When I was brought into a fast-growing software company to build a customer success function, the first thing I did was read support tickets. Hundreds of them. I wanted to understand why customers were getting in touch. What I found wasn’t a customer success problem. There were no measured response-time targets, follow-ups were diaried inconsistently,
Before You Add AI, Fix the Basics Read More »
AI inside your CRM is the headline feature of almost every demo in 2026. It promises a lot: lead scoring, deal predictions, follow-up emails written for you, meeting summaries, and pipeline forecasts that sound impressively certain. It does sound amazing. But there’s a part that rarely gets said out loud. AI is only as smart
AI Is Only as Good as the Data Inside Your CRM Read More »
How many systems does your team use every day? For most businesses, it’s a long list: a CRM, an ERP, accounting software, a project management tool, marketing platforms, and usually a few spreadsheets holding everything together. Having multiple systems isn’t the problem. The problem starts when those systems don’t talk to each other. When systems
Your Business Systems Should Work as One Brain Read More »
There’s a mistake we see in a lot of CRM implementations. The system goes live. The vendor runs a one-hour training session (maybe two). Everyone nods along, everyone gets a PDF, and then everyone goes back to their desk and forgets most of it by Friday. Six months later, adoption is patchy, the data’s a
Why “We’ll Train Everyone on the New System” Almost Always Fails Read More »
Quick question: who within your business actually owns your CRM? It’s a simple question, but it catches many organisations off guard. Ownership is not the same as usage, and it is not the person who helped set the system up in the past. It means having a named person who is accountable for keeping the
Who Actually Owns Your CRM? Read More »
You’ve decided to implement a new CRM. Or an ERP. Or another core business system. The vendor assigns a project manager. They seem organised. They send timelines and Gantt charts. They run weekly stand-ups. So you’re sorted, right? Hrm… not quite. The vendor PM is not on your side of the table Here’s the part
Why Every CRM Project Needs a Client-Side Project Manager Read More »
This might sound controversial: Most businesses are buying AI, CRM and ERP the wrong way around. They start with the software. They pick the brand. They sign the contract. Then they try to figure out how it’s going to work inside their business. And three years later they’re frustrated, the team isn’t using it properly,
Stop Buying Software – Start Buying Business Outcomes Read More »
Natalie Cooke of ncco recently served on the independent judging panel for the 2026 CRMmys – the practitioner-judged awards programme recognising excellence in CRM software. What makes the CRMmys particularly valuable is the integrity of the process. Scoring is completed independently against published criteria, with no commercial input. In a market where “best CRM” lists
Natalie joins the independent judging panel for the 2026 CRMmys Read More »
Most businesses think a CRM or ERP project starts the day they sign a vendor contract. Spoiler Alert! It doesn’t. In reality, the outcome is decided months earlier – in the work you do before you choose a system. That pre-selection phase is where clarity is created (or where costly assumptions creep in). And it’s
The #1 Mistake Businesses Make with CRM Projects Read More »
10 years! An entire decade since I launched my first website in May 2016. Looking back, I couldn’t have imagined where that road would take me. What started as a solo consultant’s vision has evolved into a trusted strategic partnership for businesses navigating digital transformation and CRM implementation. Opening our Boxworks office in 2017 marked
A Decade of Transformation Read More »