Dashboards are the current rage in the CRM space. If your CRM system doesn’t have them, you want them. You probably want them so badly that you’re willing to go through an entire implementation just to get them. So why can’t you simply run a report? Why are Dashboards so important? It’s not about 3-D charts and cool color combinations.
1) First and foremost, Dashboards are dynamic. In environments where data is constantly being updated your Dashboards are providing real time intelligence.
2) Dashboards often have easily adjustable options, allowing for quick, investigative views of your data.
3) Additionally, Dashboards have a wonderful side benefit: To access them you have to access your CRM system, actually log in and use the interface. This exhibits to the entire organization that management has bought into the CRM concept. When management uses the system, the rest of the organization is much more likely to do the same. This isn’t a theory, it’s a fact.
One caution with Dashboards. Be selective when deciding who in your organization can create and/or modify Dashboards. You’ll find that the technology-savvy users will spend more time creating and managing Dashboards than putting data into the CRM system. Remember, Dashboards are only as effective as the underlying data. And that crucial data does not get there magically. It’s a good idea to contact a CRM consulting firm – they can show you CRM Dashboards suited to your Industry and give you tips on Dashboard design and data connectivity.
Enjoy your CRM system, and those real-time, informative (and very cool-looking) Dashboards!
by Core Solutions, Massachusetts Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner
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Anne Miller
Good warning. You don’t usually hear about things to be careful about when it comes to dashboard projects. What about the problem of people who don’t know their data creating dashboards that tell the wrong story or make errors in key metric calculations?