Introduction
As your company embarks on a CRM initiative, the software selection is only one facet of a successful project. As part of this process, you may consider implementing your CRM system with internal resources. Some software and on-demand vendors position their products as easy to implement and easy to use, suggesting that your organization try to do it itself. As outlined in this article, there are many benefits in selecting a CRM implementation partner.

Even in providing a very simple CRM system to your organization, a variety of steps need to take place including project management, requirements gathering, planning, configuration, pilot-program, rollout, training, and support. An experienced CRM implementation partner has the resources to address each of these areas, providing a company significant benefits that increase the chances of a successful system.

Planning
In planning a CRM system, you have a variety of people involved in the process including sales, marketing, and customer service at various levels including staff, management, and executives. This can be a very complicated and difficult process, dealing with potential political issues and personalities. One of the services that a CRM implementation partner will provide is a resource that can act as a facilitator and buffer during this process. They can use their experience to guide the organization in the appropriate direction.

As noted above, there are various steps that need to take place in a successful CRM roll-out. A CRM Implementation Firm has the experience to properly plan the various steps in this process.

Installation, Configuration, and Customization
Once a company has determined what they need from a CRM system, those requirements need to be translated and configured within the CRM product. Although a company may have technical resources within their organization, there is still a learning curve involved with a new product. In addition, there can be more than one way to configure a CRM system. An experienced CRM implementation firm can provide you with the most efficient configuration that will provide the optimum ease of use.

Better Access To Technical Support
Although your CRM system will provide the end-user with technical support, your CRM implementation partner has access to a higher level and faster response technical support service provided by the vendor. In addition, they may have more leverage in getting a technical issue resolved more quickly than through end-user channels.

Business Process Experience
A CRM implementation partner has gathered significant business process experience from their previous engagements. You need to have a certain skill set to evaluate an organization's business processes, make recommendations for improvement, and apply those processes to a CRM software system. Without this particular experience, it is very difficult and time consuming for a company to do this with internal resources.

Depth of Skill Set
Implementing a CRM system takes a variety of skill sets including configuration experience for that particular product, programming and development experience, database knowledge, project management capabilities, training skills (both technical and presentation), and report writing experience. Very few companies have all these skills available and even if they do, they must be pulled away from their regular jobs.

Resource Constraints
As mentioned above, your organization maybe large enough to have the various skills needed to implement an CRM system. But people have their regular jobs and responsibilities on a day-to-day basis. Reassigning them to a CRM project can cause a variety of issues. A CRM implementation firm provides you with the experienced resources you need without having to tap and strain your own staff.

Although you may think that using an outside firm is more expensive, that is not the case. When you calculate the cost of your own staff and their overhead, the additional time it takes to learn the CRM product, and the cost of their daily responsibilities not being completed, you will find that using an outside firm is not more expensive.

A CRM implementation firm can provide you with the right resources at the right time that will allow a company to complete a CRM rollout on a timely basis.

Summary
A CRM implementation partner can provide an organization with the best practices in every aspect of rolling out a CRM system including needs assessment, planning, configuration, development and integration, data importing, pilot-program and roll-out, training and support. During your selection process of a CRM implementation firm, make sure you get client references and details about the consultants assigned to your account.

About the Author
Sidney C. Lejfer is President of Harvest Solutions, a Customer Relationship Management Consulting and Training Organization. He is a featured writer and speaker on the benefits of Customer Relationship Management Technology. For further information, call (781) 530-3736, email at slejfer@harvestsolutions.net, or visit his firm's website at www.harvestsolutions.net.