The Collaborative CRM Platform – Part 4 Single Salesforce Collaborative CRMs- Continued

Challenges

If your organization is considering implementing (or re-launching) a single-Salesforce CCRM, you’ll do well to prepare for these common challenges. With some proactive planning, you can tackle or even prevent them.

Data Security

Sharing a CRM will make some folks squeamish about data security. Headquarters will need to be inclusive and transparent in setting policies for data sharing with and between affiliates. Adrianna says data security is the #1 concern raised by chapters considering joining the CCRM platform, which isn’t uncommon in networks where affiliated organizations are separate legal entities. Dave shares that the Sierra Club occasionally sees staff misuse data. However, these instances are uncommon and effectively managed with clear expectation setting and disciplinary policies.

Brian Pickett, North Peak Founder, notes that this issue often boils down to trust: “Trust needs to be front and center” for organizations pursuing this route. The headquarter office needs to be prepared to engage affiliates early and often in conversations about data security.

Strong Centralized Control

With a single-instance CCRM, headquarters will necessarily have oversight and control over the configuration of Salesforce, which might be frustrating for chapters looking for more flexibility to wrap the system around their particular needs.

However, what affiliate organizations give up in the way of control they likely get back in the form of resources saved in the long term. The central office performs most of the necessary ongoing maintenance items associated with CRM ownership (training, deduplication, enhancements, etc). This can be great for networks where the typical affiliate office has few staff. With a central office to shoulder ongoing maintenance, affiliates add capacity that makes it possible for them to adopt and own a CRM.

Governance

Because a central office owns and exercises more control over the system, a single-instance CCRM adds a layer of complexity to governance. The key to success is engaging affiliates in strategic planning and decision making for the system, which ensures the CRM is highly effective for as many stakeholders as possible.

Some recommendations for operationalizing these tips:

Identify your Executive Stakeholder(s)

It’s essential to have at least one executive stakeholder serving as a vocal and visible leader for any CRM project. This blog post outlines the key responsibilities of an executive stakeholder and has recommendations on how to find one.

Form a steering committee

A steering committee oversees the system, ensuring it supports business priorities, determining user policies, making choices about how to address problems and capitalize on new opportunities, and communicating with the rest of the organization on these topics. It should comprise representatives from across the organization.

Sierra Club had an executive-level steering committee to champion and oversee the initial implementation, which evolved into a governance committee comprised of mid-level managers from all business units that interact with the system. They meet weekly to discuss issues that impact multiple business areas. In rare cases where the committee can’t come to a collective agreement, they have an escalation process that engages leadership. For more feedback and issues that don’t impact multiple business areas, committee members act as liaisons between their departments and the IT team.

Engage power users

Power users can offer thoughtful feedback on the system, serve as informal trainers and sounding boards for colleagues, contribute to special CRM-related projects, and help reiterate policies and changes to colleagues. Adrianna says it’s absolutely essential that “every chapter has a power user or point person [for whom] Salesforce data entry and maintenance is a formal responsibility.”

ASAS also leverages informal power chapters, which pilot new or changed functionality before National rolls it out to the larger network.

Continuous training and communication

With the complex organizational structure that tends to necessitate a CCRM, information can easily get confused or lost in translation. A major driver behind the success of the Sierra Club’s single Salesforce is their training and support teams, which leverage open communication channels and adoption dashboards to understand employees’ satisfaction and skill with Salesforce. They also make a point of publicizing and continuously engaging power users, who can serve as examples for and evangelize to other staff.

ASAS does not have a training and support team, but employs many different tactics for communicating with and training staff at all levels. This includes significant Salesforce training during onboarding, Salesforce Admin “open door policy” for ad hoc one-on-one conversations, periodic user surveys, Admin-led training webinars, and more. As Adrianna says, “because national owns the system, we need to listen to users and implement their feedback.”