Microsoft Dynamics CRM is an easy-to-use, yet robust Customer Relationship Management solution that provides your sales professionals the ability to manage their leads, opportunities, pipeline, customer accounts, and contacts.  With the familiar look and feel of Microsoft Office and the convenience of using it within either a browser or directly within Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM also provides useful functionality for your sales managers, such as goals, metrics, dashboards, and powerful reporting capability.

Beyond being a fantastic CRM system, Microsoft Dynamics CRM also fully integrates with Microsoft Dynamics GP & AX, eliminating the need to perform double-entry for such things as contact or account address changes.  In addition, if you use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to generate quotes and orders, you can also automatically create invoices in Microsoft Dynamics GP & AX, saving time and the need for entering sales into two systems.

Whether you are a distributor or manufacturer for medical devices or any other industry, I hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely,

Todd Bowlsby, , MCP, MCTS | Account Executive ERP/CRM & Senior Dynamics Consultant
InterDyn – Remington Consulting, Oregon Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

CRM and ERP Integration – Really?! is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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It has been a year since the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and while last year’s conference expo was home to multiple CRM solution exhibits, this year will no doubt have more.  Just like the newest release of MS CRM 2011, partner solutions have had another year to grow, test and become tighter and more efficient.

Don’t miss this opportunity to visit the InterDyn AKA Booth 252 to see a live demo of DynamicsADvantage for CRM – a fully integrated ad sales management system that works within Microsoft Dynamics to improve the sales, marketing and customer services processes for media, broadcast, and publishing companies. DynamicsADvantage for CRM provides the ability to track advertiser-agency relationships, sales automation within Outlook, opportunity to proposal and order creation, as well as integration into Dynamics and other financial systems. DynamicsADvantage makes Microsoft Dynamics CRM relevant for an ad sales department of a media company, while leveraging the power of existing Microsoft products including Outlook. 

Booking your travel and setting a schedule of product sessions and hands-on labs to attend are all great ways to prepare for a successful conference but don’t forget to check out the list of updated and new exhibitors who offer products and services that will add to your existing solution. We hope to see you there!

by InterDyn AKA, New York Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

Come See a Demo of DynamicsADvantage for CRM at Microsoft Dynamics Convergence in Houston Texas! is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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1. First of all, Matt Keenan from Microsoft gave an excellent keynote about the Future of CRM. I learned that Microsoft has market momentum with 1200+ partners, 2M+ users, 30,000+ customers, and 2200+ CRM apps in the Dynamics marketplace. Amazing numbers indeed! He also focused on how the functionality of Microsoft Dynamics® CRM is tailored to productivity and helping companies do more with less. I think this resonates with many companies out there today trying to bounce back from the economic recession.
2. Tony Clayton from Microsoft also gave an interesting presentation around CRM Online. Did you know that Microsoft has committed $2.3B to the cloud infrastructure so far? They’ve also created state-of-the-art datacenters with 30,000 engineers working on Cloud services, creating optimal public and private cloud flexibility. Today, Microsoft has 150,000 concurrent users, .40 second average response time, and 16.87 million transactions per day.
3. In addition to some interesting statistics around CRM, a few presentations focused on the issues users have with CRM. One of which was integrations. Some companies plunge into integrations before they know for sure if they even need it. There are alternatives that could save users time and money, such as SSRS reporting, iFrame embedding, BI tools, and system integration instead of data integration. Whatever your situation, make sure you cover all the bases before moving into complicated integration of your CRM data.

All in all, I learned a lot while in Las Vegas for extreme 2011 and hope these three “takeaways” help paint a better picture about what Microsoft Dynamics CRM is about and how to handle some predominating issues in the CRM space today. If you have more questions either about CRM in general or how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help your business, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Sikich.

By Jim Drumm with Sikich, Chicago IL Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner serving IL and MO

Top Three Things I Learned at Extreme CRM 2011 is a post from: CRM Software Blog

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Prior to switching to Microsoft Dynamics CRM online, Magma had been using disparate ERP and CRM systems, ERP from SAP and CRM from Salesforce.com. These two solutions did not integrate with one another easily causing a number of issues for the organization. These included:

• Difficulties accessing information – according to Vicki Flores, Vice President of Information Services at Magma Design Automation, “managers, sales account executives and R&D team members needed to see what customers’ and prospects’ concerns are, where leads come from, and how the sales department moves them through the purchasing cycle.” But, with the disjointed system, this could not be done without manual workarounds.
• Inefficient search and workflow capabilities – this system also made it impossible for employees to share reports with one another. Without easy access to current information, managers found it difficult to effectively plan and control business activities. Also, searching the systems was a laborious process, Flores states, “if you edited your search criteria you had to start over. It could take up to 15 minutes to perform a detailed search. “
• Increasing expense and needless software functionality – Over time, Magma Design Automation became dissatisfied with Salesforce.com. Due in large part to the fact that managers felt the yearly price increases for this service were not commensurate with the software enhancements. Furthermore, they felt that some of the new features Salesforce.com introduced were irrelevant to their business.

 Because of these issues, Magma Design Automation decided it was time to search for another CRM solution. After an exhaustive search, the company decided that Microsoft Dynamics CRM online would be the best option to fit its needs. The key drivers behind this decision included:

• System integration – Microsoft Dynamics CRM online integrates with the other key technology that the company uses including SAP, Microsoft Outlook, Molten (the company’s external website and customer portal) and ExactTarget.
• Simplified workflows –The company was able to replace the many thousands of custom scripts programmers had written to force its disparate systems to work together with approximately 30 customer relationship management entries and 250 workflows for important, frequent tasks.
• Substantial savings –Microsoft Dynamics CRM online needs little administrator support, integrates with existing systems, is easy to work with and comes with comparatively low licensing fees.
• Faster customer service response time –Magma’s customer portal now integrates with Microsoft Dynamics CRM giving customers more direct ways to communicate with the company and easily take care of simple issues on their own.
• Increased sales and marketing efficiency –Microsoft Dynamics CRM online integrates with both Microsoft Outlook and Exact target, providing Magma with a 360° view of each customer’s activity.
• Improved decision-making and planning – Microsoft Dynamics CRM online allows you to refine queries until you see exactly what you’re looking for, save queries as views, and make decisions based on real-time results.

 If Magma Design Automation’s situation sounds familiar and you’d like to learn how your company can improve its efficiency and productivity with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please contact us.  We’d love to help!

By: Laura Heinbockel Intelligent Technologies, Inc., a Greensboro, NC Microsoft Dynamics Partner

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Microsoft Office 365 brings advanced functionality to businesses with online software hosted in the cloud. It makes it easy for everyone within your organization to work together seamlessly and productively. Everyone at your company can have real-time access to emails, web conferencing, documents, and calendars. Office 365 brings the office together whether they’re virtually based or in an actual office.

When this functionality merges with that of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the possibilities expand. Office 365 makes collaboration easy and manageable, while CRM holds the key to offering optimal customer support and services. In order for your team to be productive with your customers and clients, they need to be efficient internally as well. The combination of these two innovative solutions makes this possible, and will help companies meet the competitive edge they’ve been looking for.

As I mentioned above, the integration isn’t available quite yet, but it’s a good time to conduct your research. Learn more about both solutions and make sure the capabilities are right for what you’re looking for. There are also free trial options for both solutions, so if you’re unsure of whether it will help you, try it out!

If you have any questions in the software evaluation process, please feel free to contact us at Rimrock Corporation. We are a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner in Ontario, Canada and are dedicated to offering the tools and resources needed to make the right decision for your software purchases.

By Jonathan Taub of Rimrock Corporation, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner based out of Ontario Canada

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Harsh, but true… and if your employees can’t access complete customer information fast, you are going to lose business.  The good news is that you can fix the data access problems that are slowing you down. An integrated business management system will connect the silos of information throughout your organization.

Connect departmental silos

When Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics GP are connected with the Connector for Microsoft Dynamics, the silos of sales, service, operations, and accounting data are eliminated. Some of the time savings that the integration will give your teams include:

• ·         salespeople can see where orders are in the fulfillment process,
• ·         customer service will know when there is a credit hold on an account,
• ·         accounting can access closed service tickets and invoice quickly,
• ·         inventory and price changes are available to the sales team immediately.

Sales and service teams with the whole story

Imagine when your sales and service teams have access to the backoffice information at their fingertips, they will be able to give customers better service, like:

• ·         “Yes, you can order the X400. And for only $20 you can add the X400 case which we have in stock.”
• ·         “Yes, I can see that your order shipped yesterday via Fed Ex. You should have it in the next hour.”
• ·         “Yes, we received your return this morning and have processed the credit to your account.”  

Those are the answers that your customers expect and will give them a reason to remain loyal, repeat customers.

To find out you can beat your competition with great customer service, call Sam at 1-87PLANET11 or send an email scool@go-planet.com .

Planet’s CRM team has posted another free CRM App “Maps for CRM 2011” providing integration with Bing maps. Try it and let us know what you think. 

by Planet Technologies, Maryland/DC Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

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Dynamics CRM provides a powerful yet easy-to-use CRM solution delivered over the Internet or installed in your datacenter, so that organizations can get up and running quickly and cost-effectively with the flexibility to meet the unique needs of any business. Read our customer success stories for a few examples of the many benefits of CRM for nonprofits.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM equips nonprofit professionals with access to constituent information through a full suite of marketing, sales, and customer service capabilities with a familiar Microsoft Office Outlook experience to help ensure rapid user adoption and fast results.

Microsoft Community Affairs and the Dynamics CRM product team have developed Microsoft Dynamics CRM Donation Management as a starting point for non-profit organizations. The accelerator has modified the corporate version of CRM to include objects such as “Donations” and relationships to “Members”. The Solution can be modified to suit most non-profit business needs through customization. Basically, Dynamics now allows nonprofits to turn their CRM into a DRM [Donor Relationship Management]!

Additional features include client and service data management, case management, group activity scheduling, and volunteer management.

Even more, Dynamics CRM easily integrates with your Dynamics ERP solution – whether AX, GP, SL, or NAV!

The team at MIG provides powerful solutions that allow NFPs to automate processes while tracking donations and reducing costs. Contact us to find out how our technology can help your business grow and improve in this challenging economic environment.

MIG & Co. – MIG is a Professional Consulting Firm that specializes in the implementation of business management software solutions including Customer Relationship Management. We automate business processes to ensure our customers work efficiently. A New York City based Microsoft Dynamics Gold Partner, primarily serving New York,  New Jersey and Connecticut.

by Mig & Co., New York Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

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Design Comes First
The design phase of a project involves determining the best way to use the application to meet your company’s needs. With accounting systems, federal regulations often dictate the structure and end result. The process variations between companies usually require making a choice between several configuration options. On the other hand, the processes companies support with CRM vary widely and the decisions are less about options and more about envisioning the future.

Development Phase
During the development phase, accounting systems generally follow a more traditional waterfall development model, where the system is more or less constructed and tested as a whole system. Microsoft Dynamic CRM lends itself to the Agile software development model. Dynamics CRM allows for quick, iterative development working in conjunction with your company’s project team to help visualize processes that may be ‘under construction’.

Going Live
The largest discrepancy between implementations comes during the Go-Live phase. Accounting systems are usually implemented for a smaller group of users, performing similar functions and interact with management for reporting purposes. In contrast, CRM systems may span multiple functional departments, be accessed worldwide and used by almost every person at the company, including management. The CRM system may need to be accessed in multiple languages and by multiple methods including mobile devices and over the Internet.

A CRM implementation will have many more ‘people’ variables to deal with. Change management will play an important part in user adoption, much more so than with an accounting implementation. Keeping these things in mind, as well as the other differences mentioned may help you with planning your implementation.

Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 (skane@broadpoint.net) to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, the premier Dynamics CRM reseller in Virginia, can help your organization efficiently evaluate and implement Dynamics CRM.

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM continues to be a leader in customer relationship management tools as indicated by independent research from Gartner and Forrester.  Not only is it powerful and user-friendly, it is also flexible.  That’s where xRM (Anything Relationship Management or eXtended Relationship Management) comes into the picture. Organizations can leverage the flexibility, features, and functionality of Microsoft CRM to extend the application and support their businesses in new ways they might not have thought possible.

How might you extend CRM?  Consider managing your HR relationships with employees and job candidates.  A builder could use CRM to manage relationships with contractors, sub-contractors, and material suppliers.  A restaurant chain could use CRM to manage the relationships with its franchisees and restaurant locations. The options are limited only by the limits of your imagination.  And in each scenario, the built-in features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM such as workflow processing, activity tracking, charting, reporting, and integration with Outlook can be utilized and extended with no additional software fees!

What is the benefit of using Microsoft CRM for xRM?  Can’t you buy another software package specifically for that extended purpose?  The answer in some cases is “yes”.  The question then becomes “Why?  Why spend the money for another package when your existing tool can do it for you?”  As you discuss your CRM implementation plans with your Microsoft gold partner, you should consider how else you might leverage your software investment to meet your needs.   Much of the efforts to develop a custom xRM application using Microsoft CRM can be done by a proficient user.  The CRM toolset utilizes point and click, drag and drop functionality making it easy to create new fields and design new forms or views.  Your xRM application can be extended even further with the help of a developer using the Microsoft .Net platform and JavaScript.  Either way, your organization can benefit from using the same basic knowledge of the CRM platform to extend its functionality to other parts of your business. 

When considering how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help support your business, it’s important to think outside the box; beyond the usual limits of traditional CRM functionality.  Talk with your CRM consultants about the possibilities.  You might just find that you’re getting more for your money than you thought!

By Ledgeview Partners – Wisconsin based Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner serving the Midwest and Heartland regions

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Change Isn’t Easy
Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have heard this. Many organizations face this same challenge and the reasons for their resistance to give up the data often underscores a larger issue: they don’t want to change the way they do things. This can be a difficult hurdle to overcome and the horror stories the employees share can be compelling.

Protecting the Data
One such story revolves around a staff member having shared data in a previous job. Shortly after sharing her information, someone else in the company inadvertently sent an email to her contacts which angered them and caused her to have to answer for that other person’s mistake. This is a valid concern that can be alleviated by taking time to discuss proper security settings and providing an open line of communications between the staff and administrator.

My Contacts, My Data
One particular sticking point can occur when your team members are in a competitive environment with each other, such as a sales group. Many people believe that THEY own contact data, not the company. There are times where they have developed a strong relationship with a contact and do not want to give it up. The fact is, they may own the relationship but the data always belongs to the company. If the relationship is strong, then sharing that contact data will not impact that. At the end of the day, it’s very possible that they will give up some prospects that were not very fruitful and inherit some solid, productive relationships that lead to new business.

After all is said and done, there are many benefits to being part of a shared data environment such as Dynamics CRM. Improved data security, better access to data tools and support are just a few of the advantages of the shared data platform. Whenever resistance or challenges to data sharing arises, the key is to work with the user to see the benefits from a personal and corporate perspective, and mitigate the objections to help alleviate their concerns.

Contact Steve Kane at 301-634-2404 (skane@broadpoint.net) to find out how BroadPoint Technologies, the premier Dynamics CRM reseller in Virginia, can help your organization to optimize its data and keep everyone on the same page.

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