Increase adoption by making the CRM a part of new hire training

This article was included in the April 11th, 2017 issue of the LACRM Newsletter.

We talk a lot about how to get your team to use the CRM because your CRM is only as useful as the information you put into it. While there are many ways to get your existing team to use the system, the best way to keep everyone on the same page is to make sure your newest hires don’t get left behind, and include the CRM in their onboarding process.

Ava Chase, owner of Advanced Practice Prep, trains her new hires to use the CRM right from the start. By making the CRM a priority during a new team member’s first few days, Ava makes sure that they know exactly what the CRM is, how it works, and why it should be used. Once those main questions are answered, the value of the CRM becomes apparent to them:

"When I first started using the CRM, I had the LACRM reps show me and my team how everything works. I kept communicating with them to make sure I understand how the CRM fits in with my business and once we all got more familiar with it, we could start teaching our new hires as well.

Everyone who starts with the company is first trained to use the CRM. We do our own in-house training and give everyone the contact details of the customer service team at LACRM. This way, if there’s any question we can’t answer, someone at LACRM can jump in."

- Ava Chase, Owner of Advanced Practice Prep

Tip to try: It’s much easier to learn how to use the CRM and fully grasp how everything works when everyone around you is familiar with it and regularly uses it. But even if you don’t do an in-depth CRM training session the way Ava does with her new hires, it’s always a good idea to to emphasize the CRM (or any other system that your business relies on!) during their first few days.

When going through a new hire’s role with them, highlight how they would use the CRM to help them achieve their goals. If they need to start working with prospects, show them how to pull up a list of leads. If they need to schedule appointments/meeting for themselves or another team member, show them how the calendar works. Regardless of what position they are filling, the CRM as a central repository of information will contain information that they need, so why not make the transition a little simpler by letting them know where everything is?  Click here for a quick training outline you can use to get your new hire ready to go in the CRM.