One of the main reasons why CRM does not work is that the company does not have a clear and structured sales system.
That is, managers work differently: some enter data into CRM, some write to the client in a messenger and forget, some call from a personal phone, and some tasks simply remain “in their heads.”
As a result, the CRM is not filled with compliance directors email lists relevant information, and analytics becomes formal: the numbers exist, but it is impossible to manage them:
- No funnel stages – no way to understand where customers are getting lost.
- There are no regulations, which means there is no unified approach to working with leads.
- There is no control culture – CRM example of brand awareness using tagline turns into an archive, not a working tool.
It is important to understand: CRM is not a sales system. It is its digital medium.
The system itself is:
- Client communication scenarios and scripts;
- Clear division of transaction stages;
- Regulations for recording tasks, comments and results;
- Segmentation of the database by stages and priorities;
- Control mechanisms: manager – leader – CRM.
Example from practice:
The company had implemented a CRM, but managers managed 60% of tasks in WhatsApp, and only the results of interactions were entered caseno data into the CRM. Analytics showed “closed deals,” but the reason for the failure of half of the leads remained unknown.
After the audit, we identified the lack of a standardized sales process. We built a funnel structure, introduced regulations for working with tasks, and implemented communication templates.
After a month, both the number of active transactions and the quality of analytics increased.
CRM is not a substitute for people management
Even the most expensive and perfectly configured CRM system cannot compensate for weak team management: if managers do not have internal discipline, external control and clear guidelines, the system will be either empty or distorted.
A typical situation: transactions are not recorded, tasks are forgotten, part of the communication goes into messengers or personal notes.
As a result, CRM does not show the real picture, but its fragments. Based on this distorted data, managers make decisions that may not only fail to help, but also worsen the situation.
The main mistake is to perceive CRM as an independent management mechanism.
But the system does not think, does not convince, does not control. It only reflects how people work.
If an employee does not understand why he is entering data, does not feel responsible, and does not receive regular feedback from his manager, the CRM becomes an unreliable source of information.