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8 Best Practices For Oracle CRM Implementation

Organizations implementing customer relationship management (CRM) software need to proceed methodically to obtain the expected value from the product. If your organization is considering implementing Oracle CRM, it’s essential to follow best practices such as: 

  • Defining measurable business objectives
  • Aligning your business objectives with IT resources
  • Obtaining executive support and buy-in
  • Choosing features carefully  
  • Minimizing customization
  • Providing user training
  • Performing a gradual, phased rollout
  • Engaging trained and experienced Oracle consultants

We’ll discuss these best practices in more detail later in this article. First, let’s review what Oracle CRM is and its benefits. 

What is Oracle CRM?

Oracle, for years a leader in enterprise-grade software such as Oracle Human Capital Management (HCM), Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Oracle Database, and Oracle Transportation Management, also has a CRM solution that offers attractive features designed to appeal to businesses in multiple industries and market sectors.

Oracle’s CRM products cover all aspects of CRM functionality offered as a cloud-based on-demand solution. Oracle CRM includes features designed to facilitate sales, marketing, customer service, analytics, and multi-channel interactions. Its data-driven approach consolidates information from across the organization to optimize business performance and drive revenue growth.

Using Oracle CRM, companies can differentiate themselves from the competition using transactional, engagement, and analytical features to enhance customer interaction. Oracle offers solutions tailored to multiple industries designed to provide benefits such as:

  • Maximizing customer, employee, and partner interaction and engagement
  • Automating and managing details and transactions generated by customer interaction
  • Analyzing interactions and transactions to derive faster and more effective insights

Best Practices for a Successful Oracle CRM Implementation

As with all complex business solutions, there are many factors to consider when planning an Oracle implementation or migrating your existing CRM to Oracle CRM. The following best practices will help your organization achieve the desired results from Oracle CRM without facing unnecessary challenges or obstacles.

Define Measurable Business Objectives

CRM tools address many aspects of running a modern business and interacting with its customers. Attempting to implement the tool without defining realistic and measurable business objectives can be the difference between success and failure. Tightly-defined objectives can be measured more accurately than generic ones. For example, an objective might be to improve sales forecasting accuracy by 20% rather than simply improving sales forecasting accuracy.

Align Business Objectives with IT Resources

CRM solutions rely on technology to produce results that benefit the business. A company’s IT and business leaders need to collaborate to design a CRM system that meets business objectives. Business goals should be the driving force when making decisions regarding the CRM system’s implementation. The realistic potential of IT systems needs to be incorporated into implementation plans.

Obtain Executive Support and Buy-in

Upper management support is crucial to the success of a strategic initiative like a CRM implementation. It puts the organization on notice that the new platform is meant to be used to further business goals. Support will be easier to obtain when well-defined business objectives and alignment with a company’s IT department can be demonstrated to C-suite executives.

Exercise Discretion When Selecting Features

Oracle CRM has many features, some of which your company may not need. Make sure that every feature and configuration decision support at least one of these business objectives:

  • Improve profitability
  • Enhance customer value and satisfaction
  • Improve system performance
  • Optimize the sales process
  • Minimize technology costs

Minimize Customization

Customizing a CRM solution can be a complex, costly, and time-consuming undertaking. Keeping a CRM implementation on a budget becomes increasingly challenging when customization is introduced. Trying to replicate the customizations made to legacy systems can lead to cost overruns and missed deadlines. A better option is to fully investigate and understand the tool’s native functionality and assess how it can meet your business objectives.

Provide User Training

The success of a CRM initiative depends on how it is used throughout an organization. Training should give employees the knowledge they need to use the CRM system to meet business objectives. This is not simply a matter of learning all of the system’s features but is more focused on using the tool’s functionality effectively to grow the business.

Perform a Gradual Phased Rollout

Implementing the CRM solution gradually increases its likelihood of success. Aim for a phased rollout where each phase addresses a particular business objective. Subsequent phases can build on lessons learned from previous phases to streamline implementation. Successfully demonstrating how the tool is effectively addressing business objectives builds momentum for the project across the organization.

Engage Trained and Experienced Consultants

Implementing a complex system like Oracle CRM can be extremely challenging without the help of experienced consultants. Look for consultants who are trained in the specific CRM system you will be implementing. Ideally, they will also have experience with companies in the same industry as yours so they can optimize the implementation to meet your business needs.

Leveraging the Knowledge of an Experienced Partner

Argano is a strategic partner that can help streamline your organization’s digital transformation, bringing a wealth of Oracle-specific experience to the table. Argano has been named Solution Implementer of the Year nine times and received seven Oracle Excellence awards. Argano’s experts have the skills and expertise necessary to ensure a successful and valuable CRM implementation.

Argano’s experts understand the steps required to successfully digitally transform your company so it can take advantage of the tremendous volume of data available to help it attain its business objectives. They’ll guide you through the implementation process, helping you select features, handle any necessary customization, provide user training, and execute a strategic rollout. Contact Argano today and get started on a CRM implementation that drives your business to new heights.