Overcoming CRM project pitfalls: how to unlock success with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Before diving into the world of CRM systems, take a moment to reflect: is your organisation truly ready to manage one? A CRM is a powerful enabler, but its true strength lies in the people and processes that bring it to life. When your team is prepared, open to change, and equipped to integrate the system into everyday work, the results can be transformative.

In this blog, we’ll explore the common challenges in CRM projects and share how some can be successfully tackled, for example, with the Microsoft D365 platform, so you can approach your journey with clarity.

CRM adoption is not a technical exercise

Success isn’t about finding the “perfect” CRM system; it’s about ensuring your organisation has the maturity, adaptability, and change capability to realise its potential. Many CRM projects fail not due to technology itself, but because the transformation was limited to a technology rollout, with people and processes left behind.

From my many conversations with clients and colleagues about failed CRM projects, four recurring themes emerge, which I’ll expand on below.

1. CRM is too often treated as an IT project

This is perhaps the most common pitfall. Many organisations focus heavily on the architecture and technical capabilities of CRM systems, neglecting the non-technical elements that are equally vital.

A SaaS CRM like D365 offers a vast array of out-of-the-box features, but these can only be fully leveraged if the organisation’s ways of working, culture, and processes are already in good shape, or are improved alongside the CRM implementation.

Most CRM projects should begin with an honest look at what a typical user’s day actually looks like and identify improvements before deciding what role the CRM will play in the transformation.

2. The best CRM in the world is useless if no one uses it

Change management, user support, and training are often overlooked or underfunded. Your people need to be actively involved in the system’s development and have regular opportunities to share input on how it should work and align with business needs.

Keeping teams informed on progress and “selling” the solution internally helps encourage adoption. Time and resources must be allocated for hands-on training and initial support during the first stages of use. D365 offers many built-in tools to support this: 

• On the training side, D365 offers numerous tools, including field hover descriptions and modifiable online/on-screen help capabilities, to guide users in its use without requiring them to consult documentation or manuals. You can also leverage Business Process Flows in teaching people new ways of working, in addition to using it in the “classic” way
• D365 also has adoption dashboards to monitor the activity of users and help organisations target their change management efforts. Adoption dashboards make it easier to track usage patterns and identify less active users.

3. Projects often bite off more than they can chew

The wealth of features in a SaaS CRM can be as much a curse as a blessing if organisations try to implement too much at once.

CRM should be built incrementally, starting with a simple, easy-to-adopt MVP that delivers quick wins. From there, functionality can be built up over time. D365’s rapid experimentation capabilities make it possible to test which features are most valuable in the short term. There’s a lot of temptation to start using all of the fancy features immediately, basically telling users to run before they’ve learned to walk. 

4. Advanced features are often neglected after go-live

A successful launch can lead to a sense of relief. Stakeholders may settle into the current system and avoid further changes, particularly if the initial rollout was challenging. This “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mindset can lead to missed opportunities.

Features that were out of scope for the MVP are often forgotten, and many organisations fail to capitalise on new capabilities released by Microsoft twice a year. Recent updates have included valuable AI, machine learning, and data management features, developments that could drive significant business growth if embraced.

In conclusion: Start small, move fast, and remember it’s about people as much as technology

The point of adopting a shiny new CRM platform shouldn’t be just to replace old tools with new ones but to transform the way you do business, from changing outdated ways of working all the way to modernising your sales and marketing strategies. 

While it’s impossible to do everything at once, there are always low-hanging fruits that provide high business impacts with low development efforts. We at Columbia Road can help with identifying, implementing and deploying these into an MVP solution rapidly to start generating value as quickly as possible. 

This, of course, requires proper change management, user onboarding and ongoing support for users. CRM transformation is a multifaceted journey, and as a strategic partner, we can help you maximise your investment not only in technology, but in your business as a whole.

Ready to get going? Let’s explore how we can help turn your CRM vision into a success story.