How to Improve Municipal Staff Adoption of CRM Software
It’s every manager’s worst nightmare. You invest in new technology to make your employees’ lives easier – only to have them continue using their inefficient, outdated methods because that’s what they’ve always known and are comfortable with.
A 2016 survey of professionals who implemented a new CRM project found that nearly 40% of respondents said that their organization struggled to achieve success with their new CRM due to “people issues” such as slow user adoption and difficulties in aligning organizational culture to a new way of working.
Software can be a game-changer for municipalities that wish to improve efficiency and provide better customer service surrounding citizen services – but if your teams won’t adapt to their new technology, this will severely undermine the effectiveness of your initiatives.
If your municipality is considering new CRM software – or truly software of any kind – strategies aimed at staff adoption should be part of your agency’s overall implementation plan. Here’s a look at some ways to get staff onboard with new software, ensuring long-term success of your investment.
Invite Staff to Participate in the Software Selection Process
While ultimate signoff and approval will obviously come from top-level management, it’s equally important to secure input from the people who will utilize the software daily as a central part of their work. This ensures that the functionality of the CRM you are considering meets their needs and is user-friendly enough for even the most tech-resistant staff member to be able to use. Consider adding several staff members from a variety of departments to any demos or meetings to get feedback from staff members with varying levels of tech-savviness to cover multiple points of view and hopefully end up with a product that works for the most amount of people.
Involving regular staff in the decision-making process will also give them additional buy-in with the product you are considering. If they feel included, they may feel ownership in the decision and be more willing to adopt the new software – as opposed to a product that was handed down from above as a mandate.
Pay Close Attention to Training and Support
It should be a given, but ensure you offer appropriate training to all employees who will be using the software – and also keep in mind that not every staff member needs the same kind of training. A one-size-fits-all approach to training rarely provides the appropriate experience for all users. A frontline staff member who will use the CRM daily, managing requests and communicating with citizens, needs a different level of understanding than a supervisor who will need to access supervisor dashboards, approvals and reporting. If you have both sit through the same training, one likely won’t get enough in-depth information while the other may receive too much – and end up tuning out altogether.
As part of the software selection process, pay careful attention to the type of training your team will receive during implementation. At Comcate we offer role-based trainings as part of our implementation process, so a staff member never needs to sit through information that isn’t relevant to them. This helps to keep individual trainings shorter, which we feel also improves retention of the information shared.
Post-implementation support is also important to consider. Does your software provider offer a Knowledge Base to help you troubleshoot common problems? Will you have a dedicated customer support representative? What are their response times? It’s important to know where to direct your questions post-implementation, as well as how quickly your questions will be answered.
Alter Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to Incorporate Your New Software
Software is only as good as your plan for using it. Some municipalities purchase software with the hope that it will provide a magical solution to their problems – yet do little to address the greater scope of their processes. Procuring software without a plan in place to align organizational culture to the change can negate any benefit from adopting a new CRM. As part of your procurement and implementation process, spend time addressing how the CRM will fit into your organization's current standard operating procedures, making adjustments as necessary.
At Comcate, we offer consultation services to every new CRM client. As part of our implementation process, we undergo a rigorous department process review to evaluate the flow of requests into the department, any possible breakdowns in processes, and to identify optimal ways to implement CRM software. By spending time understanding your department’s current processes, we can help you make adjustments to your procedures to maximize efficiency.
Additional Ideas for Improving Municipal Staff Adoption of CRM Software
In addition to the above core strategies for encouraging staff adoption of new CRM software, here are some additional tactics you could try out.
Champion CRM Advocates
Identify and encourage "CRM champions" within your organization. These are individuals who are enthusiastic about the software and are willing to take on the responsibility of extra training and so they can help their peers with any issues or questions. Not only does their enthusiasm serve as a counter to any “sticks in the mud,” but you’re ensuring your agency will have at least a handful of staff who are competent and on-board with the new program. Task these advocates with learning new elements of the software and leading quarterly “lunch and learn” sessions to review important features.
Pilot Program
Implement the CRM software in a smaller, controlled pilot program before rolling it out organization-wide. This allows for testing, gathering feedback, and working out any issues before a full deployment.
Gradual Transition
Consider a phased approach to implementation. Transitioning all departments at once may overwhelm staff and the agency as a whole. Start with one department and gradually expand to others.
Comcate is here to help your staff adjust to their new CRM software!
As a company founded by local government leaders, Comcate believes in better government for all – and that software has the ability to take us there. That’s why we developed affordable, flexible CRM software for municipalities of all sizes – as well as the support system necessary to help municipalities effectively implement and use their software.
From role-based trainings to dedicated customer support representatives, we want to ensure your agency has the support you need to be successful with your new CRM software. Interested in learning more? Fill out the form below, and one of our consultants will be in touch to answer any questions you might have!
Schedule a Meeting with Comcate Today!
Learn how Comcate can help make government delivery simple, and offer a modern digital experience to help you increase transparency, efficiency, and performance across your departments. If you have any questions about implementing our software, please fill out the form below or call us directly at (415) 632-1248.
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