Launching a CRM App: Learning Experience, or Nightmare?

Don't get me wrong. I am a total advocate for CRM. The first couple of jobs I had straight out of college used databases like ACT and Goldmine, which quickly because my best friends and enabled my anal-retentiveness for being organized at all times. Fortunately (at the time, at least) the systems were already in place, and I never had to worry about implementation.

Fast forward 5-6 years and here I am, in a small office of 4 full-timers, trying DESPERATELY to successfully implement our Salesforce database. Yes, I get that "supposedly" Salesforce can have an organization up-and-running in a matter of hours, but we are coming across what seems to be an endless amount of problems. Will there ever be a light at the end of the tunnel??

1. Probably more time consuming than anything else, cleaning up our data lists - which are coming from multiple sources unfortunately - has proved to be a rather large headache. It'll pay off in the end, but we wanted to try our best to make sure we were not uploading up-to-date/accurate data. No small feat.
2. Importing from several very different lists of data. Sure, there's a "de-dup" feature, but doing this will override any notes/log information already under existing accounts. Also without getting into too much detail, there are instances where we may not want to override the data, which just creates another list of problems.
3. We hold various programs and events, and just launched a membership program. So we are able to use Salesforce for contact management, but we need to use another site to process event/membership registrations. And there isn't an easy way to record this important information under contact accounts unless we manually enter it in, resulting in even more staff time.

I think you probably get my point and can see a recurring theme. Ultimately, I believe we will be more efficient overall with these processes - but for the past year or so it's been an uphill battle and one that has consumed A LOT of time for our staff. I know that there are consulting firms out there to assist with this, but as a non-profit the funds aren't there to support those type of costs.

What have been some of your experiences - or let's just be honest, nightmares - with CRM implementation?

Still Skeptical of Social Media?

Stephanie Furlan, Professional Twitterer.

Sound ridiculous? Maybe at first glance. Unrealistic? Definitely not. Adam Robinson, Founder of illuma – a recruiting support company - tweeted several weeks ago that for the first time he saw Facebook, MySpace and Twitter listed on a resume under technical skills. A true sign of the times to show that so much of our personal and professional communications are quickly moving toward a reliance on social media platforms, making it essential for marketers to use these tools and at the very least be aware of what’s available.

Being in the MBA program, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of other people in the field, some of who are traditional marketers with a ton of experience – but not all necessarily with internet marketing. This leads some people to doubt the potential these channels have within their own companies. For those who have any doubt about the impact social media can have, tell them to check out http://twittervision.com/.



Above: Twittervision.com screenshot

Somewhat creepy AND yet equally as fascinating, don’t you think?

A great example of the power social media can have is the story of a Jessica Cowin, a recent DePaul alum who recently found out she needed a kidney transplant. With the help of sites like Facebook and Twitter, her family was able to raise $21,000 in one week. Yes, one week. Truly an amazing story, and one that should silence critics of social media who think that they don’t serve a legitimate purpose.

But because all these sites are fairly new – at least with respect to traditional marketing communications efforts – companies are still figuring out how to best utilize them. And right now everyone is in the same boat, all of us learning as we go along. Only time, trial and error will tell how/if companies can learn to really embrace this era of new media.