Why Training Determines Adoption6 min read
Most organisations don’t fail at CRM because of technology. They fail because people never fully understand why the system exists, how it fits into their world, and what it enables them to do differently.
Training is the bridge between intention and impact. It is the moment where a CRM system stops being software and starts becoming a way of working.
There are two primary models of CRM training: End-User Training and Train-the-Trainer training.
End-User Training
End-user training is where the people who built and implemented the CRM train the people who will use it every day. This is training delivered straight from the source.
The advantage of end-user training is clarity. The trainers understand the CRM platform profoundly. Its intent, its nuances, and the trade-offs behind every design decision. They know not just what the system does, but why it does it that way. So, when questions arise, they are the best equipped to answer with confidence and context. They can explain benefits, not just buttons.
The challenge of this method, however, is language. External trainers don’t live inside the client’s business. They don’t naturally speak the internal shorthand, the in-house jargon, or the unspoken assumptions that shape how work really gets done. Even the best product expert can feel like an outsider, and this creates a gap between the trainer and the user.
To try and overcome this gap, the person chosen to be the trainer will be someone who has built the platform and has been involved in its development and rollout. This user will have been the most immersed in the business and so they may have picked up some of the nuances of the business.
Train-The-Trainer
Here, the client identifies one or more users to be internal trainers, or to form an internal training team, who are trained by the implementation team first. They, in turn, train the wider user base. This is more likely to occur in larger organisations because they have the resources to have a dedicated training team.
The advantage of this model is that internal trainers already have an established relationship with end users. They speak the same language, so they understand how customers are discussed, how processes actually run, and which shortcuts matter.
That shared context accelerates learning. Knowledge transfers faster when people don’t have to translate it first. The challenge of this method is that, while these trainers understand the language of the business, they may not understand the language of the CRM system as deeply.
The key to effective train-the-trainer training is investment. Internal trainers must be brought into the process early, usually during user testing, so they have time to acclimatise, explore, and truly understand the platform before standing in front of others.
What Makes an Effective Trainer
Technology doesn’t teach. People do.
A great CRM trainer brings two forms of knowledge together:
- Deep product knowledge – how the platform works, why it behaves as it does, and what’s possible within it.
- Business process understanding – how the organisation operates, and how the system supports real-world workflows.
When a trainer truly understands either side deeply, learning becomes smoother and more readily accepted by the end user. When they understand both, learning becomes transformational. Great trainers also bring a sense of humanity. They recognise that adapting to a new platform can be unsettling. Change introduces uncertainty.
Experienced trainers have seen this before. They’ve been asked the same questions many times, and that repetition breeds compassion and understanding. So these trainers are the best suited to helping users get through the process and overcome their fears.
When learning feels safe, adoption follows.
The Structure of Effective Training
Most training fails not because it’s wrong but because it’s rushed. Effective CRM training follows a deliberate progression.
Step One: Build the Foundation
- Before teaching people what to do, help them understand what they’re working with. Start with the background of the platform; explain its structure, its purpose, and its logic.
Step Two: Teach Navigation, Not Tasks
- Next, focus on navigation. Not business processes.
- CRM platforms are built with repeating layouts and consistent functionality. When users learn generally how records work, how data is populated, and how the interface behaves, unfamiliar screens stop being barriers.
- Confidence comes from familiarity.
Step Three: Apply to Real Work
- Only then should training move into day-to-day business processes.
- This is where learning becomes practical. If you want this outcome, these are the steps.
The Importance of Rhythm in Training
People have an absorption limit. New platforms introduce new language, new concepts, and new habits. Overloading a single session doesn’t accelerate adoption, it delays it. The most effective training programs don’t deliver everything in one session. They follow up. Short refresher sessions, as brief as 15 minutes, delivered frequently at first, then gradually spaced out, are the best way to ensure high adoption rates.
High frequency and low volume over an early period is the optimal training structure. This rhythm helps users retain knowledge, practice key actions, and ask questions early, before confusion becomes avoidance. Optimisation reviews consistently reveal the same insight that lighter training spread over a longer period leads to better adoption.
Why Training is Not Optional
When organisations look back at CRM implementations, the same lesson appears again and again: We should have trained more.
Yet, training is often the first thing reduced when budgets tighten or timelines compress. This leads to low adoption, inefficient processes, and users spending more time than necessary on tasks because they don’t know the system’s smaller tools.
Refresher sessions become critical moments. They give users permission to say, “I can’t do that yet.” Users can express their fears and questions without embarrassment. And when people feel heard, they engage.
Training isn’t about transferring knowledge. It’s about building belief. Belief that the system exists to help. Belief that they can master it. Belief that change is worth it.
When organisations invest in training, they don’t just improve CRM usage. They align people with purpose. And that is where real adoption begins.
Share On Social Media
Join Our Mailing List
Get the latest Dynamics 365 news, blog updates, webinars events and invitations.