Inova Health System knew it needed to implement a CRM program to better track interactions between it customers, patients and health care providers. But it also knew that the users of its new CRM system were likely to resist the move.

"CRM fundamentally changes the way we build relationships with our customers and patients, so it&singlequot;s not surprising that CRM met some resistance,” said Erin Styles, CRM operations manager at Inova. “For example, contacting fewer people to get better results is a hard concept to grasp at first.”

To overcome this resistance, Styles and her team decided to focus on training when they adopted their CRM system, which they purchased from CPM Marketing Group. The team developed some innovative tools aimed at simplifying and clarifying the concepts and steps of CRM.

“The tools remove some of the anxiety,” Styles said. “Ultimately, the staff needs to be given ownership and accountability for CRM, and this is a way to make sure they take that on willingly.”

The first step was to make sure that everyone in Inova who would be using the CRM system -- from marketing directors, strategic planners and account managers to Web and call center personnel -- attended training. Styles said that full upper management support aided that step.

The training sessions themselves focused primarily on learning about the CRM process, developing a CRM marketing strategy, running simple queries and reports with analytical software, and measuring return on investment (ROI). By focusing on real-world tasks, the training was able to prove to the users the value of the system, she said.

Styles also developed both a CRM User Guide and a CRM Tools for Organization implementation program. The User Guide is a hands-on resource that includes everything from case studies and HIPAA policy to CRM nuts and bolts explanations, Styles said. The CRM Tools are a series of programs that include the User Guide, internal CRM news via e-mail, Web seminars, guest speakers and strategy training.

"These tools have significantly aided the adoption of our CRM system," Styles said. "They have helped the staff gain knowledge and a comfort factor regarding our new methods of marketing."

In fact, Inova has already reaped success from its CRM implementation. After a recent 12-month-long obstetrics campaign, which used the CRM system’s planning and campaign management features, Inova was able to achieve its goal of increased volume with 45 new patients and more than $2.6 million in generated charges.