The following excerpt is taken from CRM Magazine March 2001

CRM is more than just an IT solution. CRM is a business model and strategy, combined, of course, with IT solutions. To be successful, a good implementation needs the right people to drive the change through an entire enterprise. But as the CRM movement gains momentum, the skill shortage is increasing. Enterprises must now ensure that they have the right strategies, tactics and processes to find or train the right employees to make their CRM implementation a success.

In this article we look at three roles imperative to the success of any CRM implementation. The roles of Project Managers, Trainers and Recruitment Specialists.

Project Managers are one of the very important cogs turning the CRM wheel. These are people that can manage the project from inception to completion or various aspects of it. Because the success of CRM projects is crucial, companies tend to employ people who possess very strong project management experience who have worked on such projects in the past. The most important skills are the ability to communicate the needs of different facets of the business.

One of the key strengths of a good trainer is their ability to train anyone – from the end user on how to use the solution to resellers on how to implement and configure their products. To be a success in the CRM process trainers do not often require experience in CRM, but must have experience in training at a high level in enterprise-wide applications.

If a company is capable of finding the right employee, with the right skills and experience, it is one step closer to ensuring the success of their CRM projects.