CRM Deployment: Big Bang Or Phased?

Typically, a CRM Implementation affects a major chunk of an organization’s employee base. Hence, a good user adoption is necessary for the overall success of the initiative, in case users react negatively to the newly-launched CRM System, this poor start may affect the whole show.

So, more and more companies are asking this question: ‘Should we go for a Big Bang CRM Deployment, or take it phase by phase?’

We asked one of our most experienced CRM experts Mr. Padmanabha Rao to share his thoughts on this important CRM aspect:

• • I think a big bang implementation is a recipe for poor adoption over the long run. That’s why most of the CRM Solutions today are agile tech.
  • Basically, CRM is a frontline staff application. So, periodic (say, every 7 weeks) pack releases are better compared to a big bang all-reqs-in release.
  • The mistake in this might be to assume that this kind of agile release is easy – it’s harder than the big bang (and perhaps that may explain why it is not done as frequently). This has to be planned well in advance and all the stakeholders need to be involved in the buy-in and execution processes.
  • The other mistake might be to assume that staff / customer will appreciate all the big work and big bucks behind the big bang. They usually don’t because they don’t know enough to evaluate what is big and what is not, and they really couldn’t care less about it. All they are interested is, are we making good progress on the way we manage Customer Relationships, it can be done very effectively by a phased deployment, then a big bang approach

What is your take on this? Share your comments and experiences!