CRM Software Blog» Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner Ohio

3 Ways to Feel Secure Taking CRM to the Cloud

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:44:52 +0000

While there is a strong movement toward deploying business management solutions, like CRM systems, in the cloud, we know that there is still some apprehension. If you are considering a cloud CRM solution, there are a few ways to gain some confidence in your choice:

Choose a Proven Vendor:

When it comes to Software as a Service(SaaS) or cloud solutions, it is important to know and trust and the creator of the software solution. Therefore, selecting a tool like Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, which is an industry leading crm system being offered in the cloud by an organization with proven cloud capabilities. I think Satya Nadella, president of the Servers and Tools Business at Microsoft, put it well in a recent interview when he said, “I think it’s also about the business relationship our customers have with Microsoft … So as we move to the cloud we are working both as trusted advisors on the technology and trusted business partners to our customers.”

Choose a Trusted Partner:

If you are at all on the fence about whether or not a cloud CRM system is the right choice for your business, working with a trusted partner to assess your needs and provide you with an objective opinion can help you ensure you are making the best possible decision. By choosing a solution like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can choose whether you want to deploy it in the cloud or on premise, and you have the flexibility to change deployment methods down the road if your needs change. However, not all Microsoft Dynamics CRM partners can offer you this choice. Select a partner, like Socius, who offers both deployment types and has experience helping clients transition between them to feel truly confident that your needs will be supported for the entire time you are using the solution.

Choose Predictable Services:

One of the great benefits of having your CRM deployed in the cloud is that you don’t have to worry about routine maintenance and software updates – those are all handled automatically and included in your subscription plan. However, you still need to take into consideration your initial implementation and training. In order for your system to be effective and adopted by your users, you need solid implementation services to get you up and running right. Socius offers rapid implementation services with predictable, packaged pricing so that you know up front what you’ll need to spend to start using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Get an instant quote for your cloud software and services for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with Socius!

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

3 Ways to Feel Secure Taking CRM to the Cloud is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Usability and Functionality – How Does Microsoft Dynamics CRM Measure Up?

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:33:00 +0000

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the recently released Nucleus Research Technology Value Matrix 2H2011: CRM, the picture tells a predictable story about the three leading customer relationship management (CRM) solutions on the market: Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Salesforce.com, and Oracle.

The graphic shows that while Microsoft Dynamics is the clear winner as the most usable CRM solution available, Salesforce.com and Oracle edge it out on functionality. However, the picture doesn’t tell the whole story.

Just below the image, Nucleus Researchers note that Dynamics CRM’s functional position will improve in future Matrices in light of the addition of new social collaboration tools including support for:

Activity feeds
Microblogging
Conversations
Automated activity updates

However, these new functional developments are NOT forthcoming for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, they are already available! They were included in the recent service update, but they were not taken into consideration for placement on this Technology Value Matrix. That means that Microsoft Dynamics CRM users are taking advantage of the most user-friendly and highly functional CRM solution available today.

Try it out for yourself free for 30 days!

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Usability and Functionality – How Does Microsoft Dynamics CRM Measure Up? is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Back to Basics: Dynamics CRM for Sales Force Automation

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:46:00 +0000

With all of the exciting new features in the customer relationship management (CRM) software world today (like Social CRM, marketing automation, activity feeds, and more) it is easy to be blinded by the hottest new thing and forget about the core functionality that provides the backbone for a CRM solution.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is an industry leader in Sales Force Automation because it powers the productivity of sales people, enabling them to spend more time selling and less time on administrative tasks. Dynamics CRM allows you to take advantage of embedded Microsoft Office capabilities, full visibility to your leads from first contact to final sale, guided sales processes, and actionable analytics so that you can optimize your sales efforts. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is:

Familiar to users with sales tools that are intuitive and personalized to each role, giving your sales people better access to the data they need to do their jobs effectively.
Intelligent so that your users have access to insightful information and the ability to take action on it.
A connection builder, enabling your sales organization to collaborate and operate in a more unified manner with the help of the insightful Connections feature and others.

Craig Lutsi, an Account Manager at The Shepherd Chemical Company, explains what needs their sales organization was trying to fill when selecting a CRM solution and how Microsoft Dynamics CRM fit those needs and helped them focus on selling instead of administrative tasks in this quick video:

See firsthand what Microsoft Dynamics CRM can do for your sales force by trying it free for 30 days!

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Back to Basics: Dynamics CRM for Sales Force Automation is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Dynamics CRM for the Enterprise? Guess Who is Proving This Really Works!

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:35:35 +0000

Since its inception, Microsoft Dynamics CRM has been a leader in providing innovative relationship management solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. It has proven itself time and again to be a powerful business productivity tool that has helped midmarket businesses maximize their marketing dollars, win more sales more efficiently, delight their customers, and optimize every business relationship interaction. In recent years, it has stood out from the midmarket CRM solution pack by offering the power of choice in deployment (either on-premise or online) to customers along with the ability to easily change deployment methods.

However, critics of Dynamics CRM have perennially passed it over in discussions of leading enterprise level CRM solutions, focusing instead on the traditional players, like Oracle Siebel CRM. These critics have failed to see how Dynamics CRM addresses enterprise specific business and IT requirements through its:

Role-tailored user experience
Easy configuration of screens, workflow, and data model
Web services integration
Flexible SOA platform
Enterprise scalability

Microsoft has hundreds of enterprise customers world-wide using Dynamics CRM to enhance their relationship-driven business processes. However, there is one that they are particularly excited about. This organization is a global enterprise, with more than 40,000 sales, marketing and service professionals in more than 100 countries around the world managing relationships with more than 145,000 business customers and partners. They were running an outdated Siebel solution that was difficult to use, required excessive time to input information, allowed data to get lost and, because users disliked the system, adoption was dismal, leading to overall lost productivity for the company.

Like most organizations considering a new business management solution, this company wanted a CRM system that could be used enterprise-wide, provide flexibility to customize to the needs of various business groups, be easy to deploy and, most of all, would deliver measurable value. They used traditional criteria to assess their options and decided to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Now that the implementation is complete and they are free of Siebel CRM, user satisfaction is at an all-time high with 90 percent adoption in the first 30 business days. Additionally, the company has saved $10 million a year in reduced operations and support costs and has realized more than $80 million in sales productivity gains.

So who is this satisfied Dynamics CRM customer?

It’s Microsoft.

Read more about how Microsoft Dynamics CRM stacks up against Oracle Siebel CRM to see if it is a better fit for your enterprise organization.

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Dynamics CRM for the Enterprise? Guess Who is Proving This Really Works! is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Ensure the Success of Your CRM Online Go-Live: Check!

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:36:19 +0000

Some of the greatest benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online are its ease of implementation, ease of customization, ease of support, and ease of use. Despite all of these benefits, the best way to ensure that you are implementing your Dynamics CRM Online solution accurately and efficiently is to engage the trusted CRM partner that you purchased through.

With the support of your CRM partner, your CRM Online users and administrators can benefit from having some clear-cut information that will help you have the best possible experience with your new solution, even before you start using it.

To help your organization prepare for a successful implementation of CRM Online and maintain a positive functional experience with your solution, Microsoft has prepared a “Go-Live Checklist.” This document features a compilation of common configuration settings and tasks along with important online resources that your entire business can leverage over and over again.

This is a great resource, especially for organizations interested in taking advantage of the complimentary 30-day trial of Dynamics CRM Online. Go through the checklist before you kick off your trial to get the most out of the solution and to get a better understanding of how it will truly work for your organization.

Download the Dynamics CRM Online Go-Live Checklist now!

By Socius, a Dynamics CRM Online partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Ensure the Success of Your CRM Online Go-Live: Check! is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Software Advice Talks SalesForce.com Alternatives

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 01:25:58 +0000

Recently, Lauren Carlson, a CRM Analyst for Software Advice, wrote a blog post in which she assessed five cloud CRM solutions that compete effectively with SalesForce.com. The first solution she profiled as being a great alternative for organizations not interested in SFDC was Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

In my opinion…

While her assessment of the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online covered the highlights of what makes it a competitive hosted CRM solution, she failed to mention one thing that I think is a key difference between Dynamics CRM and SalesForce.com. That difference would be the deployment flexibility that the Microsoft solution offers. With Dynamics CRM, you own your data; so if you start out with the hosted CRM Online solution and down the road, your business needs change and an on-premise deployment would be preferable, you can switch quickly and easily. On the other hand, if you start out with SalesForce.com and eventually want your data stored on your own servers, you will have to find a new CRM solution, which can result in a tremendous increase in time and cost, a learning curve for your employees, the challenge of promoting user adoption of a new solution, and the potential for data loss or corruption.

Aside from this omission, I think that Lauren Carlson does a good job of highlighting the strengths of Microsoft Dynamics CRM as an alternative to SFDC without glossing over some issues that would affect potential users’ choices.

Below is the Microsoft Dynamics CRM portion of her post:

Salesforce Alternatives | 5 Cloud CRM Systems to Consider

Salesforce.com is the recognized leader in cloud CRM solutions — and for good reason. One of the first SaaS-based customer relationship management (CRM) products on the market, Salesforce offers an easy-to-use tool with deep sales force automation (SFA) functionality. It’s a great solution for many companies, but buyers like options. So what other systems should you add to your CRM shortlist?

Here I recommend five alternative cloud CRM products that are worth testing out.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Analysts and end-users alike consistently rank Dynamics CRM among the top products available on the market. With the latest release of Dynamics CRM 2011, Microsoft has made a credible move onto Salesforce’s turf.

Dynamics CRM is a flexible system built on the .Net platform. It’s great for companies already committed to the Microsoft stack. The system has a familiar Outlook-like interface and can be easily customized to fit the needs of your organization. Also, Microsoft has an extensive network of partners, resellers and ISVs with expertise in developing customized and vertical solutions for specific industries.

Dynamics CRM 2011 makes some notable improvements over previous versions. My favorites include the improved UI and customizable dashboards. Users can navigate the system with fewer clicks and can personalize their view based on their role. The update also includes the built-in Dynamics Marketplace, a network of vendors that provides more than 1,400 add-on products and services.

One concern with Dynamics CRM used to be that updates only came out every three years. No longer. Microsoft recently announced bi-annual updates.

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Software Advice Talks SalesForce.com Alternatives is a post from: CRM Software Blog

For SFA –Dynamics CRM is a Leader and Visionary

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:23:02 +0000

According to Gartner researchers, more and more organizations are evaluating sales force automation (SFA) software solutions not only for opportunity management, but also for sales effectiveness and sales performance improvement. In light of this shift, Gartner has placed Microsoft Dynamics CRM in their “Leaders” quadrant and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in their “Visionaries” sector of their Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation.

Gartner cites the global reach and availability of the product, the user interface compatibility with Microsoft Outlook, the ability to create custom interfaces, the multitenant architecture, the vast partner network, and the integration with the Microsoft stack as reasons that Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premise is a leader in the sales force automation software industry. The report does caution potential users not to trust that Microsoft has vetted partners or third-party solution providers. However, this statement does not do justice to Microsoft’s extensive certification process for their partners and independent software vendors (ISVs). To be sure you are working with a trusted Microsoft Dynamics CRM resource, select a partner that is silver or gold certified in customer relationship management in the Microsoft Partner Network or a solution that is “Certified for Microsoft Dynamics”, which you can find in the Microsoft Marketplace.

For the first time, Gartner assessed the cloud deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as a separate product. It placed the software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution in the visionaries category because it combines committed service levels, contract flexibility and a low price. Like its on-premise counterpart, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online also provides interoperability with other Microsoft solutions, web or Outlook access, simplified customization, and global availability and language support (40 markets and 41 languages). Most of the cautions that Gartner made about the product were related to advanced features that will be added in the next few months or will be expanded into all markets in the near future.

On the whole, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is an innovative solution that responds to and directs emerging sales needs while Microsoft Dynamics CRM has demonstrated a market-defining vision of how technology can help the top sales executives achieve business objectives in the form of revenue and earnings. While Gartner sees them as separate products, they have the same user interface and benefits. To explore that interface and begin realizing those benefits for yourself, try Microsoft Dynamics CRM free today!

By Socius, a Gold Certified Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

For SFA –Dynamics CRM is a Leader and Visionary is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Oracle: According to the Analysts

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 04:02:21 +0000

Several times a year, leading analysts at organizations like Gartner and Forrester release their comparative studies of all customer relationship management (CRM) software solutions in a particular market segment. In the last year, Microsoft Dynamics CRM was listed as a leader in every one of these studies that was released, while the various Oracle CRM products faired differently across each of the studies.

In order to give you a big picture idea of how Microsoft Dynamics CRM compares with the CRM products from Oracle, let’s look at how each product stacked up in each of these market segments:

Sales Force Automation: (Based on the Gartner Magic Quadrant released August 2010)

Oracle’s Siebel CRM and Oracle CRM On Demand both ranked just below Microsoft Dynamics CRM on their “ability to execute”, which means that with Dynamics CRM the overall product is stronger, the strategy is more viable, the pricing is more competitive, and the customers are more satisfied. Whereas both Oracle products were ranked slightly higher than Dynamics on “completeness of vision” for innovative product and business strategy. Keep in mind, however, that this Magic Quadrant was published before full details about the then forthcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 were made public.

Customer Service: (Based on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer Service Contact Centers from April 2011 and the Forrester Wave™: CRM Suites Customer Service Solutions, Q3 ’10)

While both analyst agencies agree that Oracle’s Siebel CRM currently offers stronger functionality for customer service organizations than does Dynamics CRM, they differ on their perspective of the products’ vision and strategy. Gartner ranks them about even on completeness of vision while Forrester puts Microsoft ahead of Oracle’s Siebel CRM in terms of their customer service strategy. Forrester alone ranked Oracle CRM On Demand in this category, placing them on pace with Microsoft’s strategy, but far below them in terms of current product functionality. Forrester ranked Oracle E-Business Suite CRM and Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM in their “strong performers” category, while Gartner placed the E-Business Suite in their “niche players” quadrant, giving them the lowest ranking on “completeness of vision” of any product included in the study.

For Midsized Organizations: (Based on the Forrester Wave™: CRM Suites For Midsized Organizations, Q2 ’10)

For midsized organizations, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and its SaaS version, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, were the obvious leaders in all areas, thanks to their advanced functionality while retaining an ease of use, rapid deployment and time-to-value, competitive pricing structure, native integration with Microsoft Outlook and inter-operability within the Microsoft stack. As an affordable SaaS solution, Oracle CRM On Demand was close behind Microsoft and the only Oracle owned CRM product that was deemed a “leader” in this market segment. Oracle’s Siebel CRM is functionally adequate for midsized businesses but is often too costly to be deployed. Oracle’s E-Business Suite CRM and PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM were only deemed “strong performers” for organizations already using the corresponding ERP solutions.

For Large Organizations: (Based on the Forrester Wave™: CRM Suites For Large Organizations, Q2 ’10)

While Oracle’s Siebel CRM narrowly beat out Microsoft’s current offer usability, Dynamics CRM’s strategy was ranked significantly more suited for large organizations than Oracle’s. Oracle CRM On Demand lagged behind Microsoft in both areas, but also beat out its Siebel counterpart in terms of product strategy. While E-Business Suite CRM and PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM were both considered to have strategies better suited for large organizations than midsized, they both still only ranked as “strong performers” recommended only to organizations currently using the appropriate Oracle ERP suites.

To read the in-depth reports that correspond with each of these comparative analyses, view each of these Forrester Wave and Gartner Magic Quadrants today!

If you are currently using an Oracle CRM product and are considering a switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, do so before June 30, 2011 to pay only $34 per user per month and also receive a $200 per user pay-out for each Dynamics CRM Online user purchased (regardless of how many Oracle user licenses you own).

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Oracle: According to the Analysts is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Dynamics CRM 2011 Offers Big ROI in Short Time

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:00:11 +0000

As a CRM software partner, we like to talk about the benefits of a customer relationship management solution. We like to explain how a new system like Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 can:

Save you time and money because of its familiar user interface
Enhance collaboration and reduce errors by streamlining processes across your organization
Grow with your business by giving you the power to choose an online or on-premise deployment (or switch between the two if your needs change)
Connect your sales, marketing, and customer service staff with the information and people they need to make better business decisions and work more efficiently
And so many more…

But we know that all of that doesn’t matter much to you unless we can put some dollars and cents behind it.

Fortunately, Forrester Research recently conducted an independent study to quantify the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. By interviewing several companies implementing the new release of Dynamics CRM and conducting their own financial analysis on the information, Forrester has prepared a composite case study of the potential Total Economic Impact of the solution on an organization. Within the parameters of their composite company, Forrester found that an organization could expect from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011:

A ROI of 243%
A payback period of only 4.1 months
A three-year NPV of $665,086 (risk-adjusted net benefits)

“The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011” report takes you point-by-point through the benefits that real companies are receiving from this solution and quantifies what each of these benefits means financially to the composite organization. According to Forrester’s research and analysis, companies looking to implement CRM 2011 can anticipate significant productivity gains and cost savings.

To learn how all of the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 together provide companies with tremendous value and ROI, download the full report here.

By Socius, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner in Ohio, Kansas City, and California

Dynamics CRM 2011 Offers Big ROI in Short Time is a post from: CRM Software Blog

CRM Hits the Mark for an Ideal Microsoft Dynamics Solution

Frank Nisenboum, Socius — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:54:24 +0000

In their keynote address at the recent Convergence conference, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, and VP of Microsoft Business Solutions, Kirill Tatarinov, stressed that the goal of all Microsoft Dynamics solutions is to make businesses more dynamic and that they achieve this by providing simplicity, value, and agility.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (and its cloud option Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online) epitomizes the ideal Dynamics solution in a number of ways.

Simplicity – Dynamics CRM is intuitive and familiar to the user. It not only works like other Microsoft products, it is actually part of Microsoft Outlook. This makes it easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to customize to fit your growing business needs.

Value – With a low purchase price, a low total cost of ownership, and tremendously high return on investment, Dynamics CRM brings value to a company and is a valuable asset. Dynamics CRM Online is currently available for $34 per user per month through June 30, 2011. Even when the price returns to its normal $44 per user per month, it will still be much lower than the price of its top competitors. Also, Microsoft is offering a $200 per user cash bonus for every Dynamics CRM Online user purchased now through May 28, 2011!

Once a Dynamics CRM system is purchased and in use, it continues to provide great value to an organization by streamlining processes, improving communications across the organization and with customer and vendors, and improving the efficiency of sales and marketing staff. Kyle Murray, the CIO at Divisions, Inc., a Cincinnati-area Facilities Maintenance company, said this about their Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution:

“To say Dynamics CRM has paid for itself is an understatement. It has changed the way we do business…The efficiency gains are enormous. We are literally savings thousands of hours annually.”

Agility – Dynamics CRM improves the agility of the organizations using it while being an agile solution itself. With point-and-click customizations, role-based forms and reports, declarative design, and powerful developer tools, Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be easily customized to change as your needs change. However, the one thing that Dynamics CRM offers that few of its competitors do is the power of deployment choice and the flexibility to change deployment options. Dynamics CRM is available either on-premise or in the cloud (with Dynamics CRM Online), and the option is available to switch from cloud to on-premise (or vice versa) as your organization’s needs evolve.

To experience the Simplicity, Value, and Agility of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, try it free for 30 days!

By Socius, an Ohio Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner

CRM Hits the Mark for an Ideal Microsoft Dynamics Solution is a post from: CRM Software Blog

CRM Software Blog» Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner Ohio

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