Dennis Gingrich, sales and finance director at The Niello Company, makes no bones about his direct and daring approach to ensure that the dealer group’s customer experience is top notch.
Gingrich’s decision to change customer relationship management (CRM) systems across its 10 stores during peak season, including the decision process and implementation strategy, is a prime example of that fact.
Making the shift: “After listening to our team—from the salespeople to the sales managers and just really taking all the feedback about some of the things that I expected out of the team and some of their challenges, it just became clear that a move was in the best interest of The Niello Company to deliver that experience,” Gingrich tells Daily Dealer Live Hosts Sam D’Ar and Uli de’ Martino.
The need for more consistency was a key factor in The Niello Company’s CRM system change.
“I didn't want my customers to see me call from one number and text to another. I think it's a terrible user experience—and I want all of that phone call and text communication to be easily visible not only for the customer but for our sales professionals.”
Weeks into the transition, The Niello Company is getting some great results.
Setting expectations: It all starts with the vendor selection process and engaging with their support team before an actual deal is in place, explained Gingrich.
“You can't do epic shit with basic people,” he said.
The Niello Company is upfront about the type of relationships they expect from their vendor partners.
“I am very clear and I'm going to quote myself, appropriate or not, we are needy bitches at the Niello Company. If I'm going to pay for a tool, I want to use that tool to its utmost capacity.”
Knowing a vendor partner’s tech limitations is also important, said Gingrich. “There is no such thing as the perfect tool. Everything has its shortcomings…It is what it is.”
Between the lines: Team buy-in is just as critical as the vendor partner to the success of a CRM system, especially when transitioning from one vendor to another.
“We have…some people that have been using our prior CRM for a long time—and old habits…die hard regardless of industry,” he explained.
Putting in the work: To overcome some of these challenges associated with switching tech, The Niello Company pushes its staff to get involved in the training early on, “burn the boats” on the previous platform, and avoid bad habits like not having the camera on during online training sessions.
Gingrich also encourages team members to click around the new system or website, putting safeguards in the settings to ensure that the intended operational elements remain intact.
“At the end of the day, if it doesn't take The Niello Company where we want it to go, that's on me. That's not on my guys—but I really need a good two weeks of real raw engagement and owning it,” he said.
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