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Will your software upgrade be successful? According to some sources, you can tell by the flip of a coin — heads you win, tails you lose.

A 50% failure rate on CRM system implementations is a worrisome statistic, to say the least. That companies continue to attempt these software deployments is a testament to the value of CRM software and to each company's insight. The rewards that can come from a well-functioning customer relationship management system is worth the risk.

To help you hedge your bets, Richard Young has published an article on Bullhorn.com, pointing out the five most common tripwires for CRM implementations:

1. Too Little Leadership

The senior personnel who fully understand the business need to be involved in the software selection. It's fine to have junior staff do the legwork and prepare a list of options. But senior managers are the ones who know the company's niche and what the CRM system needs to do to help the company progress.

These leaders need to be active in reviewing the software option, including sending the research group back to the drawing board. They need to participate in focused discussions to ensure the best business operations program is identified. This will also set an example to the rest of the company about the importance of making the software deployment a success. These company leaders will be able to talk easily, clearly, and persuasively about the benefits that lay in store on the other side of the transition.

2. Too Few Clearly Defined Goals

When it isn't clear what exactly the CRM system will do, it becomes much harder to achieve success. This is why establishing specific goals is vital. The broad initiative of 'improving the customer experience' is an important direction, but doesn't give much for measurable progress. This improvement needs to be defined in more detail.

Rather than a single, over-arching finish line for the project, more goals can bring better results. As the first objectives are successfully accomplished, it can raise team morale and build momentum for the upcoming efforts. In essence, when you outline your goals, you can create a self-fulfilling prophecy of your project's success.

3. Too Much IT Involvement

This point is not to say the IT group (or expert) on your team should not be part of the CRM deployment. Instead, the role of IT personnel needs to be clearly defined. Usually these team members won't have the necessary understanding of the sales process and service levels to help with deciding which software to select. Once the sales and marketing leaders identify a short-list of CRM packages, the IT staff can offer input on technical details that may make one option a clear winner. And of course IT will be essential for the actual deployment after the best solution has been selected.

4. Too Much Inflexibility

Getting the software installed is only part of the project. After that point, the challenge is to get your team to use the application and integrate it into their daily activities. Ideally the initial discussions about the best software solution will address these vital concerns and the tool you select will support the ways your staff work. The worst case scenario however is to buy software that doesn't mesh with your team's current processes and then to force them to change what they do because the money has already been spent.

In contrast, when the end-user's workflows are part of the initial discussions, it can be easier to discuss how slight changes to the process can bring valuable dividends. And a quality business operations product will even allow individuals to accomplish their work in the ways that make the most sense to them.

5. Too Little Storage

This can be a trick question during the sales process, so be sure to exercise due diligence and find out all the constraints on each software package. You do not want to finish the deployment and then have a follow-up conversation about extra costs for additional data storage.

While storage space isn't a particularly sexy feature, it can be crucial. If data limits mean that some information is going to regularly be deleted from the system, it will be a hard choice to decide what to throw out. The information that sales people need will drive revenue, while the info that senior management needs will drive growth. Which can you do without?

The underlying principle from Young's article is that no company can afford to rush into a CRM integration. Success hinges on mindful preparation and follow-through.

The general process for purchasing business operations software — whether it is an accounting system, a CRM tool, or an ERP solution — is relatively the same. Each type of software is a critical investment in your company's development. Learn more about how aACE can revolutionize a business by reading our success stories.

"aACE is a fabulously refined program that is very easy to use. Been using aACE for the last 8 years and it's been wonderful working with them." ~ Bumkee Kim, Janibell Inc.

eCommerce has quickly become a vital part of a modern company's sales approach. From the first sale across the ARPANET in the 1970's (an exchange of cannabis between students at Stanford and MIT) until today, when eCommerce sales in the U.S. alone exceed $300 million, the growth of this platform hasn't always been smooth. Its presence, however, is undeniable.

The next challenge, now that smart entrepreneurs recognize eCommerce as a valuable avenue, is to differentiate yourself among online sellers. The number of eCommerce stores for your industry and your product will only increase as time goes on. You need to be thinking now about what you can do to make your brand stand out from that crowd.

The single-most important distinguishing feature for your business is rapidly becoming the customer experience you provide. But an important factor in that experience is diversification, as highlighted in a guest-contributed article for Entrepreneur.com, "3 Key Ways to Diversify Your Ecommerce Store".

Diversification may seem contrary to advice about specializing and being unique on the market. However, expanding the selection of products you offer can benefit your business by "increasing sales to existing customers or opening avenues to entirely new demographics." This can actually be part of your distinct customer experience, where your shoppers can find the supporting products they want right on your eCommerce site.

To successfully diversify, use these three guidelines:

1. Identify Your Niche

Where we're balancing between the two recommendations to specialize and to diversify, the key is research. A random jumble of products on your eCommerce shelf isn't going to help much. And while there is a wealth of general advice about picking a niche for your business, the focus of your research needs to be your customers.

What additional items or supporting products do they find useful? After they purchase from you, what else do they need? For example, a company that manufactures water filters could also provide cups and water bottles.

To help gather and analyze this information, you should leverage your CRM system, which can make information collected by sales staff and follow-up contacts available to your decision-makers.

2. Test Your Products

When you select the diversified products for your eCommerce store, be sure that you know what you're selling. If something doesn't work right on the water bottles our example company provides, they want to know about it before their customers encounter it. In your long-term goal of building relationships and clients who are also fans of your company, a poorly made supporting product isn't worth the trouble it could cause. Your reputation is worth ordering sample products and checking things out.

After you feel comfortable with these items though, you don't have to double your inventory in order to have the items ready for sale. Leverage drop-shipping to purchase items on-demand for your customers and ship directly from the third-party merchant.

3. Double-down on Branding

Your business identity is yours to shape. And having the most popular supporting products can be a strong addition to your reputation. Publicize your efforts to create the absolute best customer experience on your eCommerce site. Let people know that this is integral to your brand. New questionnaires and new additions to the line-up can each be material for social media efforts, blog posts, or newsletters.

As noted before, throwing dollars around for any available option is not the effective approach — instead you should concentrate on the channels that your current clients favor. Create the identity and display it where it will be seen by the people who need to know who you are. Although the ways brand value is measured can differ, there is little debate over the fact that your brand identity is crucial.

Whether your industry is in professional services, wholesale distribution, or even light manufacturing, you can take advantage of product diversification in order to boost your customer experience. Start with learning more from your loyal customers, then make sure what you'll be offering is a quality addition, and then make sure people know what you're doing and why. Diversification can help you craft exactly the right identity that resonates with your customer base.

And with robust yet affordable CRM tools, aACE 5 can help you coordinate information from your customers so you can make the strategic decisions that will foster your company growth. From mobile apps to cross-platform support, the functionality you need is available now. Learn more today.

"aACE will be a valuable asset for us for many years to come." ~ Kevin Richardson, Director of Operations and Finance, On Hold Co.

The threat of a tax audit might lurk in the mind of any sensible business owner. With states looking to address budget needs with more aggressive auditing, this possibility is becoming more and more likely. But help for avoiding this hazard is available in a free white paper.

The research was conducted by Avalara and Peisner Johnson & Company. They requested information from both Texas and California state governments. The Texas Department of Revenue provided data on sales and use tax audits from 1989—2016 (approximately 64,000 audits). The California State Board of Equalization Annual Report (2013—2014) provided details on the state’s sales and use tax audit revenue and supporting demographics.

An analysis of this data showed several important patterns:

• State auditors tend to focus attention on industries where past audits have shown tax discrepancies.
• The most commonly audited industries are retail, manufacturing, construction, wholesale/distribution, and food services.
• A third of the audits conducted focused on companies with headquarters outside of the state where the audit took place.
• One of the most common noncompliance issues that triggers an audit hinges on untaxed purchases from out-of-state vendors.
• Audit assessments from use tax not being paid came to an average total cost of more than $100,000.

Clearly, taking a little time to prevent an audit can be very valuable. And a good first step may be to get more information from the free white paper.

One of the most useful insights that Avalara offers on this issue is that the state government and the actual auditors are not the enemy. The real threat is risk. By targeting the business processes and procedures that could bring your business to an audit, you can prevent that audit. The regulations for sales tax are complex and variable though, so it may be worthwhile to gather support from experts.

To further secure your organization, you can integrate sales tax automation with your business operations software. aACE 5 offers the surety of a strong connection to AvaTax. The precision of GPS coordinates and the vigilance of continuously updated tax regulations can put your mind at ease. Learn more today.

"As a company, we had been through 3 previous versions of FileMaker software and we were looking for a system that was able to grow and change with us instead of just scraping an old system and starting fresh every few years. aACE is that system for us. As new challenges and demands arise, Michael and his team are able to adapt and customize our system to meet those needs." ~ Brittany Ulrich, Vice President, ASAP Event Advertising

Consultants can be a great source of business information. They work with multiple companies and see lots of projects go from start to completion. Drawing on this kind of background, Bob Blanchette and Steve Bieszczat have published a helpful article on the Manufacturing Business Technology website detailing the top 10 best practices for manufacturers to follow when implementing an ERP solution.

They point out how an Enterprise Resource Planning system, whether its a new solution or the evolution of your current solution, needs to revolve around the parts of your business that are growing most rapidly. This helps ensure the system will be situated to support profitable growth. That may be as you are extending a current product line, rolling out a new product, or pivoting to pursue a business model that takes advantage of new opportunities. Bob and Steve recommend viewing your ERP solution as a platform for delivering value to new and existing customers.

Describing things from that viewpoint, they recommend that any organization preparing to implement an ERP system must have an intentional focus. This includes clarity on the plan, the accountability, and the ownership. When you prepare the stage with a focused business objective, implementation expertise, and a fluent knowledge of your unique niche and other technologies, you can feel confident that your ERP deployment will be successful.

To help you prepare for an ERP implementation, Bob and Steve share these ten best practices that you can apply in your company:

1. List business goals supported by metrics - These productivity numbers map out how beneficial the ERP solution can be. They're vital for helping the people in your company understand the need and the opportunity at hand.
2. Describe current operations - A clear knowledge of your processes today will help you get the most value from the configuration options in the new system tomorrow.
3. Stage-gate process to manage customization requests - You should plan on some customization for your new ERP solution; however, success demands that you have person clearly assigned to as a filter to separate vital adaptations from the nice-to-have changes that can be tweaked after the initial roll-out is complete.
4. Leverage experienced partners - Each of the people on your team is an expert on part of your business; getting support from an expert on software deployment can pay back dividends later.
5. Track communications and change management - Change always stirs up some resistance, but sharing information about what is going to happen and why it will be valuable to the company can help pave the way for a smooth transition.
6. Promote power users as a resource - Identifying the people already on your team who can be a resource for others also helps integrate the new tool into the company. Maximize the benefit here with a reward or recognition program for those who are adding this additional value.
7. Celebrate successes - Highlighting the good work people are doing and the progressive benefits of the new system will sustain the energy needed for the changeover.
8. Plan for project evolution - Continuous improvement is the keyword here. From the stage-gate owner mentioned above, at the conclusion of the initial deployment you will likely have a list of additional functionality that can enhance your business operations further.
9. Focus your operations software - To balance out Best Practice #8, be sure to keep focused on the most valuable upgrades, based on the metrics you've gathered and the new numbers your ERP system will be able to provide.
10. Stay informed about new technologies - Industry 4.0, IIoT, and MES can all benefit a company, but they come with a cost of expense and complexity. Stay alert for opportunities to leverage these ongoing technology evolutions.

Bob and Steve wrap up by reiterating the idea that an ERP solution cannot be seen as a project that just ends one day. The ERP data will feed back into your processes and your refined processes will make certain data more valuable. This needs to be the long-term picture you paint for the implementation team, the executives, and the people on the shop floor. When your entire organization is on the same page of continuous improvement, you're well on your way to avoiding the pitfalls and securing the ROI that a new ERP system can bring.

With a robust yet affordable ERP solution, aACE 5 can also support your accounting and CRM needs. Beyond this vital core functionality, aACE 5 is integrated with inventory tracking, order management, production processes, and shipping/receiving. Our goal is to give you 360-degree visibility on your operations plus time-saving automation. We help companies focus on the high-value strategic aspects that lead to accelerated business velocity and growth.

"I had the pleasure of working with aACE Software in developing and implementing a customized FileMaker system for my company — a mid-size, creative services agency. We needed a strong project management system with the capability of measuring costs in real-time, which could replace our old, fragmented database system without losing any of the valuable data that was stored there. Before we even started, the aACE team spent a lot of time with our agency leaders: from IT, to project management teams, to financial services, to the company principle — making sure all agency functions would be fully supported by the new aACE system. What came out of this involved consultation was not only a great system, but also vast improvements to streamline our process." ~ Richelle Rothermich, Vice President & Managing Director, The O Group

By 2020, some predictions claim, the most important factor for standing out from the competition will not be your high quality product. It won't be advertising budget. It won't be low prices.

The key factor: customer experience.

What does that mean? According to Customer Experience Futurist Blake Morgan, it means that your customer's perception of your brand IS the reality of your brand. If they feel you offer everything they need, then you ARE the best company.

Daniel Newman provides even more support in his article on Forbes.com — Want Better Customer Experience? Combine CRM and Customer Feedback:

• 86% of buyers value a high-quality experience
• Finding new clients costs 6 times more than retaining current clients

So how do you get to the point of pleasing and retaining these customers? The short answer is customer feedback. Establish a company culture where listening to your clients happens continuously. Then get the information your staff gather to the people who need it.

For this aspect of the solution, your CRM system is the go-to resource. It's already designed to store and distribute and act on customer interactions. The bulk of Newman's article focuses on reasons why you should maximize use of your CRM in order to improve customer experience.

First, he touches on how data organization is a core feature of CRM tools. Each client record is an ideal gathering point for the insight that client shares with you. And additions to each growing relationship record can be routed to the right group in your organization. Whether it's a support issue, a comment on recent marketing efforts, or input about your website, the information can be directed to the people who can respond best.

Next, Newman discusses the trends and patterns that will help you make strategic choices for your business. It's hard for regular folks to process the amounts of data that will highlight these openings. But with some computer assistance, your staff can recognize where customers are leaning into your brand and where they're tilted away from you. Numbers are the easiest to crunch of course, but the spoken and written feedback can be just as important for a more clear understanding of why your customers are doing what they're doing.

Finally, the article concludes with a warning to not underestimate any client feedback. This goes back to the customer-centered culture you need to establish. Part of this mindset needs to be that even if the person who receives the feedback doesn't see the value, they still record it in the CRM system. Going farther, even if no one sees the value right now, the feedback might be useful to identify new projects or initiatives. In essence, clients who will tell you what they think are an invested think-tank for your company's long-term growth.

Whether you have an expensive CRM package, a home-grown solution, or if you're considering the best routes to upgrade your CRM tech, there's always a way to capture customer feedback. Taking advantage of that knowledge will help you improve customer experience and rise above your competition.

aACE 5 takes customer feedback seriously. Not only was our product developed based on this kind of user input, but it also features robust functionality for recording customer interactions — from anywhere in the system. Likewise, emails and attachments can be automatically linked to the relevant records. Your sales team can access these materials, as well as the goal setting, schedule planning, and quote preparation tools. All the facets of your complex relationships can be tracked in the aACE 5 CRM module. Learn more today.

"aACE Software helped us visualize our information in a way that we did not have available to us with our prior ERP/CRM system." ~ Daniel Peleg, Exec. VP of Operations and Business Development, Consumers' Choice Awards