Breakthrough Phase
CRM Transformational Change Cycle

The March article focused on the Uncertainty Phase of the ‘Transformational Change Cycle’ and how it relates to CRM. In this short article we discuss briefly the third of the four stages – The Breakthrough Phase. This will be followed by the Competence Phase in a future eZine.

The Breakthrough Phase, like the others speaks for itself. It is here where the initial fruits of all the hard planned and well executed labour that has gone on before is first seen. Some may say that it is an ‘orchestrated’ or ‘staged’ phase to reveal benefits and results which are heralded as ‘breakthroughs’ by many users or the organisation itself.

Yep, so what? If you are to get the momentum up and keep it going, you have to demonstrate early benefits to the whole team. They have to see that there is something in it for them, others and the organisation. If they don’t see this then the desire to return to the status quo or the way it was before will be very strong indeed. Avoid this by making sure you can demonstrate some early benefits.

It is in this phase that you need to focus on reframing the way people see and do things. In order for people to change to a new way of doing something (to reframe), they need to see and experience why it is worthwhile doing so.

In the last article we harped on about the need to set up best practice and to determine the short, medium and long term objectives for the system, the users and ‘beneficiaries’ of the system. It is here, in the Breakthrough Phase that the short term objectives, if well developed and completed by the team, should start to show some benefits.

How? This may be best explained by way of a fictitious example.

During the very early stages of the Uncertainty Phase (and as a direct result of the CRM strategy that was developed in the Initiation Phase) they set a very clear short term objective with clearly stated benefits. They also ensured that the objective adhered to the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound). It was as simple as: 

Objective:

• Top 100 customers by sales revenue must be profiled in the CRM system using the criteria as documented in the Best Practice guide. This must be completed by 30 June 2003.
• A mid-June report will be run to provide users an update on how they are tracking to this objective. A final report will be run on the 30th of June.

Benefit of Objective Achievement:

• Marketing are preparing a mailer for early July to all of these 100 customers to generate leads for sales staff to aid them in achieving their sales targets.

The result of this was a mailer that went out to all targeted customers. The resulting leads generated provided sales staff with qualified calls 6 weeks after roll out. No previous mail campaign had been so successful, done as quickly or provided the sales and marketing team with information at the touch of a few key strokes. This campaign was able to be measured and had contributed to the corporate memory of ACME. It had been seen by the whole team as a ‘breakthrough’ and led to further innovative sales and marketing ideas. It accelerated the momentum of the CRM roll out.

This example might seem somewhat simple but it works. Setting objectives that are only medium to long term and that are at a high organisational level will result in failure unless the people on the ground get clear benefits from simple objective achievement.

The Breakthrough Phase is naturally post best practice training but it must be borne in mind that not everyone will have grasped all the learning required to achieve the short term objectives. It is for this reason that regular reports must be run against these short term objectives (and others) so that ‘laggards’ can be identified, the reasons for falling behind determined and remedial action taken. This might be in the form of more training, technical or best practice refinement or even attitudinal adjustment but …. if you do not ‘inspect what you expect’ you will never be able to remedy anything.

We see it happening all the time. Companies wait 4, 6 even 12 months before they effectively measure what benefit they are getting from their CRM. Why? If there is a clear strategy and it has been planned and rolled out correctly, how can you just leave it there?

Measuring the technical success of a roll out seems to take up the majority of head space and time. Why? Sure it has to be working as technically scoped but if it is not being used as intended it does not matter as you are not going to get the expected benefits. Having the latest Formula One Ferrari without a qualified and focused driver will not win you a championship. Train the drivers, communicate with them, measure them, mentor them, it is only when this is done that real results will begin to happen.

Remember that success breeds success.