Cofossal and Harmonious

The Colossal patio door system,s 6'8" or 8' height option and up to L6, width availability allows for a visually extended living space and a panoramic view Choose from two, three or fourpanel configurations and customize placement of fixed and sliding panels to best suit your space and home interior. Or choose the sleek, modern Harmony patio door, available with a welded sash and a frame system that's fully welded or mechanically joined. Go Colossal and bold or enjoy your view with Harmony.

ty driven by growth. Unfortunatelv. there are a lot of hidden costs buried in these processes. Most can't be reported against and they tend to be inefficient and labor intensive. Worst of all, the data may reside on the hard drives of individuals or in filing cabi_ nets.

CRM can be used to manage just about any process in a centralized way that allows for processes that can be tracked, reported against, and opti_ mized (so people can be productive). Basic rule of thumb: if you're tracking a lot of things on spreadsheets, you need CRM.

Q: nriuing sales seems to be at the heart of how CRM systems are promoted. Are there any non-sales_ related benefits?

A: Si-itur to the previous question, it's about processes ancl optimiz_ ing them to drive out cost. CRM is rarely promoted for this purpose. For example, I have seen companies that would have a hard time identifying how much money they may be owea by vendors for out-of-spec material that is in some unknown phase of "return," or how much monev thev have access to for co-op marketing funds, let alone what has been spenl against that balance. Money is consis_ tently left on the table everv vear. A centralized, reportable p.oi"r, on u CRM platform can help identify pockets of unnecessary cost and auto_ matically alert management when financial opportunities are beins missed.

Q: nny tips for having a successful CRM implementation?

A: nngage a team made up of sales. marketing and I.T. leadeis to run the project, treat it with the seri_ ousness of an ERP implementation, engage a third party that understands your business for guidance, adapt the system to the everyday users, and make usage mandatory.

T ike any other change, leadership and strategy make the difference.

- Scott Thomas is the owner of ldte Tools Corp., specia!izing in CRM imple_ mentations. He has l7 years of experience in the building materials industry and I0 years experience working with CRM sys_ rems. Reach hin at 19191 455-59g7 or s c o tt.t homas @ idleto o Is c orp.com.