Gamification is an emerging trend which essentially involves applying gaming mechanics to non-gaming applications. The prime objective of Gamification is to make mundane and routine tasks more exciting, engaging and enjoyable experience.

Gamification strategies can be applied to any industry and implemented in any application, experts see enormous potential in gaming mechanics, for instance Gartner believes that 70% of the Fortune 2000 companies will have implemented a Gamification application by 2014.

There are numerous potential applications of Gamification across all business processes. When intimidating business processes are well “gamified”, organizations can see positive results such as boosts in sales; happy and satisfied customers.

It’s a known fact that CRM applications have immense benefits, however studies reveal that a significant chunk of failed CRM implementations are caused due to lack of user adoption. Internal sales force may be forced to use the system, however a halfhearted approach lacking inspiration doesn’t lead to the most optimum use of the CRM.

CRM systems have begun incorporating addictive Gamification elements to inspire and motivate employees, recognize their accomplishments, improve their performance and maximize returns. Innovative gamification techniques such as activity streams, contests, badges, points, prizes, awards, real-time leaderboards, progress bards help promote CRM adoption. Work becomes play, users become players, and the players are rewarded for their achievements.

While rewards and recognition have positive psychological impact, the technique inculcates a healthy competition amongst co-workers, showing them their strengths and the areas they could improve upon.

To gamify business processes, organizations must have well-defined goals for users, metrics to track their progress, and reward the work-force when goals are met. The goals could be as simple as doing certain things in the CRM such as creating and maintaining records, logging events, completing tasks, creating new opportunities and progressing existing ones. Well-defined goals could be based on closing sales with criteria around deal size, for certain accounts, or with certain products. For example, each sales lead converted to a deal with a value > $10,000 earns 10 points.

The following CRM applications have built-in gamification capabilities –

Zurmo, an Open Source CRM
Zurmo utilizes Gamification to engage with CRM users and encourage better communication, time management,data stewardship, and other best practices related to customer facing processes.

Zurmo makes CRM more engaging in which users can earn points, collect badges, and compete against co-workers while getting the job done.

Badges are awarded to users for their achievements; badges can be awarded for converting sales leads to account or for doing something new for the first time such as logging into the CRM late at night. Every new badge earned is displayed in the user’s profile.

Zurmo mission is a new Gamification concept wherein co-workers challenge one another in exchange for a reward. Missions encourage people to collaborate across multiple departments in a creative way.

Zurmo has actually reported a surge in demand for its gamified CRM, the demand has doubled in first quarter of 2013. Zurmo management attributes much of this growth to increased interests in Gamification.

Compete by LevelEleven
Compete, the sales contest builder, is an add-on for Salesforce CRM that helps in defining competitions, essentially a set of rules and actions to reward users for increased Salesforce usage such as closing cases, creating opportunities, using chatter etc. Real-time leaderboards of sales competitions help in motivating sales teams. Sales personnel know their current stand and remain motivated to keep going upwards in the leaderboard!

LevelEleven, the startup behind Compete has recently received seed funding of $500K to continue on its endeavors of gamification and in motivating sales people all over the world.

CRMGamified add-on for Microsoft CRM
CRMGamified, the Gamification add-on to Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The game mechanics includes badges, leaderboards, levels, real-time feedback, mobile client, social interactions. Managers can use this tool to automatically reward sales force, marketing and customer support teams for recording their activity in the system, like closing opportunities, qualifying leads or achieving a sales quota. The ‘news page’ helps users stay updated with what’sgoing on within their team, comment on others achievements and see their own progress.

If you know of other CRM’s applying gamification, please drop us a note below. We’d be keen to hear!