Due to the versatile functionality and platform of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, PowerObjects was able to extend the CRM functionality to help automate and manage the entire e-commerce process including everything from purchasing, inventory and vendor management, accounting, shipping, customer service, and marketing. The implementation was a great success and has allowed them to grow their business and service a new market. Now this is pretty cool stuff!

Interested in learning more? Click here to read the full article.

Happy CRM’ing…  

By Joe CRM at PowerObjects, a leading Minnesota-based Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM and xRM solutions.

CRM At Work In The Real World #2 is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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Background:

Nonin, a leading medical device manufacturer, needed a better way to keep up with growth, better manage customer relationships and their sales force. The sales teams were using multiple solutions to manage and track sales and customer information and interactions. They lacked consistency and had multiple data sources making it very difficult for sales teams to maintain and share accurate customer information, manage their sales process and pipelines, and view reports to make critical business decisions.

They chose Microsoft Dynamics CRM because of its seamless integration with other Microsoft applications, ease of use, and the expertise of leading Microsoft CRM partner, PowerObjects, to implement the solution.  The solution was implemented across the organization including the sales, marketing, and management teams.

Benefits:

• Nonin now has a much more efficient sales organization with improved processes and greater visibility into sales pipelines.
• CRM has allowed Nonin to process leads within 48 hours vs. weeks. Sales reps now have the ability to better qualify prospects and close deals faster.
• CRM has allowed Nonin to ramp up their new sales teams much faster because it’s very easy-to-use and sales reps pick it up and start using it within the first week.
• With sales reps located all over the world, the new CRM has greatly improved communication internally and has reduced the likelihood of sales reps duplicating efforts.

And, those are just the highlights! Interested in learning more? Check out the full story here.

Happy CRM’ing…

By Joe CRM at PowerObjects, a leading Minnesota-based Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM and xRM solutions.

CRM At Work In The Real World is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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This raises the question about what you should  look at when evaluating software, and again I will maintain it is not a feature and function shoot-out.  How many people think that CRM technology is akin to developing a missile defense system?  Of course it is nothing like that, they all have hundreds of thousands or millions of users and it is pretty simple for any one publisher to look at what the competition is doing.  So it stands to reason from a feature/function or technology standpoint, no one vendor is outpacing the other – in fact at the end of the day, I would say they are more alike than dissimilar. 

So Joe…what should we look at when we compare software??  Glad you asked!  In a recent sale, one of our clients put together a slide deck to present to the shareholders that drove home what I think is most important….the bullet point that jumped out said something like ‘We need to rely on a software company that is as reliable as we are – if they go out of business so do we…..’ So when you think about that statement, it comes down to business risk as it relates to the product you are going to implement.

Go back in history and look at the products that have been acquired and rolled up.  Typically the company being acquired stopped investing in the R&D which is critical to keep up with the competition.  I could go through a list of CRM products that have gone by the wayside in the last decade, but hey we know who they are and we get a ton of business as people move off these systems and say – we are doing that again!

So with the folks still in the market for software, here are a few key questions to ask yourself as you go through the evaluation phase:

• What is the percentage of revenue spent on R&D (higher is better)?
• What percent of revenue spent is on marketing (I think lower is better)?
• Do they have multiple revenue streams and product lines (lowers your risk)?
• What is the potential the organization will be taken over by a larger company (not usually good for the product line)?

This all plays into again why we chose to hang our hats on Microsoft and Microsoft Dynamics CRM – we know the product will be around for the long-haul and with Microsoft’s ability to continually invest in R&D, it just keeps getting better!

Happy CRM’ing

By Joe CRM at PowerObjects, a leading Minnesota-based Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM and xRM solutions.

Top Tips When Evaluating Software Vendors – It’s More Than Features/Functions is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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An xRM solution offers flexibility and customization to meet almost any business or organizational need. You won’t want to miss this! Join us on March 18 at 10:00 CT. Click here to learn more.

by Power Objects, a Minnesota Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

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I think companies have been conditioned by the large software publishers to look at software solely from a features/benefit standpoint – and guess what -  they all pretty much do the same thing nowadays – surprise!  But if you think about it, the publishers are the ones writing the software and the ones putting the features in, so does it shock you that they try to differentiate one system over the other based on features….no, but that doesn’t mean that’s the best way to evaluate when you go to implement CRM.

So this begs the question – ‘well then Joe, what should one consider when trying to decide?’  My answer for this is the implementation partner.  The group implementing your system will be one of the main keys to your success…and don’t think just because they claim to be IT consultants they know a sales process from a hole in the ground.  This would be like me getting into a trademark infringement suit and saying – ‘gee the guy was a lawyer; I thought he could do a good job’ even though he practices family law!!  No you would look for someone with a focus (let me say that again FOCUS) on trademark infringement and hire him.  Will he cost more than a family practice guy? – probably – will he know what he is doing? – you’d hope so – don’t get me going on lawyers.  I think you get my point.

So dig into the partner not the platform.  If you are up in the air between two different products – then go out and find a group that focuses 100% of their effort on each of the products (note this should not be the same company – you can’t be the best at both platforms) and dig in.  Here are some questions to ask and things look for:

• What is their  implementation process
• Ask them to model your company in the product
• Talk to the publisher about the partner not the product to get their opinion
• Research the company – look at their website and see what they really do (this flushes out the wannabe CRM companies)
• Read their blogs – are they active in the product forums
• Experience – ask them how many projects they’ve completed and how many they have going on
• Basically dig until you are convinced they live and breathe the product you want to consider!

If you do this and find a group with Focus you will be successful, and guess what – the platform doesn’t matter – just the ability to make it work!  You might be wondering, ‘Joe – what CRM system do you guys implement?’…. well, Microsoft Dynamics CRM….’why do you do Microsoft Dynamics CRM and not Salesforce.com?’….because we put the publisher through the same type of questioning when we wanted to go with the best.

Happy CRM’ing

By Joe CRM at PowerObjects, a leading Minnesota-based Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM and xRM solutions.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. SalesForce.com Or Whoever…The Proof Is In The Partner is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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By Joe CRM at PowerObjects, a leading Minnesota-based Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM and xRM solutions.

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM/xRM is our ONLY business and we’ve helped many (really, a whole bunch) of organizations, large and small realize the benefits of choosing Microsoft CRM/xRM as their platform for everything from a classic Sales Force Automation solution to Patient Relationship Management, Project Management, People Management and even Pet Food Production management!

If you haven’t figured it out already from reading some of the other partner posts on this blog, one of the great things about Microsoft Dynamics CRM/xRM is that you have the Power of Choice in how you deploy a solution. You can choose to implement On-(your) premise, you can choose to have Microsoft host and manage it for you with CRM Online, or have your solution hosted by those partners that have made the investment in enterprise scale data centers (like PowerObjects). Bottom line is that you HAVE the choice – and  can change your mind and move from one option to another if your needs change.

So, I’ll stop with the shameless plug, I mean the introduction….and ask you to watch for future posts from me, Joe CRM, and let me know what you think….

Happy CRM’ing

By Joe CRM at PowerObjects, a leading Minnesota-based Microsoft Gold Certified partner providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM and xRM solutions.

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