IT’s no secret that HubSpot is one of the best CRM systems on the planet. If you want to solidify your customer relationships, streamline your team, or even manage your projects, then HubSpot is the system you need.
As one of the leading CRM systems, HubSpot has a ton of features that are massively beneficial to any business that wants to get ahead of their competition. Using this system will give your business the tools it needs to increase productivity and profitability. Whether you’re a team of less than 10 employees, or a team of thousands, HubSpot is a system that you should not be overlooking.
However, you’re likely to run into obstacles before you even get started with HubSpot because the system can be complex and difficult to implement. Did you know that nearly 70% of CRM implementations fail? That’s a big number. Which is why it’s so important to get in touch with a HubSpot agency if you want to have a seamless integration process and get the system up and running as quickly as possible. Keep reading to find out more about what your team can expect during the implementation process.
Stages of CRM implementation
Most CRM implementations, no matter which CRM system you choose — whether it’s HubSpot, Salesforce, or even Monday, fail because of the complicated processes involved behind the scenes. It’s unfortunately just one of those things that come with taking on such an intricate unified system. There are three main stages to implementing a CRM into your organisation.
Planning stage
The first step in the implementation process is the planning stage. This is where your entire team needs to get together to establish an overall scope of what needs to be done. You need to have a clear plan of what elements you’ll be integrating with the CRM, and you need to plan ahead with time estimates and goals.
You will need to determine your priority ranking which is when you prioritise your most important tasks to make sure that they get done on time. Setting up a risk management strategy is also an essential part of the planning phase as it will keep the project under control if something goes wrong.
At the end of the day you will need to have constant check-ins to ensure that your CRM integration project is still on track and that you’re meeting all of your objectives. Your entire team will need to be on the same page.
Development stage
The development stage is the longest part of the process. It’s also one of the most important parts of the CRM implementation process because if one thing goes wrong, it could derail your entire CRM project.
This phase is where all the planning comes together for the entire project to be executed. It’s vital that your team has regular meetings to check in on the project and ensure that it’s still on track according to your planned timeline and goals.
You also need to start training your team on how to use the system. The earlier you get your team up to speed with using the new CRM, the smoother the process will go once it’s ready to be used. Ideally you would have an agency that is already familiar with the system to help you create training programs and resources for your team members to use.
Evaluation stage
Once your CRM is up and running, you need to evaluate the project to determine whether it was a success or not. Evaluation and reflection is crucial in business, and it helps you to constantly improve and remain on an upward trajectory.
It’s important to determine which metrics your team will be evaluating between marketing and sales to determine how you will measure your success and progress. Your CRM also needs to be thoroughly tested to ensure that everything is running smoothly before you get your entire team on it.
The data migration process
One of the most complex and daunting tasks in implementing a CRM is migrating your old system’s data onto the new system. This is a task that needs to be done with great care, and it needs to be executed flawlessly or else there is the risk of losing all of your crucial data.
If you’re insistent on implementing the CRM on your own, this is the one area that you can’t be taking risks with. You need to make sure that you are absolutely confident that your team is capable of getting this process right without any external assistance.
It’s also vital that you backup all of your data before you start migrating it into your new CRM. Data can easily be lost or corrupted during the process, and oftentimes it’s because of external factors out of your control, so make sure you don’t skip the backup process!
Onboarding your team
Finally you need to make sure that everyone on your team is on the same page. You will find that there are team members who are resistant to the changes you are trying to make. Learning an entire new system is not easy, and tackling the steep learning curve needs to be taken seriously.
The best way to overcome this hesitancy is to sit down and discuss any potential problems that your team members may have with the new CRM. Something as simple as an open discussion and Q&A can help your team to feel much more comfortable with the new system being brought in.
From there, you need to make sure that you have all the right training materials for your team to use. HubSpot in particular has an excellent academy that allows your team to get up to speed even if they have no technical knowledge.
