Why does everyone make working with CRM software such a drag? There’s always plenty of talk about: ways to 
encourage staff to use it, the challenges with keeping data clean, finding a return on investment and strategies to squeeze more value out of the CRM. For once, let’s talk about how much FUN a CRM system can be!
If your CRM system isn’t fun to work with, there are two main culprits:
- It is not configured specifically for your business.
- Your team hasn’t seen the light (yet).
CRM not configured for your business? No fun
Whether or not you want to believe this or admit this is to be true, it is a simple fact. No one can ever tell us otherwise – we have been doing this too long. Just like every single person is unique, every single business on this planet is different. Imagine a company (which is, essentially a group of people) looking exactly the same as another company – impossible! We are not clones (well, not yet, anyway!)
To make your CRM interesting and entertaining, it has to mirror YOU. The way you work, the way your business runs, the way your team collaborates together. Some companies are more inclined to purchase software because of bells and whistles, sleek and cutting-edge features (otherwise known as whiz-bangs) or big, impressive names.
In reality, the CRM system should be first and foremost matched to your exclusive business processes. This is when the CRM becomes a discovery instead of a drag. When users begin to rely on it and view it as the place to go for information, then who cares about anything else – because you are getting value!
Your team hasn’t seen the light
This dovetails somewhat on the first reason, but there can be other reasons why your team hasn’t started to see your CRM as fun. This is actually very simple; they don’t see how it benefits them. Sure, they love their jobs and don’t want to upset their Sales Manager… but if people see nothing in it for them, they won’t bother and it certainly won’t be fun.
Getting your team to see the light can be a challenge yet at the same time it’s not rocket science. As a child, did you ever play in a sandbox all by yourself for hours and hours? No, of course you didn’t. It’s boring! You need playmates to have fun. Ensure your CRM has useful functions for your team and get everyone involved. Make it the place people want to go to play because everything is there. All the sandbox toys (so to speak) are in the one location, so everyone just goes there.
Once your CRM system becomes the hip, fun, new place to be – since everybody and everything is there, then the value of the CRM software will grow exponentially. Keep an eye open though, because you will be amazed. The really cool thing about a CRM system is that it never stops paying you back for the effort you put into it.