Blesma: How to manage a CRM implementation with tight deadlines
From legacy system and manual processes to automation and clear reporting, the project team at Blesma and Cygnet share all their top tips from moving to Beacon CRM.
Previous CRM
Custom
Timeline
25 weeks
Number of records
4,500
Number of users
59
The Challenge:
Blesma have been working hard since 1932 to support Limbless Veterans, by providing life-changing grants and services. Until now they have been managing all of the administration for this using a bespoke, legacy system. Though the system did a lot of what they needed, they found they had pushed it to it's limits and they were ready for something new. They were finding that their existing system didn't have the capacity for their growing data volumes, and a lot of supplementary admin needed to happen in order to achieve what was needed.
The Solution:
Having chosen Beacon CRM as their replacement for managing Grants, Memberships and Events the Blesma team came to Cygnet with a deadline of six months to have everything up and running. A week ahead of schedule, all teams were onboarded to the new CRM and six months post-go live we're happy to say that the project goals have been met. As the team were going to be making use of Beacon's core functionality, with little need for custom development the focus of the project was around ensuring the tight deadlines still provided strong long-term user adoption.
We made some radical changes to the grants process during the project, but it's been revolutionary. We've simplified how grants are processed and made some real time savings.
Tony Bloomfield, Blesma Project Lead
Highlights and Outcomes
Transparent reporting
Where previously reports were available only to certain team members, and required lots of tweaking to be useful, live reports can now be accessed with the click of a button to all those who need them.
Data issues mitigated early
The Cygnet data analysts got to work reviewing Blesma's data straight away, and were able to spot some issues that could have caused delays had they not been found till later on in the project.
Alignment between teams
With users now able to get to their reports and share easily with team members, the team at Blesma have reported a far more harmonious way of working, and a greater understanding of each other's roles.
Top tips from Blesma
Be realistic about what you really need. It's easy to get sidelined by what a system can do, and forget what your original objectives were.
Form a working group early. This will help you to make sure everyone's perspectives are considered, and support adoption down the line.
Expect a bit of pain, but know it's all worth it. There will be roadblocks, but there's always a way forward with communication.
Our deadlines were really tight, and Cygnet understood this and our mindset as an organisation. They were helpful, always available and were able to communicate well with our database team and end users.
Tony Bloomfield, Blesma Project Lead
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