CRM Software Blog

Ten Tips To Ensure The Success Of Your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Project – Right From The Very Start (Part 1)

Peter Elgar, Concentrix Ltd — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:05:06 +0000

Properly implemented, Microsoft CRM will deliver major benefits to your organisation. It will help you manage your marketing campaigns and lead management, help prevent losing customers to your competition, and help you identify new opportunities. It will make it easier for your sales people to sell, improve your customer service and case management, and generally improve a whole range of other business processes.

And that’s just with the ‘standard’ CRM functionality. With the flexibility of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and its ‘xRM’ (anything relationship management) capabilities, Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be customised to suit highly complex business processes. In fact, the right Microsoft Dynamics CRM Business Partner will get the software to do just about anything your business needs it to do.

Successful deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM will have a positive impact throughout your business. So, you need to get it right. Like any project, a bit of ground work right at the very beginning will help smooth the implementation process and save work later on.

Here are the first five of ten tips to help you right at the very beginning of your Microsoft Dynamics CRM project. These tips will help you ensure that the software gets deployed efficiently and effectively, and that it starts working for your business as soon as possible.

Tip 1 – Decide what you want Microsoft Dynamics CRM to do

It may seem obvious – you want CRM software to do CRM! But think about the needs of your business; what’s most important?

Right at the very start of the project, take some time to document and prioritise the specific problems in each area of your business which you are looking to address through implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM. For example, you may want your customer service department to solve issues more quickly, or to improve the way you manage customer communications, or for your sales department to increase the accuracy of their forecasting. Talk to the people who will be using Microsoft Dynamics CRM. How many users are there? What problems or issues do they have that they think the system should address?

Tip 2 – Get user buy in: things are gonna change!

It’s really important that people are aware of, and fully understand, the benefits that Microsoft Dynamics CRM will deliver. There are the overall improvements in efficiency and effectiveness it will deliver to the organisation. Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows extensive workflow automation which saves a lot of time and effort for all levels of user. And don’t forget the granular, day to day benefits it will bring each member of staff. For example, make it clear to the person in Sales that he won’t need to keep cross-checking spreadsheets when producing a weekly report, or the Marketing Assistant that will only have to key in new lead data once (if at all), or the Customer Service Rep that will have all the information he needs right in front of him, just when he needs it.

Getting user buy-in and getting started with Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a lot easier than with other CRM systems. That’s because it works the way other Microsoft products do – so it looks familiar, and users quickly feel comfortable with the product. In many cases it feels like using a (powerful) extension of Outlook, which nearly everyone knows. But everyone needs to buy-in to the changes and benefits which Microsoft Dynamics CRM will deliver.

Tip 3 – Don’t try this alone!

It may have the look and feel of other Microsoft products, but there is one seriously big difference between Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Office products like Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and so on: Microsoft Dynamics CRM is not a product which you can just install and let your users get on with it. It needs implementing, configuring and sometimes customizing by a qualified Microsoft Business Partner and Microsoft Dynamics CRM specialist.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is an outstanding product. But thinking that Microsoft Dynamics CRM is ‘plug and play’ is an extremely dangerous misconception. You will not achieve the CRM functionality you require or deploy the product correctly unless you work with a qualified, experienced business partner who knows what they’re doing.

Tip 4 – Choose the right business partner

Just like choosing a new employee, agency or any other business relationship, it’s important that you carefully consider which Microsoft Dynamics CRM business partner you’re going to work with. Make sure they understand your business, your needs, the issues you have, and that they ask the right questions.

Just like employing anyone, when choosing a business partner check their references, technical accreditations and ask for CRM case studies and examples of previous work. Make sure they provide a full support and maintenance structure and will put it in place early on in the project, and for at least three months after the system has gone live. On a personal level, you need to feel that staff at both organisations will work well together.

A good business partner will use a defined CRM project methodology, certainly for larger projects. Your Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation is far more likely to succeed quickly if your provider offers a range of services such as business process analysis, project management, and different levels of training – not just software supply and installation.

Tip 5 – Appoint a project manager

Whatever the size of your Microsoft Dynamics CRM project, it’s worth appointing a project manager. If it’s a large project and you’ve chosen a CRM specialist as a business partner, they will probably include project planning and management as part of the package. But you’ll also need one of your own staff to take a lead on the project. Make sure he has the influence and authority to make things happen when they need to happen.

Part 2 of this article, with five more tips will be published in the next couple of weeks. If you need any further help in the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact Concentrix or your local Microsoft Dynamics CRM business partner.

By Concentrix Ltd – UK CRM, Accounting and ERP Software Specialists

Knowledge Is Power – Top 8 CRM Resource Recommendations

Affiliated Resource Group — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:31:25 +0000

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

Sales Pipeline: You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure

Ryan Plourde, AbleBridge — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:23:13 +0000

That old management adage rings especially true when it comes to managing sales pipeline. We see it all the time but it still amazes me how some companies don’t have a unified process for tracking, measuring, and forecasting business opportunity. First off, I’m talking about companies with sales people governed by at least one level of sales management; by definition, the function of sales management implies you are measuring some level of sales performance.

You will rarely hear a company say that measuring sales pipeline and accurate business forecasting isn’t important. But you will see a lot that don’t actually instill a sales culture to support it. If sales performance isn’t defined by measurable goals and governed by consistent, regular business reviews how can you ever manage it? More importantly, how will your sales people exceed expectations or be held accountable for underachieving expectations?

I like to use the Olympic sport of pole vaulting when describing the feat of any sales executive and performance benchmarks – after all, this is a competition and these athletes are in it for the Gold. Using this analogy, the Olympic Committee is the governing body or Sales Management function in your organization. First, you need to set the height of the bar but also communicate it to your athletes! Second, you need to communicate the importance of jumping over the bar. Regular business reviews of actual performance vs. expected goals are critical to instilling a culture and sense of importance around effective pipeline management. Third, you need to instill a culture that rewards your athletes but also holds them accountable for their performance. By identifying performance issues early you will have time to coach your athletes and give them the tools they need to be successful. In most cases, coaching to an end result is a lot less expensive than hiring a new sales person – especially if you end up in the same predicament four quarters from now. In the sport of pole vaulting, three consecutive missed vaults eliminates the vaulter from competition and there are no surprises by the third missed attempt. Ok, enough about pole vaulting – but you get my point.

Managing sales pipeline does not need to be difficult and the simpler the better. The most important, but also the most challenging, is to make sure you instill a regular operating rhythm around business reviews. Just as important, everyone in the sales organization needs to be fluent in your internal sales language – if Pipeline, Forecast, Upside, Booked, Sales Stage 3 are words you use in your business vocabulary then it’s crucial everyone understands the meaning of each definition.

AbleBridge has helped hundreds of organizations simplify their sales operations by marrying process with technology. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is our core technology focus because it is a superior platform that allows us to integrate any sales process into CRM. From a sales person’s perspective it’s easy to use and accessible from any internet connection or right within Outlook. Taking technology challenges out of the equation is crucial. The goal is to keep your sales people focused on selling rather than on time consuming administrative tasks. AbleBridge’s Sales Pipeline Management and Lead Flow add ons for Microsoft Dynamics CRM help accelerate the objective of any business looking to better manage their sales pipeline, have greater visibility into sales performance, and adopt a sales culture that supports it.

by AbleBridge, a Massachusetts Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

How One Company Is Using The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Business Data Auditing Accelerator To Automate Its Approvals Processes

Marcia Doron, Altico Advisors — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:10:44 +0000

Written by Dan Smith, Altico Advisors

You can use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Business Data Auditing Accelerator from Codeplex to audit changes in CRM data in any entity you choose, such as accounts, contacts, leads, or opportunities. The CRM accelerators themselves are extremely easy to download and install. Simply import the customization xml file from within CRM customization settings and select which entities you want to audit. The customization file builds an audit entity for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM entity you wish to audit. For example, if the CRM entity is Opportunity, the audit entity is Opportunity Audit. It also deploys a workflow that will take a snapshot of the record whenever a relevant event occurs. A relevant event could be a record creation, record state change, or attribute change, for example. With this in place, you can now review changes to a record within the desired entity as the changes occur.

Altico Advisors has deployed the Business Data Auditing Accelerator for a client in the software development arena whose solutions are used by hospitals to produce operational efficiencies, effectiveness, and control. Our client wanted to automate, standardize, streamline, and track their sales order approval history. They have a two-step approval process before certain order types can be submitted into their Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting/ERP system. The first step requires the Finance group to approve the order. If approved by Finance, it then goes to the Manufacturing group for approval. If Manufacturing approves, it is then integrated into Dynamics GP. If any of the approvals are not granted, the creator is required to revise the order and re-submit it for approval. The approval, the person who granted the approval, and any notes they took regarding the approval are automatically logged in the Sales Order Audit entity that was created using the CRM Business Data Auditing Accelerator. The result is a complete history of the order and the approval process.

By automating the approval process, our client has streamlined what used to be a cumbersome and time-intensive task. Instead of multiple people exchanging scores of emails and voice mail messages, the approval process is quick, easy, and secure. And the audit trail remains for posterity.

Submitted by Altico Advisors, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner for Massachusetts (MA)

Webinar: “Tapping Into The Power Of Workflows In Microsoft Dynamics CRM”

Jim Drumm, Sikich — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:57:05 +0000

How connected is your company? Not to other sources, but to each other? The most productive organizations share information across teams, divisions—the whole company—to proactively manage data and automate business processes. Join us for this free, one-hour Webinar and see how Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM gives you these powerful workflow capabilities so that you can put your data to work more quickly and consistently across all your systems and lines of business.

In this one-hour Webinar, you will learn:

Out-of-the-box workflow types and triggers
How to create a workflow
Managing workflows
Common workflow scenarios

Your business becomes more collaborative when you put Microsoft Dynamics CRM to work—and that keeps you at peak productivity. This will be too good to miss! Join us April 22 at 10:00 am CDT. Click here to learn more and register

By Sikich, a leading IL Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner serving IL, IN and MO

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The Importance Of Executive Sponsorship For ERP/CRM Deployments

Mary Lenehan, Crestwood — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:07:36 +0000

What is Executive Sponsorship?

Executive Sponsorship is an individual or set of individuals with high level responsibility for the success of a project. They are responsible for making decisions relating to an organization’s direction, strategy, and financial commitments that cannot be determined by functional leads alone. For example, they would approve financial outlays for hardware, software and professional services, especially those relating to changing orders from the original project scope. Because projects require the time commitment of internal company resources, they would also approve the allocation of individuals to work on the project tasks. Finally, the executive sponsorship role is needed to make decisions about a company’s policies, procedures, and strategic directions. A myriad of business process decisions need to be made throughout the course of the project and it is the role of the executive sponsor to make the final call on how the company will be run.

Who should be the Executive Sponsor?

The executive sponsor needs to have the authority to make decisions relating to project expenditures, human resource commitments, and business processes. Only those individuals with this kind of authority will be able to take command of the project tasks and decisions that will be necessary throughout the project. Without executive sponsorship, the project managers may find themselves in a situations where they have no control over the time commitment of the company’s project team members, cannot approve additional financial outlays necessary for change orders, or cannot get functional team members to come to agreement on what the company’s new business processes should be.

While the specifics of who should comprise the Executive Sponsorship role differ, depending on a company’s size, industry or organizational structure, the following types of individuals or groups may be likely candidates for the role:

Company owners/partners
Company CEO/President
Controller or Plant Manager
Committee of Department Managers

How an Executive Sponsor differs from the Project Manager

In the case where a company has assigned an individual to the Project Manager role, this does not preclude the establishment of an Executive Sponsorship team or role. The Project Manager’s role differs from that of an Executive Sponsor in that the project manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project tasks. He creates a project plan and ensures that all project tasks are executed within the time and budget constraints of the project plan. He manages the relationships with the project’s vendors and coordinates the work of all project team members. Because projects are often cross-functional and interdisciplinary, different individuals may have different opinions on the direction the project should take. A good project manager knows when to escalate issues to the Executive sponsor rather than stall the project or take it in the wrong direction.

Executive Sponsorship Project Reporting

The Executive Sponsor should be involved in regular project reporting. While the Project Manager will have meetings on a daily and weekly basis to keep the project on track, the Executive Steering Committee should meet at regularly scheduled intervals to review all new and ongoing issues relating to their role, such as scope changes, policy decisions, and internal resource requirements. The project manager will attend these meetings and bring issues to the attention of the Executive Sponsor team, who will make decisions that will subsequently be carried out by the Project Manager and team. Monthly meetings are usually sufficient, but ad hoc meetings may be required for urgent issues.

Signs that you need Executive Sponsorship

If your company does not have an Executive Sponsor actively involved in the project, the following are tell-tale signs that you may need one:

Meetings are held to make business process decisions and no conclusions are drawn. When individuals in a project meeting disagree on business processes or project resource allocation, no one in the meeting has the authority to make the decision. The same issues are brought up at every meeting and never resolved.
There is no process in place for change order escalation. If there are gaps discovered between the software capabilities and the company’s business processes, there is no mechanism for requesting a software change or third party solution.
Attendance at project meetings drops and support for the project wanes. Because individuals feel that the proposed design does not meet their needs and see no mechanism for resolving those issues, they stop participating in the project.
Completion of project tasks falls behind. Project team members are assigned tasks but given no time to complete the tasks.
Project scope expands without an approval process and the project falls behind. Because there are no guidelines for resolving issues that expand the scope of a project, the scope changes on its own and the project falls behind or over budget.
New business processes look the same as old business processes, but with different software. Because no one has the authority to make business process decisions, the old methods are merely duplicated, with no attempt to improve them.

When to form an Executive Sponsorship Team

Ideally, the Executive Sponsor role is already in place before the start of a project. After all, if there were no champion for the project, the project probably wouldn’t exist. The individual or set of individuals who pushed for the project investment should be the same ones that continue in this role after the project commences. Unfortunately, the project sponsors often lessen their involvement once the project is approved. They delegate it to the Project Manager, whom they expect to hear from only periodically, with a report on the project’s status. What many companies fail to realize is the importance of the project sponsor after the project has been launched.

Implementing a new system is a complex and challenging undertaking that requires high level sponsorship throughout the project’s life to ensure its success.

Written by Lauren Malloy, Project Manager, at your Chicago Illinois Gold Certified Partner, Crestwood Associates.

Crestwood Associates is an Illinois Microsoft Dynamics GP Provider

Microsoft Dynamics CRM – How Do We Get Our Users To Use It?

Jim Drumm, Sikich — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:25:32 +0000

This seems to be a question many customers ask about their newly implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution. There is no single magic answer to that question that fits all situations, but I hope to give a few ideas here to increase user adoption.

Focus on features that give back to each user rather than just tracking activity of each user. A critical report, timely notification email or automated mail merge goes a long way towards demonstrating value to a user so that they see the value in keeping their data current.
Make sure users can use the solution when/where they need to. Provide internet access via a VPN or Internet Facing Deployment connection and/or provide mobile device access so users can lookup and/or edit data via their smart phones or netbooks instead of having to wait until they’re home at the end of the day to update the system
Take advantage of workflow. Create notification emails of important events to keep everyone informed. Automate sales processes so that progress just happens instead of being manually entered. Push and/or pull data to/from other systems instead of requiring re-entry.
Don’t forget about other functionality beyond Sales, Service and Marketing. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is truly Dynamics xRM and a platform that can be extended to solve so many more issues within a company beyond these traditional CRM functions. If you have spreadsheets or word processing or contact lists in other programs that are out of date and locked away on individual user’s pcs, consider moving them into Microsoft Dynamics CRM so that they become an integral part of your systems instead of separate problems.
Don’t skimp on training. The presumption is – it looks like Outlook or Microsoft Office or Internet Explorer so they already know how to use it. This is true, Microsoft Dynamics CRM does look and work like these other Microsoft products so navigating them is familiar to users which allows for a quick comfort with moving around the system. With this said, best practices on how to perform each task and especially following the processes you have automated, is not going to be as easily mastered. Beyond the basics training and recurring opportunities to allow users to ask questions and better understand the best way to accomplish their duties in the system will help with the comfort of using the system and therefore increase usage.

By Sikich, a leading Illinois Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner serving IL, IN and MO

Top Tips When Evaluating Software Vendors – It’s More Than Features/Functions

Joe CRM, PowerObjects — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:12:01 +0000

JoeCRM here from PowerObjects – After giving some more thought to my previous post Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. SalesForce.com Or Whoever…The Proof Is In The Partner, I think I need to say a little more – ok, a lot more. In the previous post I talked about a few areas that I think are important to look at when evaluating an implementation Partner, instead of focusing solely on the software publisher. I still maintain it is ultimately the Partner that will make or break your project, but with that said you will still need to compare different products.

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.

SugarCRM vs. Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Which On-Premise Solution Provides The Most Value?

Julie Stankey, Socius — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:23:04 +0000

Lately, I have been seeing more and more of SugarCRM in the marketplace. It makes sense. After all, when money is tight, many organizations look for the lowest upfront cost instead of the product with the greatest long-term ROI. It’s true that SugarCRM Professional and Enterprise have one of the lowest per user licenses costs of any on-premise CRM software solution for mid-market businesses, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

I took a look at Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SugarCRM in a side-by-side feature comparison produced by Focus Research and found the two products to be remarkably similar.

Sales Force Automation: Both products have comparable sales tracking, forecasting, analytics, and opportunity management tools. However, there are a few distinct differences:

SugarCRM “facilitates the creation of presentations and proposals for customers,” a feature which Microsoft Dynamics CRM does not approach. However, since Dynamics CRM is a Microsoft product and works like and with other Microsoft products, Dynamics CRM users are able to create presentations in Office programs, save them to a document library in CRM or create proposal templates that can be populated and distributed through Dynamics CRM. Therefore, the same result can be achieved using either product.

Divisions Inc. is using Microsoft Dynamics CRM to streamline their proposal process:

“Before, the process involved in generating each new proposal and subsequent contract consumed an hour and a half of employee time. Now it takes 10 minutes. We are literally saving thousands of hours annually.” – Kyle Murray, CIO

Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides offline and mobile-device support which SugarCRM does not. With all of the smart-phones in use by sales personnel, this a great advantage for Microsoft Dynamics CRM users to have all of their CRM data in the palms of their hands at any moment.

Service and Support: Although they operate differently, the support and service feature sets for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SugarCRM are almost identical.

Marketing: Both solutions contain similar lead and campaign management tools.

SugarCRM contains the ability to create web form pages to capture leads, a capability that Microsoft does not rival “out-of-the-box” but can be customized to accomplish.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s marketing automation is workflow-driven, thereby aiding the collaboration between the marketing and sales departments.

So, with such similar features, why would any organization choose to pay more for Microsoft Dynamics CRM over SugarCRM?

The fact that Microsoft Dynamics CRM is built on a .NET framework and operates on the Microsoft platform means that it not only seamlessly integrates with finance, business management, or ERP software solutions but also with company websites and more!

Divisions Inc. has found the value in efficiency gains through integration that is only possible with a Microsoft Dynamics product:

“To say Dynamics CRM has paid for itself is an understatement. It has changed the way we do business. We’ve eliminated redundancy and the risk of errors and by doing so have enabled our employees to work more efficiently and effectively.” – Kyle Murray, CIO

Divisions Inc. is also saving time and money by automating processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and integrating their data with their Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP system:

“CRM initiates a workflow that routes the proposals to our contracts department for approval. Once approved, it is added as a contract in Dynamics GP…The efficiency gains are enormous.” – Kyle Murray, CIO

The fact that you can purchase SugarCRM with the push of a button from their website might seem appealing, but when the transaction is complete, the responsibility falls on you to implement the solution and get your people up and running on it. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is sold, implemented, supported, and enhanced by Microsoft partners, like Socius.

“Socius is a valuable resource to us. We are savvy users and are able to do much of the customization ourselves, but it is still great to have their expertise when we need it. They are our go-to firm.” – Kyle Murray, CIO, Divisions Inc.

Read more about how Microsoft Dynamics CRM is helping Divisions Inc. do business more efficiently and effectively.

By Socius, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Marketing Spend Continues To Shift Toward Digital Channels – Track It With Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Andree Dolan, The TM Group — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:26:02 +0000

In 2010 social media, mobile marketing, email marketing, and search will see a 17 percent increase in marketing investment spending this year, as marketers move away from traditional channels and focus more on channels that have hard financial metrics.

“Marketing Budgets in 2010: Effectiveness, Measurement, and Allocation,” a joint research study with Econsultancy and ExactTarget, surveyed over 1,000 marketers to discover where companies are focusing their marketing spend efforts and how they will allocate their budgets across channels in 2010.

Here is ExactTarget’s free brief of the report.

I love this new digital marketing spend report by ExactTarget – because it validates what we’ve been experiencing in our recent marketing efforts. And more important, as a leading Microsoft Dynamics CRM provider, we know online marketing is a really hot topic with our clients and prospects. Case in point – The TM Group is sponsoring Vision 2010, a free, educational Microsoft Dynamics conference taking place on March 23^rd in Troy, Michigan. Only two weeks out and we have over 200 attendees signed up – our CRM track and digital marketing sessions are especially popular!

ExactTarget, as the leading add-on eMarketing solution for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, is presenting during the Vision 2010 CRM track. The ExactTarget solution integrates seamlessly with Dynamics CRM and includes tools to create, deliver, and track compelling digital communications that leverage Lead, Contact, and Account data. Users can create dynamic, timely content for subscribers and deliver messages on behalf of Microsoft Dynamic CRM Leads, Contacts, and/or Account Owners to achieve true one-to-one relationship marketing.

Vision 2010 is The TM Group’s 12th annual Microsoft Dynamics conference which is free of charge to our guests. Every year we are committed to spending the time, energy and resources it takes to help people get together in person for learning (we bring Microsoft product experts in to team up with our consultants), networking with their peers (our clients share their stories and advice), and gaining insight about the latest technological developments in our industry and best business practices (we bring in special speakers from our strategic business partners).

Here is a description of the ExactTarget eMarketing session at Vision 2010, as well as the other Microsoft Dynamics CRM sessions:

The TM Group Vision 2010: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Track

CRM eMarketing & Social Media, by ExactTarget

In this session we will learn how to boost your marketing in 2010 using eMarketing and Social Media. ExactTarget will share an information-packed session that will provide valuable tips and techniques to help you achieve your 2010 digital marketing goals! Learn how to improve your marketing campaigns with increased subscriber focus and get helpful tips on boosting relevancy of message content. See how ExactTarget’s integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help you manage and automate a wide variety of marketing campaigns that leverage information about your leads, contacts, and accounts.

You’ll also learn how to effectively manage your social networking strategy with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Social Networking Accelerator. 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.

CRM Future Directions: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5 Sneak Peak, by Microsoft Corporation

In this session, learn about the next release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM “V.Next.” Investments for this next release fall into three broad categories: (1) Deliver a new level of user productivity and collaboration capabilities, (2) Continued enrichment of the core CRM capabilities, and (3) Provide a best-of-breed business solution platform. There is an exhaustive list of investments in Microsoft Dynamics CRM “V.Next” which ranges from small “tweaks” and enhancements to broad new feature areas. The following sections provide a summary of some of the investments across the three categories.

Deliver a new level of user productivity and collaboration capabilities

Increase accessibility through the Microsoft Office “ribbon” interface:
Improve productivity through a streamlined user interface:
Drive user adoption through personalization:
Facilitate collaboration with SharePoint® integration:
Enrich business insight through improved business intelligence:

Deliver continued enrichment of the core CRM Capabilities

Contact and Account Management:
Team-Based Collaboration:
Call Center and Unified Communications Support:
Extended Sales Territory Management:
Knowledge Management:

Provide a Best-of-Breed Business Solution Platform

Solution Management:
Secure Code on the Server:
Integration and connectivity:
Service-Oriented Architecture:
Native Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) connectivity:
Scalable, Federated security:
Extended Event Pipeline:

CRM Tips & Tricks, by TM Group Dynamics CRM Consultants

There are many features and functions of Dynamics CRM that most users don’t utilize because they don’t know about them. Learn some techniques to get more out of Advanced Find, the Outlook Client, integration to Word and using Workflow. The inclusion of the Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) in the 4.0 release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes it easier than ever to create powerful automated business processes throughout and beyond your CRM implementation. This was one of the most popular sessions last year. Don’t miss it!

CRM Mobile, by TenDigits

In this CRM Mobility session you will learn more about enhancing the productivity and effectiveness of your CRM solution. There is more involved with CRM Mobility success than simply gaining access to CRM data from a mobile SmartPhone. Organizations with field staff face unique challenges in ensuring CRM is available, used effectively and securely, and is kept up-to-date with timely and critical customer information. Learn how to address these challenges with effective and comprehensive CRM mobility, to enhance productivity, sales or service effectiveness, and to increase CRM user adoption. MobileAccess from TenDigits Software is the only mobility offering to attain the “Certified for Microsoft Dynamics CRM” designation. During this session, we’ll illustrate how organizations are better meeting their business and CRM objectives through a live demonstration highlighting “A Day in the Life of a Field Representative”.

XRM: Extending/Leveraging CRM, GP & SharePoint, by the TM Group CRM Consultants

Learn how you can use XRM to rapidly create and deploy a wide variety of custom line of business applications, each uniquely designed to fit any part of your business, all from a single platform. With the XRM business application platform, experience how quickly data schemas can be modeled, business processes can be automated, and comprehensive changes can be made without IT release cycles. Optimize productivity, reduce costs, and increase business agility across your business and IT organizations. Also, integrate your Microsoft Dynamics CRM application with Microsoft Dynamics GP and other data sources to provide powerful insight to your users. This session includes topics such as importing data into Microsoft Dynamics CRM from the web, importing customer lists, and linking the application to line-of-business applications.

This technical session will explain how combining Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) can provide a powerful solution for both structured and unstructured data. We’ll explore the options available for integrating Microsoft Dynamics CRM to SharePoint and vice versa, from dashboards, CRM Web parts, extranet capability for CRM contacts, and role-based workspaces, all of which help drive enhanced business performance and user productivity.

CRM Reporting & Dashboards, by the TM Group Dynamics CRM Consultants

Increase the insights your users gain from business data by providing them with interactive and compelling reports using Microsoft SQL Server Report Server. In this session you will learn which options are available for analytics within Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0; how to present reports to users where and when they need it; how to make reports more relevant to individuals and how to increase business performance with your business data. We’ll discuss options for deployment and configuration of your SQL Server Reporting Services server and take general questions on how to gain insight from your Microsoft Dynamics CRM data using reports, cubes and performance management tools.

New “Do or Die” Reality of Digital Marketing, By Melih Oztalay, SmartFinds Internet Marketing

The Internet has a parade of technologies that are released to the market very quickly. Some of these technologies require early adoption while others fall into short term hype cycles, but continue to stay with us. Internet marketing continues to change for both on-website work and off-website activity. Separating these disciplines is important to using the Internet as a business marketing tool. Internet marketing relative to Search Engine rankings, the use of Local Business Listings and Mobile marketing are converging that require foresight looking into 2012.

Take a fresh perspective on these five topics:

1. Cross the Chasm

2. Hype Cycles related to Social Media

3. Local Business Listings

4. Mobile Industry

5. Internet Marketing

For more information about Vision 2010, our Microsoft Dynamics conference, please visit the Vision 2010 homepage. You can contact me at andreed@tmgroupinc.com or phone 888-482-2864.

By Andree Dolan, Marketing Manager of The TM Group, a Michigan partner for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, and Microsoft Dynamics NAV