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How to implement CRM on a remote site and win?

Successful people rush ahead, 
using the time that others waste.
Henry Ford

This article will not have a pathos, abstruse or playful introduction - only KDPV and a signature to it. They will say much more.


This photo was not chosen by chance. It is from the “24 Hours of Le Mans” race, the oldest endurance race, when drivers have to stay on the ring for 24 hours, relying only on the organisms of the pilot team, reliability and resource of the car (all actions and replacements in pit stops are extremely limited). The main task is to use all resources, from food and gasoline to tires and pads as rationally as possible in order to survive. We are now all a bit on our “24 hours of Le Mans,” only 24 hours and the struggle is not for the prize, but in fact for survival. 

When Russian reality fell into self-isolation, the mood was the most depressing: it was obvious that not only cafes and entertainment, but also most industries would die, because the economy was interdependent. Now there are glimmers of hope: companies have adapted to new realities, learned how to remotely work with products and customers, and the chains began to come to life. So, there were questions of resources: monetary, labor, intellectual. It is time for intensive care: optimization of processes and "point" effects.

One of the ways to optimize is the implementation of CRM systems and business automation tools. And since our RegionSoft team has helped clients in more than one crisis, we give help - how to do it all correctly. Use it. 

What is implementation?


When a small business decides to implement a CRM system, it usually imagines it as "registering for a service, getting started." Numerous CRM resellers significantly heat up this tactic, but they are not particularly capable of persuading them to buy a subscription (like, for example, a partner of a well-known CRM whose main activity is a fitness stretching studio?). Largely because of such user expectations, the CRM market receives failed projects, after which companies are not ready to return to another CRM. This is a sad and costly experience that strikes the spirit of the company and the attitude of employees to management.

Implementation is the process of selecting, purchasing and commissioning a CRM system, and precisely the one that meets the requirements of the company and is able to solve the problems of operational and analytical activities. 

We had an article on CRM implementation with a detailed scheme, which you can take as a basis. But remote work makes its own adjustments to it, and we will go through them. So the diagram:


* already 14 years :-)

This is the most detailed case of implementation. In fact, in most cases, some stages of implementation fall out in their entirety, combine, or greatly simplify. It depends on the size of the company, on the level of organization of business processes and even on external conditions - this is exactly the situation in small and medium-sized businesses.  

Why do companies need CRM right now?


CRM is not a self-assembled tablecloth for your sales and not a magic wand (but I would like to!). This is a cool tool in the company's technological stack or even its technological foundation. According to studies, companies that complete the implementation successfully receive a ROI of $ 8 for every $ 1 invested in a CRM system and CRM strategy.

In principle, companies without CRM always worked less productively than automated competitors, but somehow managed. Now the team is very fragmented and not a single MS Excel file can be such an important factor of centralized management and operational work as CRM.

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So how to implement


Teamwork and requirements collection


We combine the internal preparation for working with software and the collection of requirements in one point. Let's see how to organize this process.

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So, you have a vision of the processes, there are requirements from employees and an understanding of what tasks the CRM system should solve and close. This means that you can safely proceed to the full testing and analysis of CRM systems. 

By the way, be sure to discuss the requirements with the managers of the CRM development company. They will tell you how the necessary items are implemented in the system, where exactly to look and how everything is easier to implement. After communicating with the vendor, you will no longer blindly poke at the system interfaces, but you will be able to choose consciously.

Software selection


You can choose a CRM system only after studying the demo version and communicating with the vendor. But there are a few general tips that you need to consider, especially at a time when the investment in implementing CRM is taken from a crisis budget.

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  • Do not strive to choose CRM by coolness, name or the most expensive price - choose the supplier who has been working in your business segment for a long time.

Actually implementation


Implementing CRM is a lengthy process that continues after you start working in it. It includes tuning, filling data, training, improvements and so on. Therefore, you do not need to strive to complete everything and only after that start working. No, especially on a remote site it is better to start as quickly as possible. Therefore, use a simple algorithm: they started working, deep learning and settings - in parallel.

The distribution of deployment tasks looks something like this:

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The period of self-isolation is good because the company has more time for measured and high-quality training of employees. In principle, this is generally the best option, because everyone learns a new program for his PC and in a comfortable mode without nervous jerks and the desire to work faster than the manager Vasya, who fumbles in computers and therefore masters CRM by one or two.

Training should take place in all areas: training for the vendor (developer company), training within the company, studying manuals for the CRM system, and actually mastering the interface in the process of working with the system.

It is quite effective and rational to train first department heads and the most involved users so that they can transfer knowledge to other employees and become centers of competence in the company. The main thing is not just to learn how to handle CRM - be sure to ask managers to develop a strategy for how they will train employees, how they will form a knowledge base and work with questions and appeals.

And remember: in the company, everyone has different abilities to learn and perceive new information. No need to put pressure on employees, to threaten and punish - try to develop a special approach to everyone. This is much more fruitful than just having a couple of webinars at all. Poor training is perhaps the main factor in the boycott of CRM by employees.

What about RegionSoft?


We have been repeatedly criticized that we talk a lot about CRM systems and implementations, but not much about what is inside RegionSoft CRM. Well, corrected.

In RegionSoft CRM has everything for effective work both in the office and in remote, distributed team.

  • Managing clients, transactions, leads - you can collect the maximum information about the client in the client’s informative card (well, or disable the extra parameters of the card and enter the minimum necessary for your activity).
  • More than 120 reports, including a custom sales funnel - the head and managers themselves can view any sections for analysis to make decisions.
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 Our customers are located in different cities of Russia, near and far abroad. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of implementations to our clients we carry out remotely - we have perfectly debugged the process of remote consulting, presenting CRM to potential clients, implementation, coordination of TK, training and technical support. Therefore, working in remote mode for us has been the norm for many years. We are happy to teach you how to work remotely. ;-)

Methods of remote work in RegionSoft CRM - technical aspect


System RegionSoft CRM supports the ability to remotely work users through the Internet. This is just suitable for companies that have several offices at different points, and for everyone who is forced to constantly or temporarily switch to remote work. At the same time, all departments and employees work centrally within the same information system - all data is stored in one place and reliably protected by all information security tools that are provided for in RegionSoft CRM.

There are 2 ways to work remotely:

  • terminal mode;
  • connection through the DBMS port.

Both methods support online work, i.e. allow you to access the central information database located on a remote computer in real time.

Method 1: Terminal mode (recommended method)



Terminal mode is a connection to a central computer using RDP (Remote Desktop Management) technology. To date, this method is the safest and most convenient. Both the server and the workstation located remotely from each other should be connected to the Internet with a recommended stable channel of at least 512 kbit / s. CRM on the user's PC makes a connection to the server using the RDP protocol (using the Remote Desktop utility, or its analogue), the system is launched on the server side, or using RemoteApp technology. Further, full-fledged work is carried out online. The remote user is given full access to all the features of the system.

The RDP protocol that RegionSoft CRM supports is based on thin client technology. The advantage of the technology is that during the work, the application is launched and all data operations are performed on the server side, which significantly reduces the load on the data transmission channel. In this mode, huge amounts of data can be processed with minimal load on the channel and the remote workstation. When connected, users are authorized by the operating system, which ensures proper security.

As a means to build a terminal mode of operation, different technologies can be used. However, the most high-quality solution, as well as a solution that allows you to ensure the proper level of security, is considered to be Microsoft Terminal Services, which is included with the Microsoft Windows Server operating system from Microsoft Corporation.

Currently, more than 90% of RegionSoft CRM clients with remote units or employees successfully use the terminal connection method. And it is he who is now in absolute priority with our new customers who are introducing CRM in the "era of self-isolation." 

Method 2: Connect through the DBMS port


Connection through the DBMS port is an alternative option for remote connection to a central database. This uses direct access to the Firebird port from a remote station. The data that the remote user is working with is transmitted to the client side and processed there. Therefore, this method of remote connection is more demanding on the speed and stability of the Internet channel.

Both the server and the workstation located remotely from each other should be connected to the Internet with a recommended stable channel of at least 1 Mb / s. In the settings for connecting to the database from the workstation, you must specify the static IP address of the database server and the DBMS port, for example, "192.168.0.122/3059". No other utilities are required. CRM system runs on a remote workstation.

Work is carried out online. The remote user is given full access to all the features of the system.

The disadvantage of this method is the reduced security of the connection and the long download time of the data at a low connection speed and an unstable Internet channel.

Remote Connect Devices


The terminal method of remote connection can be carried out from the following devices:

  • personal computers running Windows, MacOS, Linux;
  • tablets and smartphones running Android, iOS, Windows; any other devices that support the RDP protocol, including modern TVs with SmartTV technology.

With the method of remote connection through the DBMS port, the following devices can be used:

  • personal computers running Windows, Mac OS, Linux.

Note: For terminal and remote operating modes, as well as work related to the use of virtualization technologies, the purchase of a special RegionSoft CRM license with the prefix “Terminal & Remote & Mobile Access (TRM)” is required. 


2020 began for companies is very strange. In addition to all the other troubles with turnover and cash flow, you are left alone with your business. Now there are no trainers, outsourcers, coaches and other invited business Varangians, there are no offices and division into open spaces. There is an alliance of equals, sitting in front of the monitor with a cat at hand and boiling tea in the kitchen. The leader is the first among equals, the one whom everyone looks at and is guided by: hard workers, lazy people and those who decided to leave, but haven’t voiced it yet ...

The decision to implement CRM- care about business, about the company, about employees and about the very near future. Change your mindset with the CRM system and overtake competitors who will recover in the fog after these truly scary months. Take responsibility for a new strategic business approach that integrates technology, processes, employees, analytics and puts customers at the center of the business. With this approach, customers will appreciate the flexibility and stability of your company and will cost you money. And for business, they are now needed as blood - and not even in a metaphorical sense, but in the most direct.

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