For gamification success with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, focus on results

In recent years, an interesting trend has emerged in the implementation of business applications-the focus on driving user adoption by building in game-like mechanisms to make business systems, well, more fun.

Gamification provides a strategy for measuring, rewarding, and encouraging user engagement.  With gamification, users of the business application accumulate points, badges, levels, or other rewards for taking certain actions in the system.

For those leading an implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, measurement of user engagement has always been an extremely valuable factor in identifying areas where users may need assistance or training to successfully adopt the new system. Successful gamification strategies may drive more consistent data input to managers, helping them make business decisions as they roll out a new system or feature. 

Gamification can also help users understand where they stand in relationship to their peers, making transparency a tool for onboarding new employees and introducing competition to keep teams motivated. When new employees see how others are performing, such as number of interactions with the customer per day, week or month, it helps them set their own short-term goals for getting up to speed.

Solutions providing the gamification experience for Microsoft Dynamics CRM include CRM Gamified, by UruIT; The Game, developed by Gap Consulting and available on Codeplex; and a solution developed by Wave Access.  CRM Gamified is the most costly solution but also the most refined and enterprise-ready, especially with the custom dashboard that integrates leaderboards and social.  Both The ...