CRM Training is for Smarties - September 13, 2009 at 4:19 pm

Companies taking on a CRM initiative, whether it a new concept or simply a new system, wisely leverage outside help for technical expertise and strategic best practice. Each situation, organizational culture, and level of readiness presents its own unique set of circumstances, but there are some universal truths when it comes to implementing CRM. One of the highest value items on the priority list should be education and change management.

It is generally accepted by those who have extensive CRM experience, that the “if you build it they will come” mentality does not work. As a result much has been written and published on the topic. However, for some reason, this tends to be the first part of an implementation that companies feel comfortable scaling back or omitting all together. I’m not certain whether it is a budget consideration or simply de-emphasized due to a focus on seemingly more pressing issues like technology and data. Whatever the case, my goal is to extend a not-so-subtle reminder that this is an essential (if not the most essential) part of your project.

To stress this point, it is helpful to map some of the key benefits of CRM training to specific adult learning characteristics identified by Malcolm Knowles, the father of adult learning.

1. Adults need to know why they are learning something before they invest the time. The “Why” is at least as important as the “How” when it comes to establishing strong user adoption and acceptance. The change management plan and the training curriculum provide an opportunity to explain to users why the company is investing in CRM and what advantages it will offer for both the company and themselves personally. These initiatives are not about the system, and the focus is not on the technology no matter how intuitive the system might be. A context needs to be established based on the business climate, market conditions and company performance goals. The insight into the strategic nature of the project will help establish a common goal and dispel the notion that big brother is learking.

2. Adults enter a learning situation with a self-concept of themselves as self-directing, responsible grown-ups. When children learn, they respond to adults because of the inherent credibility that an adult teacher displays. Adult learners are much more discriminating, and in some cases, skeptical. It is important that the training environment be able to answer the questions of “What’s in it for me?” related to this new system or process. For a sales person that has made a career out of tracking their contacts in a Rolodex and closing deals on the back of a napkin, they are going to need to understand the value for them as they are being asked to collaborate.

3. Adults come to a learning situation with a wealth of experience and a need to contribute. The training environment for CRM is as much for sharing and discussion as it is for direction. New users feel a sense of ownership and contribution being able to talk through their most difficult use-cases and being able to identify how they will address them in this new environment. Without this forum, there is often the assumption that “this won’t work for me” or that nobody cared enough to involve me.

4. Adults are more responsive to internal motivators such as self-esteem than they are to external motivators such as salary. The training sessions serve as a test run. Some managers take the approach that their end users will be able to figure things out soon enough by themselves, but they are discounting the value of a first impression. Allowing users to struggle with a new system or process will most certainly stir negative emotions in the adult learner and will de-motivate them in the long run.

It is possible that the management of a new CRM initiative acknowledges all of these factors, but still cuts training from the project due to budget constraints. Although this seems reasonable in terms technically getting a system in place, I submit that it is counter-productive to your plan and your project’s NPV. The reason? I am certain that ROI cannot be achieved on a system that nobody is using, and user adoption WILL suffer without a well-established training program. I have no good answer for the philosophical question “If a tree falls in the woods and there is nobody to hear it, does it make a sound?”, but I do know that a superbly built CRM system with no users will yield no value to the organization.