New CRM? 10 tips for smooth integration

Picture this: You’ve just bought a shiny new CRM because someone told you it would transform your business and make your life easier.

'Achieve record-breaking growth!'
'Nurture quality leads'
'Boost your sales tenfold!'

All the rumours are true: CRMs are the best thing since sliced bread. CRMs (Customer Relationship Management) are a smart solution for your tracking, internal/external communication, marketing and sales. It keeps everything under one roof.

Plus, they do so much for our day-to-day. Not only do they handle repetitive workloads with automation, but they massively simplify sales/marketing.

CRMs are equipped to deal with different types of businesses, platforms and data. Because there are so many variables and moving parts, you can tailor them to completely suit your unique business.

With the right tweaks and adjustments, you can completely mould your CRM around your business.

Your CRM has always got your back.

Smooth integration to avoid any hiccups

People talk about investing in a CRM like it's as easy as painting a new feature wall or buying a new pair of shoes.

In the beginning, you might be staring at your new CRM, overwhelmed by all the bells and whistles. You've got notifications popping up left right and centre, and a million different gears right at your fingertips.

It's all about glossing over this process so that your CRM seamlessly slots into your everyday. You might transition your CRM, but you'll want to continue nurturing leads and attracting new customers in the interim.

You want the inner wirings of your business to change, but your operations need to keep running steadily - appearing cool, calm, collected from the outside.

So where do you even start? And how do you integrate your CRM smoothly to avoid any nasty hiccups?

Here's 10 tips and tricks to implementing a CRM smoothly into your business.

1. Don't get caught up on every individual feature
2. Have a goal in mind
3. Plan meticulously
4. Choose the right CRM for your business
5. Get your team involved early
6. Plan your data migration
7. Customise your CRM
8. Provide training
9. Keep testing
10. Make ongoing tweaks

Pro tip 1: Don't get caught up on every individual feature

If you get caught up in every individual feature of your CRM, you'll be there for a while. CRMs are multi faceted pieces of software, designed to adapt.

That doesn't mean that you need to try and use every single feature. They are very mouldable to lots of different business models, industries and marketing strategies. If you tried to use every single feature, you'd just never get anything done.

Instead, try and see how your CRM can optimise your business goals, and judge which areas you should be focussing on the most to suit your business.

Pro tip 2: Have a goal in mind

What do you want your CRM to do for your business?

What are you really using it for? What specific problems is it trying to solve? Whether it's managing leads more efficiently, improving customer relationships, or tracking sales performances - outlining a clear purpose will ensure that you're choosing the correct CRM features.

Perhaps you've invested in a CRM because you want help with managing clients, tracking leads and monitoring interactions with current and potential customers.

Reminding yourself of your CRM goal (or goals) helps to drive all of your decisions when it comes to your customisation.

Pro tip 3: Plan thoroughly

Get the objective nice and clear, so that you can plan moves around the set-up of your CRM.

For example, you might want to improve lead management and reduce your response time to inquiries by next year.

And then plan thoroughly. Plan a careful, realistic timeframe that gives your business enough time to adjust and adapt to the new system. Map out how your existing sales/marketing strategies can still continue while your new set up is being established in the background.

Pro tip 4: Choose the right CRM for your business

Not all CRMs were created equal. Take time to evaluate different platforms based on features that optimise your business.

Consider all the different ways the CRM can work for your business.

Consider things like...

• Usability: Will your team adopt it easily? 
• Integration: Does it integrate with other softwares and tools you're already using? Can it fit in with your calendars and email platforms?
• Customisation: How much can you customise it to suit your business?

You don't have to make a decision straight away. Look for trials and demos to see if a CRM feels right for your team. Weigh up the benefits of each, to see which one can best help your business in the long run.

Pro tip 5: Involve your team early on

When you're putting a whole new system in place, it's easy to get caught up in all the technicalities of it, without teaching the people who are actually using it day to day.

Keep communication open. When it comes to a new CRM, there are no stupid questions.

Make sure there are easy guides with walkthroughs that are all accessible for all your team members. Or perhaps you could elect a CRM champion in your team who your team can go to if they have any questions.

Make sure they are involved in the early stages of implementation so that they can help with inputs. They're the ones using it on the day to day, so they'll be able to spot challenges or hurdles early on before.

Pro tip 6: Plan your data migration

Your data is precious. It's the catalyst for all of your marketing/sales decisions. In the same way you'd protect your pet if you moved it overseas, you'll want it to be handled with care and adapt to new surroundings.

Data migration is often the most complex part of fitting in a new CRM.

You want to bring over existing customer data cleanly - without duplicates or missing details. Always make backups before you migrate anything.

You can...

• Review and clean-up your data
• Make it standard and easy to follow
• Backup current data
• Keep your formats the same (e.g., how names, addresses, and phone numbers are entered).

Pro tip 7: Customise your CRM

One of the great things about CRMs is that they can often be tailored to your business needs.

You can customise the whole CRM to optimise your business.

You might...

• Create custom fields relevant to the processes you need
• Set up automation for repetitive tasks (like follow up emails, receipts, reminders)
• Provide access for different roles for different teams
• Track and toggle the data that is most important to your goals

Pro tip 8: Provide ongoing training for your team

A CRM is only as good as the people using it.

So training is crucial. Organise hands-on sessions, provide tutorials, and ensure team members know how to use the CRM for their daily tasks. Make sure training isn’t a one-off but an ongoing process, especially as your needs evolve.

Pro tip 9: Test, retest, and test again

Before rolling it out to the entire team, test the CRM with a small group. This allows you to identify any issues, iron out glitches, and refine processes before a full-scale launch.

• Does the CRM sync well with your email/calendar?
• Do your workflows actually work well?
• Can team members navigate it easily?

Pro tip 10: Make ongoing tweaks

After the CRM is live, don’t just set it and forget it. Track how well it’s meeting your initial objectives. Is the team using it consistently? Are your goals (like improved customer response times) being met?

Check in regularly and hold feedback sessions with your team to identify any frustrations or room for improvement.

Keep the big picture in mind

After the CRM is live, don’t just set it and forget it.

A CRM is there to make life easier for your team and improve customer relationships. Stay focused on long-term benefits like stronger customer relationships, improved sales processes, and data-driven decisions, and don’t get bogged down in technical hiccups.

Keep these things in mind, and your CRM will be the best employee you've ever hired.