"Our CRM is incomplete and nobody trusts it"
Lemur Media · author: Dominik Dębski · updated 28.10.2026
A CRM stops being reliable when sales reps get nothing out of it and data is entered only under reporting pressure. The solution is to limit mandatory fields to those that support decisions, capture activity automatically and run pipeline reviews solely on CRM data, with a single system owner in the Revenue Operations (RevOps) team.
What are the symptoms?
- The board gets pipeline data from sales reps' spreadsheets, and the CRM serves as a contact archive.
- Some opportunities have a close date in the past or no value.
- The same companies appear in the CRM multiple times under different names.
- Sales reps update data en masse before every pipeline review.
What are the causes?
- 01A system for reportingThe CRM requires many fields that only the board uses, and sales reps get no information in return that helps them sell.
- 02No ownerConfiguration is handled by the vendor or IT, and nobody is responsible for data quality and working rules.
- 03Parallel toolsSpreadsheets, email and messaging apps are more convenient, so customer information is created outside the system.
| Headcount | Typical picture |
|---|---|
| 50–249 employees | The CRM was implemented several years ago, and its configuration has not kept pace with changes to the offer and the team. |
| 250–999 employees | Different departments and companies use different systems or instances, and customer data does not connect. |
What questions should the board ask?
- Which board decisions are made today on the basis of CRM data?
- Who is responsible for CRM configuration and the quality of its data?
- How many fields must a sales rep complete to create an opportunity and take it through the pipeline?
Which metrics should you check?
- Share of open opportunities with complete fields: value, stage, close date, next step
- Share of opportunities with a close date in the past
- Number of duplicate company and contact records
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Replacing the CRM in the hope that a new tool will change how people work.
- Adding mandatory fields and reports without checking who uses them.
How does the solution work?
Methods: B2B sales system + Data Value Chain. Lemur Compass sets the sequence of actions based on the company's growth phase, scale, business model and profitability.
- 01Data and usage auditCompleteness, duplicates, unused fields and how sales reps actually work.
- 02Minimum data modelMandatory fields limited to those that feed the forecast, the pipeline review and customer analysis.
- 03Activity automationEmail and calendar integration, and removal of manual data entry wherever possible.
- 04Cadence and ownerPipeline reviews run solely on CRM data, and one person responsible for the system.
Where should you start?
Audit of the CRM and the sales team's working rules (2 weeks).