CRM Software Blog» Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com Microsoft CRM experts provide reviews, comparisons and opinions to professionals in the CRM software selection process Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:32:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Getting the Most Efficiency with Activities in CRM http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/05/getting-the-most-efficiency-with-activities-in-crm/ http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/05/getting-the-most-efficiency-with-activities-in-crm/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 21:38:17 +0000 Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/?p=2104 Getting the Most Efficiency with Activities in CRM is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> Dynamics CRM is a software tool that allows companies to implement their own specific Customer Relationship strategy as opposed to a strategy dictated by the software itself.  Similarly, the system provides extreme flexibility to users, allowing them to accomplish tasks many different ways.  This flexibility is desireable in a modern software package but it can also be a double edged-sword. Working on more than 40 implementations of Dynamics CRM at Affiliated, we have seen users utilize CRM in many different ways but have found that clients do not always know the most efficient way of using it to meet their particular needs. 

Here’s an example of how Dynamics CRM provides great flexibility as it relates to Activity creation and tracking (Activities include Phone Calls, Email, Letters, Faxes etc.).  Read more about activity efficiency…

by Affiliated Resource Group, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner 

Getting the Most Efficiency with Activities in CRM is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/05/getting-the-most-efficiency-with-activities-in-crm/feed/ 2 CRM Impacting The Bottom Line http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/04/crm-impacting-the-bottom-line/ http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/04/crm-impacting-the-bottom-line/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:56:36 +0000 Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/?p=1729 CRM Impacting The Bottom Line is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> CRM systems are considered tools, like paint and canvas, but they do not automatically come with the brilliance to create a work of art. That comes with skills that are developed and honed over time. And in the world of sales we call that – process.

In a study done by CSO Insights on Sales Performance Optimization, usage of core CRM systems continues to have a positive impact on the efficiency of salespeople, but the real key to impacting and improving revenues is to tie a CRM system to the overall sales process.

At Affiliated, we believe that core CRM gives you the foundation, but other capabilities need to be added to reach your organization’s full sales performance potential. Mapping your CRM system to a sales process will likely help you achieve greater sales effectiveness and impact bottom line revenues.
 
To read an excerpt of this study, click here.

by Affiliated Resource Group, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner 

CRM Impacting The Bottom Line is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/04/crm-impacting-the-bottom-line/feed/ 1 Knowledge Is Power – Top 8 CRM Resource Recommendations http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/03/knowledge-is-power-%e2%80%93-top-8-crm-resource-recommendations/ http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/03/knowledge-is-power-%e2%80%93-top-8-crm-resource-recommendations/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:31:25 +0000 Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/?p=1565 Knowledge Is Power – Top 8 CRM Resource Recommendations is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> At Affiliated, many of our Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers are impressed to learn about some of the excellent and mostly free educational resources available on the web for users and administrators of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Whether you are just kicking the tires or you are a current user or administrator, it would be well worth your while to check out these resources:

1.    Microsoft Dynamics CRM Resource Centers.  Microsoft has created 2 excellent resources loaded with articles, tips, tricks, downloads, and links all about CRM.  In fact, the CRM application itself provides access to the appropriate resource center which is meant to provide easily accessible and regularly updated dynamic content for both users and administrators. 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Resource Center
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Resource Center

2.    Free Introductory Microsoft eLearning.  The following free eLearning courses are ideal for new users to get some basics under their belts.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Concepts, Terminology and Navigation
Customer Relationship Management and Tracking

3.    Microsoft Dynamics CRM Community. The home of many forums and blogs about Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Community Home Page

4.    CRM Demo Video Library.  This great library of demonstration videos is an excellent way to see system features demonstrated by a member of the Microsoft CRM Team.  At last count, over 30 videos were featured.

Demo CRM Online

5.   CRMUG. Dynamics CRM has its very own user group.  Many cities have chapters of their own but the organization also has a great website that provides access to many resources for free (other premium membership options provide additional services and content.)

CRMUG

6.  CRM Online Free Trial. If you really want to get your feet wet, a great way to learn about the system is to get yourself a free trial.  At the time of this post, Microsoft is offering 30-day, no obligation, free trials of CRM Online.  A free trial provides full system access hosted by Microsoft and accessible via a web browser and even via Outlook if you wish to install the CRM Online Outlook client.

CRM Online Free Trial

7.    Software Assurance eLearning Benefits.  Many users are unaware that if you have already purchased Dynamics CRM, you have also received a training benefit that is part of Microsoft’s Software Assurance program (a limited benefit unless renewed.)   All licensed users in your organization are eligible for a complete collection of eLearning courses developed by Microsoft.  Each user must be registered on CustomerSource before being able to access the eLearning system.

Dynamics eLearning Catalog (must be signed in to access)

8.    Books.  Last, but not least, are some great books on using, administering, and programming Dynamics CRM.  Each of these titles should be available from any local or web-based bookseller and we typically recommend these titles to our clients implementing Dynamics CRM 4.0.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Step by Step
Working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
Programming Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

by Affiliated Resource Group, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner 

Knowledge Is Power – Top 8 CRM Resource Recommendations is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/03/knowledge-is-power-%e2%80%93-top-8-crm-resource-recommendations/feed/ 0 Provide Better And More Cost Effective Customer Service With eService Accelerator http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/02/provide-better-and-more-cost-effective-customer-service-with-eservice-accelerator/ http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/02/provide-better-and-more-cost-effective-customer-service-with-eservice-accelerator/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:58:52 +0000 Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/?p=1220 Provide Better And More Cost Effective Customer Service With eService Accelerator is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> Time is money! This old axiom is well known in the business world and has always remained a core truth.  Every time one of your customer service representatives picks up the phone and says, “How may I help you,” money is spent.  It may be the 10 minutes on the phone collecting and documenting the issue(s) or answering simple questions or even documenting the answers for future use.  The net result is that every time the phone rings your company spends money.

How can a company limit the expense associated with providing customer service?  You must provide Customer Service to your customers to keep the money coming in, it’s the money going out that we want to try to limit.   A simple yet effective answer to this is to let the Customer share the cost of Customer Service.  To effectively accomplish this you can offer them a self-service web portal which allows for:

  • Easy entry of cases
  • Ability to instantly know the status of a case
  • Communication with support personnel
  • Searching and Scheduling available  service offerings
  • Searching a Knowledgebase of company articles
  • Updating contact information
  • Updating Account information
  • Custom Case escalation

Welcome to eService from Microsoft’s Accelerator repository.  The eService Accelerator is part of a free set of solutions that Microsoft has given to the Dynamics CRM community and can be download from http://crmaccelerators.codeplex.com/.  Find out how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM eService Accelerator tool can help by reading the full article:  Provide Better and More Cost Effective Customer Service with eService Accelerator

by Affiliated Resource Group, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner 

Provide Better And More Cost Effective Customer Service With eService Accelerator is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/02/provide-better-and-more-cost-effective-customer-service-with-eservice-accelerator/feed/ 0 Effectively Manage Your Social Networking Strategy with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Social Networking Accelerator http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/02/effectively-manage-your-social-networking-strategy-with-the-microsoft-dynamics-crm-social-networking-accelerator/ http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/02/effectively-manage-your-social-networking-strategy-with-the-microsoft-dynamics-crm-social-networking-accelerator/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:02:47 +0000 Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/?p=1077 Effectively Manage Your Social Networking Strategy with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Social Networking Accelerator is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> According to a March 2009 study by Nielson, social networks and blogs are now the 4th most popular online activity, ahead of personal email. In addition, time spent on social networking sites is growing 3x faster than the overall internet rate, now accounting for almost 10% of all internet time. While these statistics point out that business can no longer afford to ignore Social Networking, it must be done in a closely planned and monitored manner in order to be effective. Microsoft’s recently released Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides an outstanding toolset for effectively managing and tracking organizational social networking activities.

Looking to improve your Social Networking Strategy? Find out  how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Accelerator tool can help by reading the full article:  Effectively Manage your Social Networking Strategy with the Dynamics CRM Social Networking Accelerator. 

by Affiliated Resource Group, an Ohio-based Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Effectively Manage Your Social Networking Strategy with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Social Networking Accelerator is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/02/effectively-manage-your-social-networking-strategy-with-the-microsoft-dynamics-crm-social-networking-accelerator/feed/ 4 Increase Your Efficiency With The CRM 4.0 Notification Accelerator http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/01/increase-your-efficiency-with-the-crm-4-0-notification-accelerator/ http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/01/increase-your-efficiency-with-the-crm-4-0-notification-accelerator/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:06:02 +0000 Affiliated Resource Group http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/?p=876 Increase Your Efficiency With The CRM 4.0 Notification Accelerator is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> Alright, you have heard that on www.Codeplex.com Microsoft has released many Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. I have seen many posts saying that this Accelerator is easy to use and install and they are correct.  However, they all seem to miss the mark in telling you what this Accelerator is and how to use it.  There is always that assumption that you know what an RSS feed is and how you can use it to benefit your business.  This blog post is going to tell you HOW to use this Accelerator to INCREASE your effectiveness in your utilization of Microsoft CRM 4.0.

To gain the effectiveness and real value of the tool, we will cover the following:

Part 1:  What is RSS and how do I use an RSS?

Part 2:  How does the CRM Notification Accelerator work?

Part 3:  How can I leverage it to Increase my Effectiveness?

a.  Pull verse Push
      i.        Simplify Workflows
b.  Simple Feeds
c.  Advanced Find (It’s your friend)
      i.        Opportunities over 100K
      ii.       Accounts put on Credit Hold
      iii.      Cases in Escalation

Click here to read the full article how you can leverage the CRM Accelerator to increase your efficiency.

by Affiliated Resource Group, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Increase Your Efficiency With The CRM 4.0 Notification Accelerator is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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]]> http://www.crmsoftwareblog.com/2010/01/increase-your-efficiency-with-the-crm-4-0-notification-accelerator/feed/ 1