tools, and customer service software.

CRM data migration is the process of transferring data from one CRM system to another. This involves moving all relevant data such as customer details, sales records, customer interactions, support tickets, and other related information. The goal is to ensure that the data is transferred accurately and efficiently, without loss or corruption.

Before going live, it’s important to test the CRM system thoroughly to be sure it functions like you want it to. Test out user permissions, workflow automation, and AI prompts. This can help identify any issues or bugs that need to be addressed right away.

Next, get your team trained on the new CRM system. Training sessions and support materials like manuals and FAQs can help your team feel more comfortable with the system. There are many ways you can train your team including working with a partner, providing hands-on sessions, and using Trailhead, Salesforce’s free training platform.

After testing and training, your CRM system is officially ready to use. Having IT support or a CRM implementation partner on hand to address any issues can be helpful as you onboard staff to your new CRM.

After you’re up and running, be sure to evaluate the system’s performance and make sure it still matches up with your set goals. Grab feedback from your team and keep customizing your CRM until it works like a well-oiled machine.

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CRMs come with many benefits. To make the most of them, you may want to work with a CRM implementation expert that specializes in setting up and optimizing your CRM system. Their job is to make sure the CRM meets the needs of your business, especially as new technologies like AI become central to every part of an organization.

Our research showed that 89% of respondents are considering the role of AI strategy and capabilities when partnering with a CRM vendor. CRM experts analyze business processes, configure the platform to align with your goals, and train your team to use it efficiently. They understand the nuances of CRM platforms and can tailor features to streamline workflows, improve data management, and align with goals. This increases user adoption rates, which leads to more collaboration across the organization.

A CRM partner can foresee potential problems and mitigate risks such as data loss, system downtime, or integration issues with other software. Their expertise also allows for quick resolution of issues during the implementation phase, ensuring a smoother transition.

Additionally, they provide ongoing support and adjustments to the system to adapt to changing environments as the business grows. Overall, it’s great to have an expert in your corner.

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Thousands of companies have successfully implemented Salesforce as their CRM system, making growth easy for them. Here are a few smaller businesses seeing great success:

R.M.Williams, an artisanal men’s footwear company, prides itself on defining modern Australian style. With Salesforce, R.M.Williams has the customer insights to delight shoppers with tailored online and in-store experiences. Learn how they turn data into 1.6x YOY revenue and long-term loyalty.

Astara offers open, personalized mobility solutions for individuals, companies, or government administrations. As a global leader in the industry, they offer a wide ecosystem of personalized mobility services. With Salesforce, they have a deeper visibility into their personal product and services ecosystem with customer-centered data to accelerate growth.

Pacific Clinics is a behavioral health and adoption service, offering hope for individuals and families through trauma-informed, research-based therapy. They use Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud as a single source of truth across multiple platforms and sources to serve people in need across the state of California. Whether providing phone support or on-site services to people experiencing behavioral health and substance use disorder crises, Pacific Clinics has the data and insights to truly help those who need it most.

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Remember, this is all about you and your business. Find the best CRM that works for you. Customize and deploy a solution that fits your business. For small businesses or those just starting out, consider Salesforce Starter Suite — try it for free.

And be sure to check out CRM Starter Pack, where you can tailor your solution for your business needs, and get your team up to speed with guided walkthroughs and recommendations.

Caylin White is an Editorial Lead and Growth Manager for Small Business at Salesforce. She has written content for over 15 years for many SaaS industries, like WordPress and BuzzSumo. She specializes in SEO but is sure to add a human-centric angle to every piece.