Are You Adopting the Right Techniques in Your CRM Onboarding?

Getting a CRM platform or software onto everyone's devices is not always an easy task and the reason for this is simple: human nature.

You could be using best CRM software out there, but that doesn't guarantee that everyone is going to to be on board with it. This applies to small brokerages all the way up to large franchises.

So how do you get your team on board? Being proactive and targeting the right people in your organization, such as early adopters or influencers, will build brand integrity and ultimately lead to the rest of the team to follow suit. That's just one example.

Do they have more success with or without current systems in place?

Being worried about having a new CRM in your brokerage is natural. In order to evaluate new tech coming in, you have to research how effective your current technology is and find out what isn't working. It isn't just essential to know the tech, it is also important to know how your team functions using it.

Using the right CRM at your brokerage, along with widespread usage, can be as dynamic as rocket fuel. For example, according to the most recent data, agents that regularly use Contactually have seen up to a 42 percent increase in gross commissionable income (GCI) within two years.

What causes low adoption of new CRM software by your team?

The answer to this question lies in everyday life and just how busy our day-to-day can become. Agents that are on the front lines of customer engagement have a great deal on their plates, and it's not unreasonable for them to place a low priority on something that doesn't generate immediate results. CRM platforms are meant to make your team's day-to-day more efficient, so if you are wasting more of their time than you are saving, they aren't going to attempt to use them.

We've got a step-by-step breakdown of how you can filter through all of the tech to find the right fit for your team and encourage them to actually want to use it.

What are the top 3 reasons agents avoid learning new software?

1. Technology Fatigue: For every job function, there is a multitude of options, programs and software available, and that can be overwhelming.
2. Password Overload: The more barriers there are to using the software, such as login credentials, the less inclined they will be to want to use it.
3. The Difficulty of Use: There is a learning curve when it comes to technology, and that has to be taken into consideration when implementing different types of tech.

There are 4 steps you can take in order to guarantee brokerage-wide adoption of any new tech and create a clear path to success:

1. Put Yourself in Your Agent's Shoes: Make sure you choose the right CRM based on how effectively YOU can use the software. If the CRM you are using makes you more productive and efficient, your brokers will also see value in those resources and be encouraged to use them.
2. Focus on Early Adopters and Influencers: Find the agents or brokers who have enthusiastically adopted the CRM and leverage their knowledge to provide leadership to the rest.
3. Lead by Example: Ask yourself if have familiarity with the CRM software yourself. If not, you may be one of the stumbling blocks in the way of scaled CRM use within your brokerage. If you show success with the tools, your agents will be encouraged to use them.
4. Always keep training your people: Training can consume a lot of time and money, but the payoff is far greater than the cost. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but would you believe "they" are wrong? According to a study by the University College London, it takes a whopping 66 days for the average person to acquire a new or beneficial habit!

What does your CRM do you for your organization?

Continued training on CRM usage isn't just vital, it should be an expected as a part of the process. This is why providers like Contactually offer consistent training for clients through multiple channels such as on-site training, virtual webinars and training crucial brokerage staff and new agents properly. When the company that developed the technology, product or service has an in-house training program, it should be taken advantage of in order to teach brokerage staff and new agents properly.

So... what does it all mean?

Ensuring the adoption of your chosen best-in-class CRM software doesn't have to be a daunting task. By choosing a top CRM built by an organization with years of experience developing CRM software with sales professionals in mind, you can take a big step towards winning your entire agent-force over even before implementation. Once onboarding begins, all that will remain is to empower key staff to lead the way for the rest of your team and staying on top of a long-term training program.

To view the original article, visit the Contactually blog.