NOVEMBER 2017CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19everywhere and of different devices, easy to configure, support and upgrade, with a strong innovation pipeline is a key enabler, and helps to drive adoption. However, equal attention should be on harmonizing and aligning the ways of working across the organization, on cleaning-up and harmonizing the data and reports, on the people ­ change management, learning, and coaching. This will ensure that people across different geographies and management levels follow the same ways of working and can interpret information in the same way to take fact based business decisions. 2. The Importance of DataData is the blood that flows in the veins of the organization and is a critical element for every business. There are several aspects about the importance of data ­ harmonized data and reports allow everybody in the organization to "speak the same language," data should be clean and up-to-date to deliver meaningful information allowing us to take fact-based decisions. Do not underestimate and plan the time and effort to clean-up the data before migrating it to salesforce.com. This will help you to drive adoption and build trust in the system after go-live. It is a continuous and never ending effort after the go-live to keep the data clean and up-to-date. 3. Learning, Coaching and CadenceAfter giving the sales people a great tool like salesforce.com, it is not only important to train them how to use it, but also give guidance (cadence) when and how to review and discuss the performance and how managers should coach the sales people to win and close more deals. This ideally should tie up with the performance review and forecasting process in the organization and deliver fact based inputs that will help to have visibility on the current and future commercial performance and take actions early enough. 4. Reporting and AnalyticsOver time, we capture and accumulate more data. By keeping it clean and updated, we can start unlocking its true power with advanced analytics. For example, usually we consider the funnel stages to identify the probability and "weight" of the sales funnel. This is still a subjective view, based on how well and up to date the sales people update their opportunities. 5. Change ManagementThis is the most important and usually most underestimated area that can crucially impact how successful and sustainable the transformation will be in the long term. For the success in any transformation, it is very important for people to understand what it means for them, to be comfortable with and embrace the change. Designing the new ways of working, we need to understand the impacted groups of people, explain what is changing for them and walk them through the change journey from awareness through acceptance towards ownership. We must measure the change adoption of the different stakeholder groups, starting with the leaders (change is leader-led) throughout the whole transformation and ensure that change "sticks" and is well embedded in the organization. Bear in mind that the change never ends; after go-live we will continue to enhance and develop further, our capabilities to follow the new and changing business realities, and ensure people follow them. Many organizations are considering or implementing Salesforce to strengthen commercial capabilities. It is a significant effort and change for each organization, I hope our learning can help you be more successful and yield the maximum benefits. Many organizations focus primarily on implementing CRM as a tool and wonder afterwards why it does not yield the expected long-term results
< Page 2 | Page 4 >