The 5 Innovative " I "s

The 5 Innovative " I "s

Recently I have been the victim of several people throwing around the word "Innovation". Recruiters love to market candidates that have the word "Innovation" on their CV, employers love to hire people that can "INNOVATE"! People love to tell others that their primary role in a business is "Innovation". One of my new favourite things to do is to ask said people questions such as "so what exactly do you innovate?" or "What area of the business is of primary interest to you with regards to innovation"?

The issue now days is that many people have a bit of a misconception of what exactly innovation is. I have heard many people say that because they have had an idea, they are innovating. Sure, idea generation is part of the innovation process, but its just a mere step in the direction of innovation. Please note: "The Innovation Process", which is very key to this particular post.

In my humble opinion; Innovation is a process by which an idea is transformed into something tangible and meaningful, which in turn will benefit a particular entity.

Part of the translation of the word "Innovation", by www.businessdictionary.com is "The process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay." I know this  is more focused directly at the customer, and the benefit described here is payment, regardless, it still slots into my definition.

So how exactly does one go about this process? How does one complete the innovation cycle in order to tell their boss, colleague, friend or recruiter that they successfully provide an innovation service to their business or customer?

1. Firstly, you need an IDEA....

An idea generally stems from intent. An idea is a thought that is formulated from the intent to achieve something. I need to drink some water!... Why? Because I'm thirsty and I would like to quench my thirst. From a practical point of view; Lets Implement Mobile Dynamics CRM!... Why? Because our sales staff are on the road all day and they would like to view data from multiple devices, anywhere in the world. An idea can stem from any sort of intent, however, it does not mean that the innovation cycle is complete.


2. Secondly, I need to INITIATE my idea....

Like any great plan, process and masterpiece, nothing starts without some sort of initiation. Your idea needs to be initiated. How do you get this concept formalised?? If you think about it, you have a great idea, but you don't want it to become some sort of pipe dream. Maybe the best place to initiate your idea would be on paper, or an email to your superior. Now, I wouldn't email my superior regarding the purchase of a bottle of water, however, I definitely would like them to know that my idea is to get all of our sales team working on Mobile Dynamics CRM so that they have easy access to information. In this case the innovation initiation process is less formal. Maybe your company has a more formal "Idea Management" process where ideas are actually scrutinised and managed.

3. Thirdly, I need to start INVESTIGATE

Considering I get the thumbs up to start investigating this idea that I have had, I can start my research. Sometimes steps 2 and 3 may be swapped around, all depending on how formal your business process. To purchase my beverage, I need to figure out which is the closest shop with the best price. I also need to make sure they have stock and that the product hasn't expired. With regards to my Dynamics CRM mobile implementation, I need to research the best vendor, the best product, the best price and the location of the consultants. I also need to make sure that the product I have selected really caters for the needs of the sales team. I note all of this information down as I go through the investigation process and I present it back to the business sponsor or team.

4. Fourthly, I will INVENT & IMPLEMENT

Great, all my investigations are complete and I can finally go and purchase my product. I walk to the closest corner shop and purchase my bottled water, which I got for a really great price :) Unfortunately, picking a software product & vendor isn't always that easy. Once you have decided on the right product & supplier, the product can then be implemented and your idea has turned into something that is tangible. The sales and management team are now able to physically see that there is a mobile CRM interface on the sales teams mobile devices that is being used. If it is not as simple as product purchase then I will need to apply an INVENT phase before this where a product can be changed and formed according to my needs.

5 Finally, I need to INSTRUCT

After my implementation is complete I need to instruct on what to do, how to use and what's next. This would involve me thoroughly enjoying my beverage, and hopefully, not needing to read the instructions regarding how to open the bottle. Similarly, I would need to instruct the sales team regarding successful use and benefit from the mobile CRM platform that has just been implemented. I would also need to monitor and gauge the return on investment to make sure that this particular innovation cycle is successful.

These 5 steps conclude a full cycle that can be classed as proper innovation. This innovation may be focused to benefit your internal team or your customer base. Regardless, the idea will still go through the same process.

In the case described above, the implementation of a mobile CRM platform would help the sales team in multiple ways. The intent was there, the idea was generated and it was progressed through the Innovation process to the instruction phase.

Cheaper, but at what cost? Tattoos vs. CRM

Cheaper, but at what cost? Tattoos vs. CRM

I saw the picture on the right on LinkedIn and I Instantly identified with it. Those of you who know me will definitely understand why! I have a number of tattoos :) Some really awesome pieces of work and some, well, not so awesome pieces of work. I'd also like to point out that most of my work reflects who I am, my personality and my very odd sense of humour. Most of my tats are rather interesting and unique in most forms, however, some of them really are generic and boring.

 

I think one of my favourite pieces of work is my minion 'Dave' from the movie Despicable Me. Dave is tattooed just above my ankle, not the most pleasant spot to get inked... I assure you. Dave represents me in the morning. Minions are generally lunatics, however Dave is just not a morning minion. I feel this a true depiction of who and what I am. Please note the quality of Dave. A lot of time was spent selecting him, his design was thought out, he was measured to the correct size, the right colours were chosen, the execution by John, my artist, was brilliant and he was well looked after when the process was complete because John told me exactly what I needed to do to maintain quality. Dave is a great tattoo, even though he hurt a bit, and he cost me a bit of cash, I love the result.

 

My worst tattoo is really something I'm not totally proud of, even though its part of me. I chose a terribly generic tribal design that I knew wouldn't really suite me. I chose it in a rush, I put very little thought into it, I got it done originally by a really bad artist that shall not be named and I barely looked after it once it was done. If you have a look at the design on the right, you can see the proof of an ill made decision. Not my proudest moment at all. I spent literally nothing on this piece of work and I really got what I paid for. However, later on the fixes ended up costing me loads more than the tattoo is worth.

The funny thing is I tried to fix it so many times after I got it. I have had 5 artists work on it, but because its such a mess, It will be pretty much impossible to fix it. John actually said that he could take the arm if I wanted. It looks sort of presentable at the moment. What I actually need is a clean slate here to start again and really get a tattoo that I know I want and that makes sense to me.

So you are all probably asking yourselves what on earth I am yammering on about. All this tattoo talk and no CRM talk. WELL, its really simple actually. My absurd logic will shortly make sense.

 

I spoke a bit about my favourite tattoo, Dave. I also have proof of how awesome he really is. If you read what I have said about him, it actually is very similar to a great CRM implementation that both the implementing partner and the customer can be proud of. I say this for the following reasons:

 

1. I said that Dave was tattooed in a very difficult spot. This is much like most CRM implementations. They are often soft spots within a business and not easy to implement as it falls directly in the middle of both business and IT.

 

2. I mentioned that Dave reflects me. A good CRM solution should represent and reflect the relevant information, rules and processes that have been described by the customer and are relevant to their business.

 

3. A lot of time was spent selecting my tattoo. Selecting the correct CRM solution is imperative to the success of the project. A solution that is not Dynamic may cause the failure of a project.

 

4. My tattoos design was thought out. A great CRM implementation has a well thought out design. A well thought out design will result in a CRM solution that functions according to the users major needs.

 

5. The execution by John was brilliant. When Dynamics CRM is implemented by the right partner that understands the customer, the product and all that is associated to it, inevitably, the project will be a success.

 

6. My tattoo was well looked after when the process was complete because my artist told me what I needed to do to maintain the quality. A great CRM implementation will have proper training, a solid handover to the right people and detailed information or contracts to help maintain the solution.

 

7. My tattoo cost a fair bit. No great quality CRM solution is going to be cheap. You are definitely paying for quality. Sure, you can cut down on scope to make the solution more palatable, however, this is not always the case.

 

If you take a look at the second tattoo, there are MANY components that I have mentioned that are similar to a terrible CRM solution.

 

1. Generic Choice. A CRM solution should be tailored for your business. Generic CRM installations make great platforms, but need to fit your business.

 

2. I knew the tattoo wouldn't suite me. The CRM solution you select must make sense for your business. It is pointless implementing a solution that is not going to make sense to the people that are going to be using it.

 

3. I chose that tattoo in a rush and put very little thought into it. The selection of your CRM solution should never be rushed. It should also be planned carefully. If it is not this will result in exactly the same scenario as my tattoo being redone so many times over.

 

4. My tattoo was not done by a credible artist. Customers should select their CRM partner correctly. Do all the research and make sure that the partner is reliable and credible.

 

5. I did not look after my tattoo. After completion of any CRM solution there should be hand holding with the customer and potentially a maintenance agreement that helps the customer maintain the solution in the correct manner.

 

6. Initially, I spent literally nothing on this tattoo. On the initial implementation of certain CRM solutions, the cost may be nothing, however later on, this cost will drastically increase, as so many things will need to be redone and fixed.

 

As you have read above I have made some interesting correlations between some of my strange tattoos and CRM implementation principles (Didn't think it was possible, did you?). As we all know, cost always comes into the equation, but cost isn't everything. What is important is to make sure that your focus is rather on the quality of the implementation. Rather get a small amount of really great quality work than loads of weak / mediocre quality work. Its unlikely I can get a clean slate for my terrible arm tattoo....At least with a CRM implementation, you still have a chance.

Does your business fit the product, or does the product fit your business?

Does your business fit the product, or does the product fit your business?

Often I hear complaints from businesses owners and managers regarding solutions that they have purchased. Its normally the same type of complaints; "Its too complicated to use", "Its not flexible enough", "It doesn't fit our business needs any longer". Regardless of the fact of your current position, I'm sure that these sound very familiar.

In this day and age businesses are considered entities of constant change. Strong businesses are always exploring new methods and ways of working. I mentioned in a previous blog post that the growth is perpendicular to change.

A number of years ago you only really had 2 options as far as determining which was the correct product for your business. You either went off to a custom development house and got a bespoke application written that would directly cater for your needs, or, you purchased an "off the shelf" product that partially solved the main pain points that you and your businesses were experiencing.

Ultimately every business is looking for a product that is totally Dynamic, flexible and that can grow as the business grows. Coming from a development background, I have seen businesses go through pain and agony trying to make bespoke products fit their business processes. Projects that start of by focusing on remedying basic pain points end up costing an arm and a leg because they spiral out of control. Thank heavens I decided to leave the development to the really smart people :)

I have also seen businesses use "off the shelf" products and hammer their business processes into them. In my experience I have witnessed entire capture forms being used for data capture that is completely irrelevant to the specified form. I have seen reports with columns that have had the names scratched out and a new column name has been manually written in. Its completely crazy the lengths businesses IT departments will go to in order to gratify a user and save money.

Wouldn't it be AWESOME if there were products out there that acted as containers for business rules, business process and business relationships. It would be fantastic if these products were pretty much rule, process and relationship agnostic. Mr business owner / manager should be able to determine their own processes and rules, and these should be articulated from a functional point of view within a software package.

Welcome to the world of the configurable framework or customizable platform. Platforms and frameworks that contain the capacity and functionality that allow for the very mentioned rules, processes and relationships that your businesses rely on and cherish, to be translated to a reliable, accurate, functional, managed (that's a lot of adjectives) process within a software product. Business Driven Process Generation rather than IT driven process generation!

Moving from a world of custom code, tables, referential integrity, primary keys and "do you have a field in the table that will cater for the edit box (Delphi Lingo) in the UI?" to a world of front end configuration has been an absolute dream for me. I don't need to go into SQL any more and mess around with the backend! the only queries I write now days are related to fairly complicated SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) reports.

These platforms have enabled and empowered people that understand processes, rules and relationships, from a business perspective, to generate all of these from a functional perspective and lay the foundations for the developers to fill in the gaps.

In my experience, a prime example of a Dynamic framework that is both extensive and simple, at the same time, is Dynamics CRM. It is no longer considered just CRM (Customer Relationship Management) but XRM, which means Extended Relationship Management. The focus is no longer just on the customer, but on any sort of relationship you can think of. The relationship between a driver and a vehicle, a facility and a building, an asset and a component, and so much more, can be created and managed using the XRM functionality.

The product, Dynamics CRM (XRM), is always difficult to explain to people as it is just so diverse. It has been used in many different businesses to resolve many different issues. I have come up with a short blurb that helps me explain, in short, what CRM (XRM) is. Here you go : "Dynamics CRM is a fully integrated customer relationship management suite that consists of 3 major modules; Sales, Services and Marketing. The product is governed by user roles and permissions, and automated by workflow, business process flows and business rules. The Dynamics CRM framework can be fully extended using the XRM functionality that is provided with the out the box product."

To all members of any type of business out there. Please, never forget to ask the question posed in the title of this article... Does your business fit the product? or does the product fit your business? You are a dynamic entity that is full of growth and aspirations. Make sure the product you select to support this growth fits the rules and processes you have put in place to facilitate this growth!

 

The most important part of any relationship is.....?

The most important part of any relationship is.....?

Relax everyone, its really not what you think.... The most important part of any relationship is not..... doing the garden work together.

I wonder how many of you can identify with the cartoon on the right? I'm sure that there are many different types of people reading this article and I'm also sure that each and everyone of you would fall into a different delivery category here. I have seen and experienced this exact scenario a number of times. Its fairly common in our world.

The Reason I chose this specific subject for this article is because I feel that communication is the absolute core of every single relationship. If there is no communication, there is no relationship. For those of you that have partners or are married, think about what your relationship would be like if there was no communication at all. This doesn't include the silent treatment gents.

How many of you have been to a foreign country or have a friend that is deaf? No matter what happens you will somehow and in some way, find a way to communicate. For most of us, communication is a need and something we are driven, as humans, to do.

Communication is not just limited to customers, it should cover the entirety of your business. Both internal and external relationships and communication are crucial to the success of any business. The cartoon above is a great example of really bad communication both internally and externally. If the communication was great, the same picture wold be shown in each frame.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is all about managing relationships and interactions with customers. Now that's a pretty broad statement because "Managing Relationships" could have a world of different meanings. There are millions of components that make up the engine that is Customer Relationship Management. In my humble opinion, I believe that communication is drive shaft that powers this engine.

Using Dynamics CRM, One can easily manage sales pipelines, create a beautiful customer 360 degree view (Holistic view), track customer movements, but without the element of communication, I can never really understand who my customer is. Its exactly the same as staring at a celebrity. You know who they are, you know what they do, you know what they look like, but that is not a relationship until communication is made. The way to create the true customer 360 degree view is by adding all the relevant communication to, about and from the customer and enabling access to the information for RIGHT people within the business.

The next question is: how are you currently communicating with and about your customers? Probably vie email, phone, social media and face to face meetings. There are so many ways and forms of communication. The important concept here is being able to centralize all of that communication to one place and generate the true customer 360 degree view. Management of this communication per customer will in turn, allow you to build a stronger relationship.

With the Dynamics CRM platform you are now able to generate a true customer 360 degree view by bringing all of this communication into 1 single, central location. Using various tools and applications offered within the Microsoft stack, emails can be tracked into Dynamics CRM, Phone call activities can be created, internal micro blogging with Yammer is integrated, social information can be made relevant to the customer, meetings can be managed and users with the right roles and permissions will now have access to understand the true relationship with the customer.

You are now able to clearly understand your customer and provide them with the right information based on their needs. You no longer have a 'celebrity' relationship with your customer but a real relationship based on solid communication.

As you change your approach, you change your results

As You Change Your Approach, You Change Your Result.

I write this blog entry at risk of giving away some awesome secrets that I have found to work over the years in IT and Dynamics CRM, but what would information be if you couldn't share it, right?

 

 

Many years ago I stumbled across the quote "As you change your approach, you change your result" by someone unknown. I have Googled the quote and I can find variations of it but not the exact quote. I also cannot find the person who quoted this amazing one liner.

 

How has this specific quote affected me and how I do things in the amazing world of IT? Well I can tell you a few important things that will help you see this special one liner in the same manner that I do.

 

Firstly, businesses are result driven! Without the right results, businesses face closure. Its a logical thought that any business requires certain results from its business units and staff. These results generally generate revenue, which in turn, keep the proverbial cogs of the business gearbox turning, which in turn, offers the opportunity of growth.

 

Secondly, businesses are ALWAYS looking to change the way they work. A business that is not improving its self constantly, is most likely not growing. I have always said that growth is perpendicular to change. Without the change of mind-set, attitude, business rules and business processes, the required growth is not possible and therefore, the required results will not be achieved.

 

 

In mentioning the above two points, I'm sure that the seemingly insignificant one liner I mentioned earlier, now has now got a bit more relevance. It has taken up a crucial place in the way I determine how I will help businesses change their approaches, that will then in turn change their results.

 

There are hundreds of so called 'Approved' methods that businesses adopt in order to manage change and facilitate growth. In my opinion each method has its own pros and cons. Its got more to do with how willing the business is to adopt and accept the changes that are coming their way.

 

In my experience, businesses that is pro change and willing to adopt and accept new ways of working, are the businesses that grow in size and in revenue. The Microsofts, SalesForces, Dells, HPs and SAPS of the world all promote strong change management programs which help clients accept and promote change within their businesses.

 

I have been implementing Dynamics CRM in businesses for nearly 6 years now and in all my time, the most successful implementations have always been at the clients that have been most willing to change and grow. This is from a clients point of view. The companies I have worked for have always promoted strong change management and user adoption processes that assist businesses in identifying the correct desired results and the correct change management paths that are required in order to achieve these results.

 

From a Dynamics CRM point of view there have been many business change paths that have been looked at. From fresh, rapid installations, exploitation of current installations, upgrades, full waterfall project approaches, analysis & design phases to complete system overhauls and MUCH more. The most important element here is to determine which is the correct path for each customer. Every single customer is different, therefore, each path of change will be different.

 

If a personalised path of change can be determined for each customer, then a completely personalised set of potential results can be set out as goals to be achieved. These goals are specifically relevant to that particular business and therefore more achievable if the business is fully invested in the change.

 

As you change your approach, you change your results.

 

 

 

CRM - The Mindset Change not the product

CRM - A Mind-set Change Rather Than A Product

I have always been passionate about customer relationship management (CRM) and how it is used within business. I really enjoy working with a customer that have the 'treat your customers fairly (TCF)' attitude. I have personally witnessed contact centre agents getting angry with approval managers when issues and calls are not approved in time. This means that the customer at the other end of the line is kept waiting, which in turn means that the customer is not being provided with the best possible service.

 

The question is, how does it work within your business? Are you driving great customer service? Do your staff really want to help your customers? Its a bit of a tough set of questions to answer, because sometimes, as a manager or director, you need to be honest and really determine if your business is driving Customer Relationship Management.

 

Recently I visited a bank in the UK and I was amazed at how well I was treated. I was greeted and seated as soon as I walked into the bank. The correct people were alerted that I was there AND were expecting me. The agent at the bank had everything ready for me so that opening up my account was a total breeze. I received all my cards in the post and I had an account within minutes. That is an example of FANTASTIC customer service and Customer Relationship Management.

 

So what drives this type of thinking within a business? There are a number of ways to promote great Customer Relationship Management. Many consultancy businesses will promote CRM as a product and promote the fact that this will change the way your business works. Something very important to understand is that Customer Relationship Management is not just a product. It is a mind-set change and attitude change that is SUPPORTED by a product. The more dynamic the mind-set change, the more dynamic the product needs to be.

 

Without the Mind-set change and attitude change the product is completely useless as there is no drive for user adoption and no promotion for use of the product. Many CRM implementations fail due to the lack of preparation & internal marketing of the Mind-set / Attitude change and therefore, lack of adoption of the product.

 

I like to look at this from a 3 step point of view. Lets use the bank I visited as the example in order to highlight how great Customer relationships can be built and managed.

 

1. The Introduction

The agent that I dealt with, positively wanted to help me, he was enthusiastic, and he knew all about the bank and their strengths. That is all about attitude adjustment.

 

2. The Process & Engagement

Secondly he knew all the right questions to ask me, he followed a process, he never asked me the same thing twice and he even managed to cross sell me into taking a credit card out with them. That is all about the right CRM system in that can manage customer data and guide the agent in the right path and process.

 

3. The Result

I left the bank with an account and money in the account. I had a mobile application already installed on my phone where I could access my account. I had a credit card account and I had all my necessary information and cards posted to me. All in all a great experience.

 

The above detail is a small example of how successful a CRM adoption program can be within any workplace. I encourage all businesses to take a look at the way you are dealing with customers and the comments you are receiving from customers. Great customer relationships mean strength and growth in business.

 

Hopefully I will be walking into one of your businesses and writing a similar article about how great your Customer Relationship Management is, or even better, maybe I will have the privilege to implement a Customer Relationship Management program in your business.

 

Chris Huntingford

CRM Enthusiast



Social Media Concepts - Do you own social media or does social media own you?

Do you own social media or does social media own you?

I absolutely love social media and all tools that come with it. I'm a total IT geek and I relish the idea that I am able to keep in contact with friends and family all over the world using social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+. It has made life a lot easier for me in many ways. I have been able to watch my nieces get older, I have communicated with friends from Australia, America, the UK, South Africa and Many more places. I have been able to maintain some sort of relationship with them over the years.

So what prompted me to write this blog? There are loads of opinions and points of view out there, what should make this any different? Well, I have 1 key opinion that will make this blog very different from the rest.

I recently watched a video on Facebook that explained why social media may not be the best thing for society. Here is the link : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=449451141858904. I really encourage you to watch it.

After watching the video I was experiencing mixed emotions, obviously for a number of reasons (watch the video....) So I decided that I should share a few things on the internet about what I felt (Watch the video and you will understand the irony here).

Firstly, Please bare in mind that I am not your typical IT geek that sits in a small, dimly lit room behind my laptop, next to a mountain of soda cans, while eating old pizza, drinking Gatorade and coding some sort of ridiculously complicated application. I LOVE to socialise (believe it or not....), I am active in multiple circles of friends, I am in Pre-sales for a Microsoft partner and I do enjoy a good party.

Social media has become the backbone of my communication network. This is for a number of reasons. I am part of many groups of friends, I stay in the UK and most of my friends are in South Africa, I have family in both the UK and South Africa and I love updating people regarding what I am doing and experiences I have had.

Please note that again, I love updating people regarding experiences I have had. This is a key point and something that is very relevant in this day and age. I would rather pass a beer over a table with a group of friends than sit on social media sites. I would prefer to go to a theme park and experience the biggest, most thrilling ride and then send out a post telling everyone how awesome my day was.

In my opinion you should be posting about experiences with friends, not experiencing posts with "friends"!

This phrase is absolutely key when utilising social media from a personal point of view. Another key point I mentioned in my opening statement was that social media helps me maintain the relationships I already have. These relationships started off with a meeting. Most of these meetings were in person. Without these meetings, I could just be another face on Facebook and not the guy that went to the theme park and had a wonderful time with friends.

Just as the video depicts, if you are constantly on social media, there is a good chance you may be missing something that could totally change your life, however, I do feel that it is still an amazing invention that when used correctly, can open ones options and perspective completely. Social media will always play an active roll in my life and I will use to benefit me rather than define me.