Many of our CRM clients don’t realize that social media marketing features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM can greatly streamline their marketing activities. Let’s take a look at how:

Tracking and Measurement: It’s one thing to have a social media strategy in place, and completely another to be able to measure what’s working and what’s not. If your strategy worked the first few weeks or even months, it’s very likely it’s not as effective anymore. With how fast the social media stage changes, you need to constantly keep ahead of the tide. When social networks and CRM work together well, businesses gain the ability to better listen to customer conversations and engage social customers on their own terms while managing and measuring their efforts to do so. By combining CRM with social networks, you can also get closer to a true view of your customers so you can further optimize your marketing, sales, and customer service efforts.

Richer Connections: Social media is a new way to communicate with your customers and prospects, which means an opportunity for richer connections.  By combining CRM and social networking, you can easily track conversations and stay connected 24/7, creating great relationships that generate business and customer loyalty.

Streamlined Management: There are also more options as add-on modules to enhance your social media marketing reach even further. Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM are add-on modules developed to address specific business needs. The Social Networking Accelerator allows Microsoft Dynamics CRM users to discover online conversations, identify influential people, and engage with them on social networking sites using their customer system of record—Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

If you would like to learn more about how connecting social media networks and Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help your business, please contact me by calling 416-369-4362 or by emailing gmartin@bdo.ca.

By Gillian Martin with BDO Solutions, Leading Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Canada

BDO Solutions has implemented hundreds of Microsoft Dynamics solutions in many industries and leverage our expertise to help clients find out what works best for them.

Social Media Networks in Combination with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Create Marketing Power is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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Often viewed as a sales tool, Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides so much more, and is a platform for solutions such as these and provides templates for common functionality including:

• Basic Membership Management
• Donation and Pledge Management
• Case Management
• Event Management
• Campaign Management
• Volunteer Tracking

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform also allows for further configurations to allow organizations to tailor their solution to meet their unique needs.

One not-for-profit client moved from a Grant Program to Microsoft Dynamics CRM and after configuring the system for their needs, they found other ways to leverage the solution.  This has allowed them to experience improved customer service, better service response, and enhance visibility into programs.  All of these configurations have allowed this organization to work smarter rather than harder and do more without any staffing changes.

Watch McGladrey’s recent webinar to learn how Microsoft Dynamics CRM handles non-profit’s relationship challenges and a short demo of the Not-for-Profit Accelerator. 

By:  Tammy Zeoli, RSM McGladrey, Inc. , Top Microsoft Dynamics Partner for Not-for-Profit Organizations, a New Jersey Microsoft Dynamics Partner

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Helps Not-For-Profit Organizations Do More With Less is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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3. Theme from WPC 2010 is “The Cloud”

I have to say, I agree with this approach.  While ERP and accounting software online has been slow to take off, CRM applications are a natural fit online and have been very well received by organizations.  The reasons are many.  At one time, organizations pushed back due to issues around security, availability, network connectivity, and a perceived lack of ownership.  Today’s CRM applications have addressed all of these concerns.  Most organizations are more connected, and in the case someone needs to work offline, Dynamics CRM allows this type of functionality.  Our clients are seeing the online version of CRM is secure and their data is safe.  They also see how online application can be tailored to meet the specific business needs of an organization.  Dynamics CRM not only provides accelerators for non profits, but non profits can use those accelerators as a starting point and continue to tailor the relationship applications to address their business issues.  Having an online application that is tailored to an organizations unique needs provides real value, quickly.  Applications can be up and running in days or weeks and can be rolled out to users quickly.  Intuitive interfaces and integration with Microsoft Outlook increases user adoption, allowing an organization to gain benefit more rapidly. 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online allows organizations to gain real business value without costly upfront software licensing.  For example, the current online price point for not for profit users can not be beat! Less than $10 per user per month.  THAT is value. 

By: Mike Nafziger, RSM McGladrey, Inc.,  Microsoft Dynamics Partner for Not-for-Profit Organizations

Theme from WPC 2010 is “The Cloud” is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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Microsoft provides an ever growing list of “Accelerators” that enhance the functionality of Dynamics CRM and are available for download at no additional cost to Dynamics CRM 4.0 users.  There are currently 13 Accelerators that help streamline functions in every area of the solution: from sales, to marketing, to support and beyond. 

Click on any of the following Accelerators to see if they might fit your functional needs:

• Social Networking
• Portal Integration
• Partner Relationship Management (PRM)
• CRM Notifications
• Event Management
• Sales Forecasting
• eServices
• Enterprise Search
• Analytics
• Business Productivity Newsfeed
• Business Productivity Workflow Tools
• Business Data Auditing
• Sales Performance International

You can implement any of these Accelerators quickly and easily either during an initial implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM or anytime during your use of the system as your business needs change. 

Want some hands-on experience to see if Microsoft Dynamics CRM will meet your business requirements?  Try it Free for 30 Days!

By Socius, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Partner

Free Features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM You Shouldn’t Forget About is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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Can you quickly identify and reach out to members that may be affected by a catastrophe?  Can you provide a conduit for members who want to help their fellows in need?  Can you monitor and support social media to participate in real time communication?

Dynamics CRM provides you with centralized information to support outreach to your members in times of trouble.  Leveraging full integration with web, social media, and financial management, you can provide the support that your members need in a crisis.

• Quickly identify members that may be affected,
• Communicate immediately with the resources that are available to help them,
• Monitor and participate through social media such as Twitter and Facebook,
• Rally unaffected members to aid their fellows and provide them with easy options to show their support.

Make sure your membership organization is prepared for crisis with Dynamics CRM. Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 or skane@broadpoint.net to find out from BroadPoint Technologies, the premier Dynamics CRM reseller in Virginia, how to support your members.

by BroadPoint Technologies, a Virginia Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Be Prepared To Serve Your Members In Times Of Crisis With Dynamics CRM is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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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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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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The good news is that the Dynamics CRM landscape today is ripe with opportunity for partners and coding enthusiasts alike to build supplemental functionality that meets the critical needs of a variety of industries and organizations.  Microsoft has been supportive of these efforts and has provided sandbox sites, community forums and open access to the Microsoft team and its MVP’s so participants can collaborate and build upon each others’ creations.

The most exciting area of this effort is the set of CRM Accelerators that are FREE for download to anyone that is interested.  Accelerators are a collection of add-on solutions developed for Dynamics CRM customers and partners that can be configured to broaden marketing, sales and service capabilities.  In addition to being free, Microsoft has also committed to fully supporting these Accelerators, just like any other custom code that adheres to their Software Development Kit (SDK) guidelines; this means that Accelerators will continue to work without issue after any future upgrades.   Finally, to sweeten the pot, all source-code for the Accelerators are provided with the applications so CRM truly does become anyone’s playground. 

There are some Accelerators that are more basic than others, or that are simply a nice add-on to core functionality, like the Newsfeed, Business Productivity Workflows and Notifications pieces.  But that is only the tip of the iceberg.  For those seeking a more robust solution, Extended Forecasting, Portal Integration and Partner Relationship Management, among others, are all worth a look.  It wasn’t long ago that any of these items would have been available only through a close partnership with CRM Partners and a lot of investment in custom work.  Partners still provide a very valuable service in extending and enhancing these Accelerators for their clients, but companies with CRM have a much stronger basis for building out their system to truly become just what they need with the help of these Accelerators.

FMT Consultants is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for Dynamics CRM and GP located in Carlsbad, California.  Visit our website at http://www.fmtconsultants.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fmtconsultants. 

 by Natasha Serrano of FMT Consultants, LLC, a California Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in Dynamics CRM and GP.

Hitting The Gas – Capitalizing On CRM Accelerators is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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