When you are thinking about implementing a CRM-system, there are in our experience quite a few things to consider. Both organizational needss och business needs have to be considered as well as a plan for support and how to manage the system. Here is a checklist of things to consider when evaluating what kind of CRM you are going to need in order to maximize the system value for your organization.
Clarify organizational needs
- Ensure quality in communication with clients and other external contacts to lay the foundation for long term relationships, e.g. “making sure the left hand knows what the right hand does”
- Increase collaboration across line of business units, such as admissions and alumni relations, professional education and student communications
- Increase data quality, establish a clear single point of truth.
- Reduce dependency on individuals within the organization, e.g. avoid multitude of personal systems Excel files and with information structures that is not understandable by others.
- Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations such as the GDPR for processing personal data
- Cost efficiency
Clarify line of business needs
- Make users life easier – efficiency
- ease of use – use specific terminology for alumni, for professional education, for fundraising – generic sales terminology creates a barrier for users
- specific tools for each line of business, such as alumni registration forms, course registration forms, newsletter templates, etc.
- predefined reports with relevant key metrics for each business
- Integrated communication tools for email, text messaging and postal mail.
Evaluate IT infrastructure, potential integrations and data import
- Student administrative system. Usos
- Communications. Microsoft Office, including Outlook / Exchange?
- Migration and imports of existing data. Ensuring data quality and matching records from separate systems.
Plan for GDPR compliance and ensure a privacy first design, with regard to the specific GDPR rules for state owned entities.
Plan for support, policies and system governance
- CRM policy and internal terms of use
- Internal support organization
- Vendor support – technical
- Vendor support – internal end users
