What most companies don’t realize is that there is a huge cost associated with not making a decision to purchase the new CRM system.  That cost, what economists call opportunity cost, is far greater than most executives realize, because some may see CRM as a glorified contact manager or a new daunting system that will involve a lot of their money, their time, and their staff’s time.  But it does not have to be that way.  When it comes to CRM, specifically Microsoft Dynamics CRM, CRM has evolved into something much more powerful than it once was, yet it can be implemented in small, well thought out phases as part of a larger business strategy. 

Most small and medium size businesses don’t realize that Microsoft CRM has powerful tools that are flexible, familiar, easy to use, and will help them get up and running very quickly. The longer they delay the decision to implement the needed tools,  the longer they pay the three hidden costs of no decision.

Hidden Cost #1: Creates and Socializes Inefficiencies

I suspect that most businesses already know that the current system is broken beyond repair and  does not meet their business needs; however, not making a decision forces the staff to create a set of workarounds that impedes business goals.  By definition, those workarounds are inefficiencies that have been created as part of the day to day operation of that business, which in turn become part of how things are done in that organization.  This translates into real dollars in additional costs and missed opportunities as it requires the business to hire or maintain extra headcount just to keep the business going.

Consequences of these Inefficiencies:

• Critical business issues are missed altogether or fall through the cracks
• Information may be  inaccurate and thus can’t be relied upon
• Business critical data is kept in spreadsheets, Post-it Notes, or notebooks and thus is not shared with key staff

Inefficiencies will always eat at business productivity and business profits.

A well implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM system addresses these issues.  Businesses must examine their current processes and leverage their CRM systems to insure that they play an integral role in their day to day business processes.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows a business to remove workarounds and build clean processes that leverage Microsoft best practices.   A business could leverage Microsoft Dynamics CRM built-in features like workflows and Advanced Find to allow businesses to enter, track, route, and retrieve data that the staff needs in its day to day operations.  It also allows the staff to use all CRM functionality right out of their Outlook client, so they can track emails, look up, enter, or update accounts, contacts and quotes, just to name a few. 

Hidden Cost #2: Restricts Your Business’ Ability to Move Quickly

Small and medium size businesses have the ability to move quickly to meet their clients’ needs, but that advantage over larger competitors is lost when the business is using an inefficient CRM system.  Powerful features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM allow businesses to add new fields, modify workflows, and enable staff to adapt to business changes quickly rather than wasting time creating workarounds.

A new Microsoft Dynamics CRM system should allow you to:

1-      Easily view new clients

2-      Easily find new leads and the salesperson assigned to them

3-      Track leads that have not been followed up on within the last day or week

4-      Track new critical customer issues (ones that may cause the client to leave)

5-      Track customer issues that have not been resolved in the last day or week

6-      Guide the sales team down a well thought out sales process so forecasts are reliable

7-      Easily integrate your website to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM

8-      Easily kick off email campaigns

Hidden Cost #3: Paralysis by Analysis

I often run into clients that have been searching for the perfect CRM system for months, if not years.  In reality they should be searching for the exceptional CRM system.  The exceptional CRM system has the right balance of built-in functionality as well as tools that allow you to configure and customize additional functionality to make it the perfect system.  The amount of time that is spent searching for the perfect system insures only one certainty, and that is that the current broken and inefficient system will be in use until you make that decision. It is often not worth the wait. 

It is important to note that a business must do its due diligence to insure that it chooses the right CRM, but a business should efficiently evaluate those systems.  The entire process for a small and medium size business should take a resource between one to two months to complete and present their findings to upper management.  And upper management should be prepared to ask important, pointed questions before making a decision shortly.   A timeframe that is longer than three months most likely means that that resource is lost in the details, does not have clear goals or the company can’t afford a new CRM system, among other reasons that translate to no decision.

I’ve implemented packaged solutions for the last 17 years.  I’m very impressed with how Microsoft Dynamics CRM is designed compared with other small and large players in this space.  I’m also impressed by how quickly a business can implement a phased CRM implementation that will save  money in the long run.   Being a Microsoft partner, I feel very strongly that if a business considers these three hidden costs and consults with a qualified Microsoft Dynamics partner, that business will be satisfied with its CRM decision.

Please visit our website at Advancedsps to learn more.

To learn more about our Author Emad Hanna

by Advancedsps, your California Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

CRM Buyers Beware: Three Hidden Costs of No Decision is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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I wanted to share another article on that topic from Kelly McGuire over at TMCnet.com. It points to a 2009 Focus Research White Paper called the Sales Force Automation Buyer’s Guide.  The paper offers good advice for buyers as they walk through the (sometimes) difficult process of finding the right solution for their organization. This is especially important for buyers that are searching for customer relationship management software for the first time.

As the title indicates, the focus of the White  Paper is really the sales organization of the company.  Buyers looking for a solution to support multiple departments (service, technical support, marketing, etc.) may find some information lacking for them to help identify the full capabilities offered by some of the vendors, but it is a solid start.  Also, some readers may have some questions regarding the distinctions made classifying particular vendor types and the types of clients they support.  For instance, neither SAP nor Microsoft Dynamics CRM is identified as a product for the enterprise customer. But I’ll admit – those are minor objections compared to the comprehensive nature of the information and research findings gathered here…for free!

The White Paper touches on important topics such as requirements, cost considerations, and what to expect from your vendor.  It also includes tools to help identify what type of buyer you are as well as an example of a product requirement worksheet that could help your organization focus on their true needs. 

Overall, it provides buyers with solid information, insight and resources and I would classify it as recommended reading – for both buyers and sellers of CRM software.

Good reading!

Interested in learning how sales force automation can impact your sales team?  Looking to jumpstart your CRM project?  Let us help you get started with a free trial.  Please contact us by email rkuhlmann@advancedsps.com or call us at (310) 844-7865.

Robert Kuhlmann is a Senior CRM Consultant with AdvancedSPS, a California Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner.  With over 15 years of functional experience successfully developing, implementing and managing CRM systems, Robert now offers his expertise to organizations like yours in order to successfully design, implement and manage CRM solutions.

By: Robert Kuhlmann, AdvancedSPS – California Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

More Helpful Information for Buyers of Sales Force Automation software is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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 A few years ago, as Vice President of Sales for a direct marketing firm in Los Angeles, we were looking for a CRM solution.  We went through an exhaustive evaluation and selection process to find the right one for our organization.  At the conclusion of our due diligence phase, it became obvious that there were 3 reasons why Microsoft Dynamics CRM was the better choice: flexibility, productivity and affordability.

Reason # 1: Flexibility

On-premise OR On-demand:  Sure, you want to be “in the cloud” today.  But will an online solution still be viable for your company next month, or next year?  Microsoft’s flexible solution allows you to easily move your entire installation from a hosted environment to your site, with all of your customizations and data intact.  Thankfully, we made the right decision, because less than 6 months after we implemented our hosted solution, it was moved on-premise.

Reason # 2: Productivity

Frankly, using Salesforce.com can be as easy as any other CRM system out there, but it can also be a big hassle when it comes to rescheduling activities – I know, because I’ve used it as well.  Sales people need to easily and quickly reschedule calls, tasks and appointments, and doing so within Microsoft Dynamics CRM is very easy with native Outlook experience.  Other benefits include flexible email smart matching to automatically track incoming messages in CRM and the fact that attachments automatically preserved whether it is the Web client or Outlook client.  This not only increased productivity, but proved to our users the power and value of the application. 

And the ease-of-use doesn’t stop there.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a natural extension of Microsoft Office and Outlook and that familiar look and feel helps reduce ramp-up and training time.  It is also extremely flexible, adapting to your culture and processes rather than forcing you to mold your business to new software. 

Reason # 3: Affordability

Lastly, the ongoing costs associated with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online are much lower than Salesforce.com, providing you more value for less money.  At $44 per month per user, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online enables your organization to quickly increase your productivity without significant capital investment, while not limiting your future options.  Plus, that $44 includes free mobile access, enhanced data import, and customizable views.

Interested in learning more about CRM?  Looking to jumpstart your CRM project?  Let us help you get started with a free trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Please contact us by email rkuhlmann@advancedsps.com or call us at (310) 844-7865.

Robert Kuhlmann is a Senior CRM Consultant with AdvancedSPS, a California Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner.  With over 15 years of functional experience successfully developing, implementing and managing CRM systems, Robert now offers his expertise to organizations like yours in order to successfully design, implement and manage CRM solutions.

By: Robert Kuhlmann, AdvancedSPS – California Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

3 Reasons to Select Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online over Salesforce.com as your CRM Software Solution is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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