5 Steps to Get Your Team to Adopt Your CRM
User adoption is arguably the single biggest obstacle to successful software implementation. One of the most common questions we get is ‘how will I get my sales reps to use this?’, and it appears this question is often a common reason for not investing. In fact, many software purchase regrets for small businesses are accounted for by poor technical support (29%), difficulty training and onboarding users (29%), and for being non-user-friendly (24%).
Despite these numbers, reports show that business intelligence and data analytic software was adopted by 60% of UK businesses in 2024 and a surge in software buying trends can be expected in 2025; Capterra reporting that 76% of UK businesses are prepared to invest more this year, with the general perception that technological advancements are playing a large role in defining the UK’s business goals.
Concerns for successful adoption are still present nevertheless, with 36% of UK business decision-makers expecting challenges in training and upskilling their workforce. This is why we’re sharing 5 steps your business should be taking to support the success of CRM adoption – from searching for a CRM with functionalities that streamline your teams' day-to-day operations to investing time in the right training.
Best-Practices for CRM Adoption
1. Training
It’s absolutely vital that in order for staff to get used to the system, they need to understand the system. Without training, employees will lack the necessary understanding and knowledge to make use of the CRM system and allow you to see the benefits. Not only should there be enough training at the start of the implementation, but ongoing training will ensure that the CRM is still meeting your business needs.
2. Get the MD using it
A study conducted by Koh and Maguire (2004) identified that in order for employees to take the new system seriously, it’s important that key decision makers in the business including the Managing Director use it, and that they are seen to proactively use it on a daily basis. Leadership, commitment and involvement throughout is key. Without this driving force and management buy-in, employees will feel no real need to use the CRM you’ve invested in.
3. Integrate with other key systems
If your system acts as a standalone system there will be no benefit to your employees when using it. No one wants a new system that acts completely independently of their existing processes. Integrating your CRM to your back-office accounts and other key systems and applications such as Outlook means that not only will it be more efficient, but employees will adopt the CRM more enthusiastically.
4. Make it mobile
Sales reps need customer information to hand and need the ability to update information on the go. "Today’s sales teams use a range of smart devices, such as tablets and iPads, on a daily basis," says Gary White, the CEO of White Springs. "They expect to have access to information while on the move. And of course, it makes them more effective if they can [access the CRM software] while out of the office, to help them close a deal." So, ensure that the CRM solution you deploy is mobile-device friendly.
5. Keep it simple
For a CRM system to be adopted positively within the business, everyone needs to be able to understand it. A CRM with a clear layout and process to follow will ensure people aren’t put off just by looking at it.
Everyone knows that you should lead by example, but to be honest if you show a commitment to your CRM investment and ask your sales team to do the same, even for a month, I guarantee they’ll be hooked. Why? Because their whole sales lives are now stored in the database, which at the beginning, they swore they’d never use. They’ve become reliant on it in just 1 month, so imagine what they’ll be like in 6 months, a year, or when someone new starts and they need to show the ropes.
How Prospect CRM Supports the Adoption Process
Onboarding Support Packages
Investing in a CRM system is easy, but making it work for your team is a different story. That’s why Prospect CRM offer onboarding packages designed to provide varying levels of guidance, data integration, and configuration support, to meet your business’ needs. With 1-1 support sessions, help articles and blogs, and 24/7 access to an AI chat-bot function, our Customer Success, Onboarding, and Support teams are dedicated to ensuring you don’t just implement a CRM - but succeed with it!
Integrations
Prospect CRM offers unparalleled integrations to your back-office inventory, manufacturing, and ERP systems, meaning you have full transparency of vital data in one central location. Communicating in real-time to streamline your processes, your teams will benefit from automated tasks that save time and reduce the risks associated with manual data entries and reliance on siloed data.
Central Dashboards & Mobile Friendly User-Interface
Feeding your customer and product data into a central platform, Prospect CRM provides your teams with complete access to the data essential for the fulfillment of their day-to-day tasks. This removes the need for your teams to consult other systems or request the help of other members, so improving inter-departmental communication, and in turn, boosting overall productivity. Configurable dashboards and mobile friendly offering also ensure your teams instantly see the data that matters the most - at anytime and anywhere!
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Wanting to join the software buying trend but ensure your investment sees you through the times of technological advances – and is well adopted by your teams? Join the ranks of hundreds of B2B businesses that have enhanced their operational efficiency and grown 60% faster since implementing Prospect CRM! Take a Free Trial of Prospect CRM and explore the support packages on offer today.
