Sunday, August 12, 2012

Make the user an autodidact                          
CRM with fast learning curves are highly more successful. Users that will know how to use the CRM quickly will benefit the company with high usage rates and more reliable information. How do you help your users to become independent in the CRM?

I am always keeping the below points in the back of my head, when working on a new or existing environment. I am sure you have much more to contribute.

Talk so they will understand

No matter what is the business and no matter which type of users, a system that speaks the business language will always make more sense. It’s a mistake to assume that users are familiar with the basic dictionary of a CRM. Therefore, you should always try to adjust the existing labels and the wording to the ones who use it. Connection is always simpler when people are familiar with the used language. 

Focus in the core and remove the rest

Remove unnecessary fields, buttons or any features that the user does not use. Help the user to focus on the core business in the CRM and not confuse him with minor issues. If not possible, make the more important components more visible and the minor ones – less. A short and filtered layout is more inviting for the user in the first look.

Specific help needed

Stop writing endless textual help articles. Instead, analyze the user's behavior and allocate the difficulties in the process. Use indicators, flow charts and images to guide the user during his journey in the system. Help the user to decide in which stage of the pipeline he is. Guide the user on the lead qualification steps.


A system that requires many training sessions and long user guides will not stand the test in time. It seems like hard work in the beginning, but this work can save you tons of email replies, replace useless remote desktop control and tremendously reduce user's frustration.

Once a user feels independent using the system, tap on your shoulder for a job well done!

No comments:

Post a Comment