May you live in interesting times

These are certainly challenging economic times for charities, for  nonprofits; indeed for-profit as well.  Now, more than ever, at the end of each day, you must be questioning whether your internal system are fit for purpose:

• that those monthly all too critical reports are all too time consuming to produce
• that essential data is still only available on paper!
• that even timely metrics are taking too much time to produce! That you’re unable to track even the most basic of activities
• that all tasks appear to be totally dependent on a proliferation of spreadsheets, all in different folders, with nobody following a consistent naming convention …
• that the details of the last contact with that very generous donor, that’s just called you for an impromptu meeting, are in the fund managers head – and they’re off ill …

Familiar experience?

You’re not alone.  Essentially, it’s time you must consider implementing that CRM (Contact or Client Relationship Management) system you know you need; or, at the least, schedule a review of your existing CRM implementation.

Still unsure as to why you need a CRM?   Well with a CRM configured to your needs you’ll most certainly:

• be enabled to automate a variety of processes and procedures, and in doing so become more efficiently at train new staff, or enabling existing staff to adapt
• have better coordination within your organisation
• have a detailed overview of communication with all your clients, and have better connect with your constituants
• have a comprehensive overview of all contacts; have better contact sharing and management as all contact details (e-mail, phones, address, …, last contact details, …) are all stored in one single place
• be able to share personal calendars and tasks; monitor and forecast performance to focus efforts and work to produce reports: internal and external

But be warned:

It’s never straight forward implementing a CRM system – be they peaceful times, or chaotic.  But, be reassured:

• there’s no perfect CRM solution out there – and they’ll never will be one
• CRM implementations mostly fail because of lack of buy-in
• the CRM itself is often a fraction of the overall total cost (for charities some CRMs subscriptions may even be free!  See my earlier post about Salesforce.com’s philanthropic 1:1:1 model)
• don’t forget the network, and access to the web; annual ongoing support, implementation and configuring additional modules, …, conversion costs: pooling, tidying, and re-structuring all the existing data in your unsupported database and spreadsheet ready for importing …
• that CRMs are for the long-term … so expect that after several weeks, or months, to find that some operation,  functions or processes could be addressed better, and that you would like to modify your present solution …

Where to start?

The trick?  Don’t procrastinate!

• start small!
• you’ll need a team – but don’t let the techies make the decision alone
• identify needs and priorities - what are the deal breakers
• what do you really need?  The classic: Must have, Like to have, …
• ensure that the implementation partner fits your culture, staff, and budget

Require the CRM to support:

• Mass Emails & Mail Merge
• Calendar, Email & Contact Management
• Marketing and Campaign Management
• Lead Management
• Customer Service Management
• Reporting and Analytics
• Interactive Marketing
• Document and Content Management
• and,
• if it’s the current best of breed, as in Salesforce.com, an social media application like Chatter …

May you live in …

Apparently there is no Chinese language equivalent of the curse “May you live in interesting times.” The nearest authentic Chinese proverb, according to Wikipedia, is “It’s better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.”

Cartoon: Non Sequitor © Wiley Ink INC