Managing change in the context of an international CRM project

The study aimed to empirically investigate which factors should be considered in the implementation of change in connection with an international CRM system project. The purpose of the study was to map and make visible the factors identified as challenging in the shift related to the CRM project. These are the factors the target company sales organization should invest in with its change leadership. An essential part of the study involves making recommendations to be used during change. The study was conducted using the case study method. A qualitative research method was used to collect the material of the case under investigation. A total of eighteen target companies’ sales organization members globally were interviewed, six regions considered. The study focused on three sales organisation levels: strategic sales management, operational sales management, and salespeople. A comprehensive and adequate cross-section of the sales organization was sought through three different levels. The research material was collected through semi-structured thematic interviews, then interpreted and analyzed. The empirical research showed that previous models and theories were entirely valid for the most part and can be used to create guidelines for a major change in the CRM context. The importance of communication was explored in theory, as well as in the empirical part. Therefore the importance of communication as a result of the study is significant. In addition to communication, it is essential to provide users with additional tailored training. The most crucial training tasks related to the CRM system and its features are removing the tension and misunderstanding associated with the new system and the related change. The results also showed that long-term success in promoting change required the system to be fully integrated with the sales organization business processes. The technical solutions and implementations of the CRM system should fully support the needs of the sales organization. System features should not conflict with business processes. A CRM system should support and facilitate the daily activities of users in both an operational but also an analytical sens