Simplicity is one of the keys to successful sales force automation. This is one of the lessons of implementing customer relationship management (CRM) that is good that I must keep learning it again and again.
Here are my top reasons why it's better to keep it simple than to chase perfection:
- Sales people need to stay focused on sales. The simpler your sales process and your tracking requirements, the more likely that they will be adopted by the sales force. As requirements grow more complex, users will quietly revolt by failing to spend as much time as needed on data entry.
- Better compatibility with off-the-shelf CRM. Less customization can make it easier to handle upgrades and new features introduced by your CRM vendor.
- Reduced implementation time. Less scope means less time and less cost before you go live.
- Reduced training requirements. Fewer features reduces what you need to train and also leads to
- Reduced support and maintenance.
Asking for simplicity and sticking to it are two different things. The real question is how low you can go in terms of resisting the urge for customization. Thinking of a minimum viable product is a good place to target initially, and constraining new features through a governance process can help keep your CRM simple.
What I can tell you from personal experience is that extensive customization often leads to neglected areas of your CRM which ultimately are abandoned, such as fields, forms, and reports that are no longer used and can make your system more confusing to new users.