Customer Relationship Management is game-changing technology for healthcare marketing. Is your hospital or healthcare system ready for CRM and all it entails? Are you ready to be a CRM bad@ss? Here we offer seven keys to a successful CRM journey:
- Have a clear and precise vision and strategy. Spend the time it takes up front to clearly formulate the goal of CRM for your health system. This is incredibly important as your well-articulated vision will guide you through the process.
- Prepare to journey from MarCom to MarTech. Marketing has moved from being about the creativity of communications to being much more about science, data and high targeting. It’s gone from advertising creativity to business creativity. It isn’t “out with the old and in with the new,” so much as it is figuring out where you are in that continuum as an organization and as a department and creating a plan for moving forward.
- Surround yourself with really smart people (offline and online). REALLY smart people. This is an arena that healthcare marketers historically have not utilized. The more you can do to immerse yourself with resources, the better.
- Secure dedicated CRM resources – internal, vendor and consulting. When you embark on the CRM journey, you’re making a very expensive investment. Don’t be pennywise and pound foolish – look at your organization’s needs and figure out what kind of additional support you might require up front to be effective in the end.
- Superior project management is a must. It’s an imperative. Enough said.
- When selecting a vendor, cultural fit is key. Look for a strategic PARTNER, not just a vendor. Find philosophical alignment with a vendor who will truly partner with your organization over the long haul.
- You must have the three Ps: passion, patience and persistence. Make sure you are really ready to take on this monumental task. (And make sure your organization is, too.) Go all in. Be focused and dedicated. Be patient. Implementing CRM is a culture change, and you may hear “no” a lot throughout the process; weather through them and persist.
So are you ready to be a CRM bad@ss? Whether you are just getting started on your CRM journey or want to fine tune strategies and accelerate return on investment, we would love to discuss the opportunities and challenges of optimizing your CRM or assist with your selection of a CRM vendor partner. Drop us a line at info@corriganconsulting.com.