You and Your CRM: Relationship Counseling

The most impassioned topic at any development conference is about CRMs. Small groups of development officers and managers gather to whisper and trade horror stories about the platforms they use - the many ways whichever CRM they use falls short or betrays them. 

“The reports are terrible - you can’t pull what you need.”

“They say they integrate with our other systems, but it’s so clunky. I’m not an IT person.”

“There’s not a good way for our gift officers on the road to make good use of the system.”

“We’re still doing way too much manual entry for gifts - there’s got to be an easier way.”

“Even the basic stuff isn’t intuitive - why do they make segmentation so difficult?”

It goes on and on. And let’s be honest - it doesn’t matter what CRM system you’re using. There will be things you love and things you hate about the software. In today’s blog, we’re going to provide some “couple’s counseling” tips for your relationship with your CRM.

(1) No one’s perfect. But every system does have its strengths. Some offer built-in KPI reporting and automated donor affinity assessments … but make inkind or soft credit gifts difficult to book. Some offer a beautiful end-user experience with clean, easy-to-read donor entity records… but make it challenging to run even basic LYBUNT and SYBUNT reports. Learn what your system does really well and make best use of those offerings. 

(2) Old dogs can do new tricks. Stay on top of the bells and whistles your system rolls out. Many CRM platforms work to respond to user requests and add new features over time. What you were complaining about last year with a cumbersome annual receipting process might have been resolved with a new report. Many platforms are also making integrations more simple each year. If you’re using a different software system for your events, communications or auction - not to mention your financial system - it’s worth keeping an eye out for new opportunities to connect your systems together. 

(3) Communicate to each other. Take advantage of surveys, calls and other opportunities to share your feedback with the CRM system you use. Don’t skip trainings and other ways you can make the most of your investment in the platform. If you don’t share your needs or frustrations with your customer support team, they won’t know what you’re struggling with… and it won’t make it to the research and development side of their operation. 

(4) The grass isn’t greener. It’s easy to think switching platforms will solve all your frustrations and issues. It’s true that certain CRMs are better for some organizations than others - a lot depends on your size, your donor profile and how your staff uses the system. Some platforms are far too robust for smaller organizations who’d be paying for features they don’t need, for example. But other than that, frequent CRM-hopping is usually not the answer to your “relationship” issues. It can be costly, too, in time and effort. Embracing the platform you have and strengthening your day-to-day relationship can have lots of rewards. 

And next time you’re at a conference where the toxic CRM-bashing conversation begins, you can smile warmly and quietly slink away from the fray.

— Tim Smith