The Human Factor In Technology Implementation

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Beverly Flaxington is a practice management consultant. She answers questions from advisors facing human resource issues. To submit yours, email us here.

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Dear Bev,

We recently invested in a new CRM system for our office. The process to create an RFP, identify the right vendors to participate and select the one that fit our firm was long and arduous. We know we need to be using the system for every touchpoint with a client. The problem is that many of our advisors are old-school. They keep paper folders with client information and have a lot of their follow-ups on a spreadsheet. The system we chose is user friendly and we’ve had two training sessions before implementation with the vendor.

How do we teach our old dogs new tricks? How do we get people to embrace this system and understand the value to our advisory firm? I think people want easy access to information, so I don’t get the resistance.

Paul W.

Dear Paul,

I’m curious what involvement everyone in the firm had in crafting the RFP or selecting the system? Do your advisors think this is being foisted on them instead of feeling they were part of the decision-making process? It’s natural for people to resist change – anything that upsets the status quo is cause for pause. Even without technology, most people develop some sort of “system.” It might not be the most organized or effective but it is still their system. Keep in mind you are asking them to abandon what they’ve used and move to the unknown.

Now I’m not saying to avoid change and stop progress! Of course you need to move to an electronic capture of your information. This is important and necessary on many fronts. I’m just asking you to be sensitive to the reaction you are getting.

The piece most firms miss in thinking about implementing new technology is the human factor. Just because the system makes sense, doesn’t mean the team is going to obviously understand why and how they should embrace it. For this reason, there are a few things you probably want to consider:

  1. Do you have a clear process for using the system that everyone understands? I’m hoping, given the amount of time and effort you put into selecting the system, that you also thought about how best to use it. There are a number of strong CRM systems but many are more powerful than the average advisor needs. For this reason, you want to make sure you are guiding the vendor to provide only what you need. Be sure you have a process that aligns with the way your team does business. Review this and make sure it is clear – and understood – and that the system supports their daily work.
  2. Has the training been specific to your firm and your needs? You mentioned two trainings but you say these were before implementation. I’ve sat through many a vendor training that was very high level and generic and not that helpful for the firm once the “real” system was in place. Query your group on what’s confusing about the system, what they need a refresher on and then work with the vendor to develop a customized training for your team – or find a person internal to you who can be a “super user” and train on an ongoing basis.

By Beverly Flaxington, read the full article here.

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