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.