When CRM software entered the digital sales world, many companies jumped on board, eager to reap the benefits. Today, however, after the dust has settled, some are finding that their CRM systems aren’t always fully adopted – either internally, or by end users.

A 2015 Gartner Group study found user adoption rates below 50%, and concluded that $9 billion of the $20 billion CRM market is being wasted on poor adoption (Source: TopSalesWorld, 2015).

Sales teams who are stuck on using old processes that lay within their comfort zone, may feel that CRM software doesn’t support the work of field sales reps as it does C-level execs that use it for reporting.

The question becomes: How can you overcome these barriers and ensure that your CRM system is wholeheartedly adopted? Let’s explore the different methods that make this happen.

Involve Both Internal and External Users from Day One

Implementing CRM should solve problems for users, and streamline processes – not create more work or mere vanity metrics. To make sure this happens, it’s important to involve end users and team members right from the start.

When employees feel that they have a say in what a new system does, how it operates, and what it can do for them, they are far more likely to adopt it quickly, and use it to its full potential.

Managing change is always a challenge. To further motivate the adoption process you could consider:

• Rewarding or incentivizing end users who adopt the CRM process early.
• Appointing (or voting in) a CRM ambassador to represent the applicable teams in your organization.
• Investing in training employees early on.
• Identifying and clearly separating ‘People problems’ from ‘system problems’.

Make it Easy to Adopt

The thing about CRM is that it can be tailored around existing processes, instead of creating new ones that are difficult to understand, or use. Your sales team should find it easy to get the information they need about leads, contacts, or accounts across all their devices.

During the design phase, make sure you’re gathering feedback from the people who will actually use it most, and if it makes sense, implement the system in stages.

Make it bulletproof for end users, bearing in mind that it will likely meet with resistance. Work to make it pleasant for users to use by making it as seamless and simple as possible.

In the end, your results on the bottom line come first; and technology isn’t a far second. Whatever strategy you settle on, it’s important to align your objectives and priorities with the things that really drive sales, and help to sustain a healthy bottom line.

Looking to kickstart your sales team? CRM software will get you there along with Sales Enablement.