As we all know, a new initiative is not only financially costly but also sucks tremendous energy out of our team â?? especially if success is a must.   So, if we can minimize any failure pointsâ?¦ or better still completely avoid them, we would be in great shape. 

There is a reason why â??best practicesâ? are so commonly used in organizationsâ?¦ they work because they have been tested by organizations and teams over and over again.   Soâ?¦ here are some best practices that upper management may want to consider:

Own the Project.  Donâ??t just direct the initiativeâ?¦Â  your 100% buy-in and leadership is completely critical.  One CEO made it very clear to her employees, If it is not in the CRM system, it does not exist and your performance review will be based on it.
    Governance not Command-Control.  Get input from all major areas of your organization to help recognize the dynamics and interdepartmental nature of your organization that makes it tick.
  Customer Focused Culture.   Leadership is action, not positionâ?¦ I read somewhereâ?¦Â  So, if you do not embrace a customer focused cultureâ?¦ your team and your employees will most certainly not.  Put your customers in the center of your organization â?? where it is clear to your employees that they exist because of your customers.
  Ensure Seamless Integration.  How many times have we heard the word â??seamlessâ? and there is absolutely nothing seamless about it? Letâ??s just say more than our share.   However, if your CRM implementation does not have a seamless integration to other front and back office applications, that quick 360-degree view will not be available to your employees when providing any service â?? and you may miss the ultimate goal of providing any system to your employeesâ?¦ efficiency!
  The Expert Advice.  Nothing like going to a Guru when you need to be enlighten.  Get the expert advice from SMEs who have mastered the art fo successful CRM implementation.  You may just learn a thing or two that could propel your implementation by a notch or two.

I will let you ponder on the above 5 points before we take a look at the next five best practices that make up our list later this week.  In the meantime, have a great week â?? because without us, the economic engine of the world would come to a grinding halt!

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