Where did it wait?
Note when the request arrived, when ownership changed, and when the next person could act. Separate time spent waiting for information from time spent doing the work.
Workshop notes / CRM integrations
For multi-location service teams
Make the next handoff easier to evaluate.
When a service request moves between locations, the important details can travel through several systems and several hands. Map that journey before deciding what your CRM needs to connect.
01
Start with one real request. Ask each person involved what they received, what they changed, and where they looked next.
Explore the workflow exercise →01 / Observe
Bring a location lead, a frontline team member, and someone familiar with the systems to the same discussion.
Measure the journey, not just the record.
Choose a recent service request that crossed a location boundary. Reconstruct it from intake to resolution. Capture what actually happened, including work done outside the CRM.
What had to be found again?
List the details people copied, searched for, or requested twice. Check whether the receiving location had the context needed to continue without another call.
Who knew it was theirs?
Record how the handoff was signaled and how acceptance was confirmed. Look for requests with no clear owner or conflicting location assignments.
02 / Map
Draw the path a request takes.
Use four columns on a shared page. For each step, write the person responsible, the system they use, the information they need, and the event that starts the next step.
Request arrives
Where is it captured? Identify the source and the minimum details needed to route it.
Location is chosen
Who assigns the request? Note the rule they use and when a person must make the call.
Work is accepted
What reaches the receiving team, and how do others know someone has taken ownership?
Status returns
Where is progress recorded? Identify which teams need to see a change and why.
Mark the exception in the margin.
Try a request sent to the wrong location. Who corrects it, what happens to the original assignment, and which record should show the current owner? Document the recovery path as carefully as the usual one.
03 / Challenge
Turn the map into questions for any CRM or integration you are considering.
Interrogate the connection points.
A connection between systems is not the same as a complete workflow. Walk through your example with a vendor or technical owner and ask to see how each assumption would be handled.
Which details move, and in which direction?
Compare the fields on both sides. Ask whether updates flow one way or both ways, which system is authoritative, and how location identifiers are matched.
What triggers an update?
Discuss whether a change is sent on an event, on a schedule, or through a manual action. Check whether that timing fits the receiving team’s work.
What happens when the transfer fails?
Ask how a failure is made visible, who investigates it, and how a missed update can be corrected without creating duplicate work.
Who can see and change the record?
Explore how access can be scoped across locations and whether shared teams can find the context they need while responsibilities remain clear.
Take the notes forward
Leave with a question list, not a wishlist.
Circle the handoffs where missing information, unclear ownership, or delayed updates matter most. For each one, write an example and a question that a potential CRM integration must help you investigate.
Keep unresolved assumptions visible. Agree who will validate each one and revisit the map with the people who do the work at each location.
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