In digital transformation, I strongly recommend to take a process view rather than a functional or applicative one.
And the first question to ask should be: What are we trying to achieve? Alternatively, what is the problem we are trying to solve?
Here, taking a process approach will make life easier.
Many operational inefficiencies and their root causes often emerge when we analyze an entire end to end process or a customer journey. The majority is hidden at the intersection of business functions. An obvious example is the interaction between Marketing and Sales on lead management.
In contrast, a functional or applicative-only approach will show limitations very quickly.
A functional approach will focus on the specific capabilities within the CRM solution, without considering how it fits into the larger end-to-end context. Here, we will not see (and solve) the broader issue we may have between Marketing and Sales for instance.
In the same way, if we take an application-only view, we will probably end up into fragmented and isolated systems. And probably we will not address the operational inefficiencies either.
In either case, we may achieve small improvements, locally, but the broader sources of inefficiencies will remain. we may know about them, but that will not tell us what to do about them.
This might also be of interest to you
Solving CRM issues with additional CRM technology or customisation is wrong
Of course, every organization must find its own approach.
But seen this way, an end-to-end process approach, rather than a functional or applicative one, simplifies the process.
It provides a holistic view of the operations, across business units and functions, making teams better equipped to address the challenges, especially the cross-functional ones.
You may also be interested in
The 20 best tips for you to crash your CRM project. For sure.
About the Author
Didier Dessens
CRM and Digital Experience Advisory
