A CRM your team won’t abandon

Everyone hates your CRM. But no one can agree on a better one.

Different teams have different needs. And without a shared plan, things quickly unravel into duplicated work and clunky processes.

Forget what looks good on paper. Focus on what works in practice – a system that connects your teams and supports your goals.

The hard part? Finding a CRM people will actually use. Here’s how.

Less than 40% of CRM projects achieve full-scale implementation (Nomalys).

When there’s no space to discuss different priorities, conversations don’t go very far.

These projects often don’t have a clear lead. One team might take charge by default, and others end up feeling left out.

When there’s no shared view of success, decisions tend to focus on features, rather than addressing real problems.

It’s how you end up with an expensive CRM no one logs into and a team that drifts back into their familiar spreadsheets.

Before getting stuck into product comparisons, it’s worth taking a step back and getting aligned first.

Don’t start with a demo.

Bring everyone who’ll use the CRM into the same room. First, map out how things are working today (every process, every manual workaround). Then, start asking what’s broken, where the roadblocks are, what’s being duplicated and what the knock-on effect is for customers.

You’ll often hear the same frustrations crop up in different ways and from different teams. It helps you uncover what’s slowing things down.

Nearly 70% of CRM implementations fail due to poor user adoption (Kick ICT). More often than not, it’s because teams weren’t properly aligned from the start.

It’s important to consider the bigger picture too. A CRM that doesn’t slot neatly into your day-to-day can quickly cause headaches. If people are stuck copy-pasting data from one system to the next, they’ll end up hating it from the get-go. Plan integrations early and document them carefully, so they don’t fall apart or cause issues later down the line.

The CRM needs to work for everyone. When it feels shared, not passed around, it has a much better chance of sticking.

If no one’s leading, the whole project drifts.

Nominate a project lead or small (ideally cross-department) team to keep things moving and everyone involved.

Their job is to gather input and question unhelpful features.

It’s a much better strategy than handing the project to a single department. When one team takes over, others feel shut out.

You need people to steer, not to decide everything alone.

43% of CRM users only use half the available features (FinancesOnline). This is usually because the features aren’t relevant, or no one explained how they work.

Instead of picking the system with the most features, look for one that fits how your team will work.

That means a shared view of everything, so you’re not chasing updates across inboxes.

Dashboards that give everyone what they need without workarounds to find data.

Look for a CRM that grows with you. One that’s easy to upgrade as your organisation evolves. That way, you won’t outgrow it in a couple of years.

Make ease-of-use a priority too. The simpler it is to navigate, the quicker your teams will be able to get up and running. Humans like looking at pretty things, no one wants to work all day long staring at a sad 90s interface!

Sales demos are helpful, but they won’t show how a system fits your day-to-day work.

Set up proper trials, with a handful of people from various teams to try out the shortlist. Give them real tasks with real data.

Watch where they hesitate and ask what’s missing. Spotting headaches early helps you cut down your contender list to a more manageable, better-suited selection.

65% of users say ease of integration matters most (DATAFOREST). A smooth rollout plays a big part in this.

It starts with your data.

Got three million records stuck in old systems or spreadsheets? Getting them into your new CRM isn’t something to leave to chance (or hand off to an intern).

Plan early and use the right tools to automate and smooth as much of the process as possible.

Swap out the mass announcement email for smaller, team-based sessions using real examples that reflect their day-to-day.

Assign internal leaders who’ll be able to help others without asking IT every time.

Record video tutorials for quick troubleshooting. Make this support easy to find and even easier to understand.

This is your moment to build confidence with your teams. When they feel supported early on, they’re more likely to stick with it and make the most of what’s there.

Once everyone’s set up, keep listening. Cracks might not appear instantly, so it’s worth staying close and fine-tuning as you go.

A brand-new CRM won’t fix everything overnight. But if it’s built around how your teams work, it’ll make collaboration easier and give everyone a clearer view of what’s happening.

We help organisations pick tools that solve real problems, not just the ones with the flashiest features.

Every project is assessed, planned, implemented and supported by people (not chatbots) who understand your challenges.

Choosing the right CRM is just the start. Landing it well is what makes all the difference.

Find a CRM your whole team will get behind.

Let’s get started.