Strategic Planning

However, before we go into the actual system functions, sooner rather than later the question inevitably arises for new administrators, “Before I spend a single minute of my valuable time, what is this whole thing supposed to actually do for me? I know I’m going to enter some data, and search for some data, and make phone calls on some data, but what does it actually do?”

Again, up to this point, we’ve primarily been focusing on the “how’s” of the InsideSales.com™ system. As an administrator, it’s still important for you to know the “how’s”—how to navigate the system, how to search for records, how to do basic activity—but more importantly are the “why’s.”

When you first began looking for a system like InsideSales.com™, you, your boss, or others within your organization likely had some very specific expectations about what this new software system would actually do for you and them—increase sales, improve customer relationships, increase sales rep productivity, improve management capabilities, and so on. You may not have had any specific or concrete statements to that effect, but ultimately it was one or more of these hoped for benefits that led to the decision to use the system.

We are fairly certain that one of your reasons was NOT to waste inordinate amounts of employee time. Software—any software—is merely a means to an end; the bottom line is if a piece of software (or any other business investment for that matter) does not have a direct, tangible benefit to users, management, or both, it is simply a waste of time and money. Since InsideSales.com has been proven to provide all of the previously mentioned benefits and more, we know that the system works. That being said, in nearly all cases an organization’s level of success with the system hinges on how well the site administrator sets up the system processes and passes that knowledge on to users.

Don’t kid yourself(ves), setting up the system is going to take some time. It’s not going to be a lot of time, and it will typically only be for the first week to ten days of start-up, but understand there is going to be a time investment. We typically predict most new site administrators will spend anywhere from 10 to 20 hours of personal time within the first three weeks of starting the InsideSales system. If this sounds like too much of a time investment, or you are not ultimately going to be responsible for the success or failure of the project, we highly recommend that you hand off the administration of the site to someone who has the time, and will be accountable.

With that in mind, before you ever sit down to start running your system, you and other appropriate management personnel should make concrete decisions about how, what, when, and why you expect InsideSales.com to improve your business. Take the time to formulate and write down the key metrics your company is looking to improve. Decide now who will be the main site administrator(s), and who will be the back-up(s). One of the biggest frustrations for any company is to find that they are not maximizing an investment. Software like InsideSales.com™ is just that, an investment for future returns, but without clearly stated goals, and a human being who will be accountable for setting it up you are seriously at risk for getting your company off on the wrong foot. Poorly stated goals, and low- to- zero accountability are a great way to waste time and money.