Marc on Process
Mark Baizman has written a piece on how process thinking is the first step toward implementing a CRM system:
How you do what you do, whether it’s fundraising, member management, or email blasts, is equally as important as what technology you use to do it. When you’re implementing a new system, whether it’s Salesforce, eTapestry, Constant Contact, etc., it’s a great opportunity to review how you’re doing these things, and, more importantly, make changes to improve.
Marc’s right on the money with this one. If you don’t do the process work, you’re in for trouble. And it’s a great way to uncover the reality of how things really work at an org. Often groups don’t think about certain parts of their work unless you take them through a conversation about it–often you learn really important things this way.
Check out my donor management process maps if you’re interested. And start looking at your own processes analytically. You don’t need to be building a new system for it to be valuable.
March 17th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Thanks for the link, Steve. I’m going to try to keep posting about the “softer” side of Salesforce implementations. My next post will likely be about user adoption and training. See you at NTC, right?!