Forward-thinking, progressive business leaders know that change is often challenging. It’s hard to get everyone on board, be receptive to changes that may affect their way of working and even more so implementing change. However, handling change, positioning change positively, and fully understanding and nailing the right change results in a much smoother change experience.
As with most things these days, technology and IT play a significant role when change is concerned; whether you’re toying with the idea of changing your CRM, looking to plug in some new software verticals to help your operations run smoother and become more efficient, or even upgrading infrastructure, there’s likely to be a few loud voices wanting to express their opinions and potentially some resistance, too. Even in cases where you might not think IT is directly part of a ‘change plan’, maybe you’re considering looking at a complete overhaul and switching up your supplier, or maybe you’re thinking about how to really incentivise your people with some employee perks. Whatever change you’re considering, IT is still there in the background waving its little pixilated hand at you eagerly, saying “I’m kinda involved here, don’t forget me”.
Assess and collaborate before you drop the ‘C’ Bomb’.
Let’s say you’ve assessed your current CRM, it’s constantly crashing, slow to load when it works, doesn’t really give every team the right functionality it needs to and it’s generally pretty clunky. You’ve decided it’s time for a fresh start and, for this example, you’ve chosen Innov8 to help you with your new CRM. At this point, you need to assess and understand what this new CRM needs to have for everyone to use this effectively. This is where the communication comes in, brainstorming with team leaders to find out what would make their teams lives easier – maybe it’s the ability to schedule and automate customer emails, maybe it’s the need to be able to make more in-depth notes, or even just better visibility and reliability. Whatever it is, the communication with the leaders is key, and how that communication is delivered is just as important. Dropping the ‘C’ bomb without warning is not always received well, so take the time to explain that this change is going to make their lives easier, and hopefully, if it’s designed around their ultimate needs it will make their teams lives easier too. Giving people the opportunity to contribute where it's needed means that you’re getting accurate information and requirements.
Championing change with your people leading it means you’re already off to a winning result. When you come to Innov8 with your dream CRM wish list, it means we have clarity from the very beginning and know what we’re working towards, and we can help you facilitate that change with minimal setbacks.
People-led IT
The less obviously linked changes, such as employee perks, might not scream out as obviously as being IT centric like a new CRM, but these are actually more frequently IT related than you think. I’m talking about having visibility on who’s performing well in sales every month with clear KPI analytics that means you can send a little “Well done, Sarah – you’ve had a great month” email, right through to integrated colleague recognition add-ons that people can collaborate and celebrate one another. All these things, although facilitated through IT, are people-led morale boosters and really do create a sunny ripple effect throughout a business. So, whilst they’re not always intricately key to the functionality of day-to-day business, they do hold a valuable role when it comes to championing IT change.
Championing change with Innov8
We’re a fan of the ‘C’ bomb. We love to champion your change, getting you further faster. So, whether you’re wondering if there is something that needs a little upgrade, or you’ve already assessed and understood your change needs, give us a call and let us implement it the Innov8 way.
info@innov8.co.uk / 0161 975 1600.