CRM Software Blog» microsoft dynamics GP + microsoft dynamics CRM

Are Silos of Information Killing Your Business?

Planet Technologies — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:03:00 +0000

Customers expect a lot these days. They expect to get product questions answered quickly. They expect your employees to be able to pull up their order immediately. They expect to resolve problems quickly. If you don’t meet their expectations, they go elsewhere. It’s easy to find a new vendor.

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

Are Silos of Information Killing Your Business? is a post from: CRM Software Blog

CRM for Nonprofits: Turn Your CRM into a DRM

Jane Serra, MIG & Co. — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:03:38 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics CRM combines everyday Microsoft Office applications with powerful customer relationship management (CRM) software to rapidly improve relationships with donors, volunteers, and clients. Microsoft Community Affairs has worked with the Dynamics product team to create Donation Management, a solution that turns a powerful sales and marketing tool into a robust CRM tailored to non-profit needs.

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

CRM for Nonprofits: Turn Your CRM into a DRM is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Put a Smile on Your Face with the CRM 2011 Import Process

Intelligent Technologies, Inc. — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:03:46 +0000

Importing into CRM before was always a bit of a challenge for me. I did not do it often and when I did I found the re-education less than intuitive. Well the import process for CRM 2011 makes sense to me and I don’t mind telling you, I am a big fan. I think you will be too.

The new process is available across CRM and walks you through choosing the file, mapping the fields, assigning the records, and even creating new fields on the fly! And where you start the import does not have to be where you end up, meaning, you may be in Accounts and click the Import Data button but realize you need to import the data to leads. The import process always asks for the record type, or data group to which you want the data imported.

There are a few preconfigured imports templates included. Among them is a generic one to get you started. You can also save the maps as customized maps to be used for those repetitive imports.

Then, depending on the map you choose, the data import wizard will try to match the fields in the data you are importing with fields in the data group into which you are importing. For the ones that do not match, you can map them yourself.

Maybe you realize you have some fields that are not currently created in CRM; Not to fear, the wizard will allow you to create them right then AND you can create validation for the field using the values in the data you are importing.

And it does not stop there! Often there are fields in my imports that are used for some reason that does not pertain to what I am doing so I don’t really need them in my import process. Usually I would go in and delete those columns before starting, I don’t have to do that anymore, the CRM 2011 import process allows me to ignore those columns. The process also allows me to actively ignore (using the mapping dropdown to choose ignore) or just leave it as unmapped. If I have unmapped records and continue with the process the process will let me know these unmapped fields will be ignored and will let me proceed. Nice.

Finally, the wizard will give me a link to the area in CRM where I can see if the process was successful, what records imported and what records did not. and some indication as to why not.

It may be wrong to be this excited about an import process but what can I say, stream lined, intuitive processes that handle stuff I never dreamed to ask for put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I think CRM 2011 might do the same for you.

by Paige L. Cassada of Intelligent Technologies, Inc. a Microsoft Dynamics partner in North Carolina

Put a Smile on Your Face with the CRM 2011 Import Process is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Keep Your Staff on Script with the New CRM 2011 Dialogue Process

Intelligent Technologies, Inc. — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:56:36 +0000

Consistent processes and pertinent information regarding clients is essential to providing the best service for your clients. The new dialogue feature in Microsoft CRM 2011 can help you.

Be it helping clients through the process of buying a product or assisting them with an issue, data is the key. Sometimes getting the right data is a challenge, usually because we don’t always ask the right questions at the right time – causing repeat emails or phone calls from us to the client or from the client to us. The dialogue feature allows you to provide your staff with a script and, if needed, can produce feedback to the client and action items for your staff.

For example, one of your customer service specialist makes a call regarding an open case. From the case, the specialist can initiate the dialogue process that is specific for the group of products being discussed. The specialist is prompted to check information and to ask questions specific to that product. As the questions progress, the answers obtained are stored within CRM for future use. Once the call is completed, the process initiates a post call email to the client thanking them for their time and providing a product specific attachment with additional information. A phone call is also scheduled for the next week so that the specialist can follow up with the client to make sure the product is still functioning properly.

Even though the above process is for a customer service case, a dialogue process could also be created to assist in the sales process - possibly to assist in the data gathering process or to prompt the sales person with additional products the client might be interested in purchasing.

The thing to remember about dialogue processes is that they allow your staff to work more efficiently by streamlining the process, handling the repetitive items, and gathering client specific information. This information will assist you in better knowing your clients and better understanding the trends in your business.

by Paige L. Cassada from Intelligent Technologies, Inc. a Microsoft partner in Greensboro NC

Keep Your Staff on Script with the New CRM 2011 Dialogue Process is a post from: CRM Software Blog

6 Ways Microsoft Dynamics CRM Integrates to Microsoft Dynamics GP

Anya Ciecierski, CAL Business Solutions, Inc. — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:28:09 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) is accounting/ERP software that is designed to meet the needs of growing companies at a price they can afford. From financial management to e-commerce, supply chain management to reporting and analysis, this integrated solution can help you gain accurate and timely business insight that you need to make smart strategic decisions. But wait, what about CRM? Fortunately, Microsoft Dynamics GP integrates to Microsoft Dynamics CRM with a free adaptor. Here are 6 integration points you can take advantage of:

Streamlined Order to Cash – CRM Orders connected to GP Sales Order Processing
Connected Sales Cycle – CRM selling connected to GP Products and Distribution
Optimized Forecasting – CRM Sales Forecasts roll into GP Forecast and Demand Planning
Improved Case Resolution – CRM Case Management connected to GP Customer History
Proactive Customer Service – CRM workflow connected to GP transactions
Better Decision Making – CRM Process Management and Analytics with GP Analytics

Curious how much these systems cost? Get a free Microsoft Dynamic GP Quick Quote Cost Estimate or Microsoft Dynamics CRM Quick Quote Cost Estimate.

If you want more information about how to use Microsoft Dynamics GP with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, contact CAL Business Solutions.

By CAL Business Solutions, Connecticut Microsoft Dynamics Partner

6 Ways Microsoft Dynamics CRM Integrates to Microsoft Dynamics GP is a post from: CRM Software Blog

CRM is not just for Sales, Marketing and Services – Part 2! Have You Considered Using It As A Financial and Operational Automation Tool?

Tad Remington, InterDyn Remington — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:18:37 +0000

In a recent blog we highlighted how historically, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions have been positioned for Sales, Marketing, and Service personnel. To expand on that blog, we want to have you think outside the box again and consider using CRM for financial and operational process automation as well. This is because one of the many benefits of a CRM solution is to help organizations eliminate hundreds, even thousands, of redundant tasks and free up time to focus on the most important tasks. These tasks can be in any department within your organization, including the finance and operational side of the business, such as:

• Credit application processes
• Following up on AR collections
• Looking for hard copy documents
• Asking for reports to be written

InterDyn – Remington Consulting would like to help you learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help automate these tasks by attending a FREE Financial and Operational Process Automation Webinar we are hosting with Microsoft on September 22^nd, 2010 at 10:00am PT.

Learn how Microsoft Dynamics CRM integrated with your ERP Solution can help:

• Collect cash faster through advanced and automated collections
• Drastically reduce the amount of time in credit processes
• Understand who your best vendors are and access critical data through integrated systems
• Reduce wasted time on internal purchasing processes
• Provide IT staff an automated “case management” system

By InterDyn – Remington Consulting, Portland, Oregon Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Certified Partner

CRM is not just for Sales, Marketing and Services – Part 2! Have You Considered Using It As A Financial and Operational Automation Tool? is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Why Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Is a Better Value Than Salesforce.com

Tad Remington, InterDyn Remington — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:47:40 +0000

InterDyn – Remington Consulting was recently in a competitive bid against Salesforce.com and we want to share some of our research on why we believe Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a better value. In this particular situation, the customer was quoted the Professional edition of Salesforce.com, which is currently priced at $65/user/month. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is priced at $44/user/month and includes all the functionality available in the solution, no tiered pricing and features! That was the first indicator that Microsoft Dynamics CRM was a better value; however, after digging deeper into the functionality included in the Salesforce.com $65/user/month price, it became clear that if a Salesforce.com customer would like similar functionality that is included in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online they would actually have to purchase the Enterprise edition of Salesforce.com, which is currently priced at $125/user/month. This is because Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes out-of-the-box features that are only available in the Enterprise edition of Salesforce.com, such as: workflow, territory management, offline access, and more.

Another great feature of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is its native integration with Outlook. If you are currently a Microsoft Dynamics GP customer, your value for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is even greater because the integration to Microsoft Dynamics CRM is free! Through September 30, 2010 customers currently on Microsoft Dynamics GP can get Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for only $19/user/month!

After all this research, it was clear that the Return on Investment (ROI) for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will occur much sooner than it will for a Salesforce.com implementation given the monthly costs and features available. If you still need help being convinced that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is a better value, read how Forrester’s latest research ranked Microsoft Dynamics CRM as the strongest customer relationship management software solution for both midsized and large businesses.

Contact InterDyn – Remington Consulting about Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and find out how the marketing, sales, and service capabilities can help your organization grow your customer relationships and increase your revenue!

By InterDyn – Remington Consulting, Oregon Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Certified Partner

Why Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Is a Better Value Than Salesforce.com is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) Add Value and Functionality to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Marcia Doron, Altico Advisors — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:40:47 +0000

By Joel Hatin, Altico Advisors

The popular perception is that Microsoft employs a PAC-MAN strategy, i.e. Microsoft gobbles up small companies which then become even smaller entities within the behemoth that is called Microsoft Corporation. Of course, like most large companies, Microsoft has made its share of acquisitions. BUT, what is less known is that Microsoft supports a thriving network of Independent Software Vendors, known as ISVs. In fact, thousands of ISVs participate in Microsoft’s ISV Program.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at http://www.isv-central.com/search/products.aspx.

How does this relate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM? By supporting an ISV partner channel, Microsoft can offer one of the most comprehensive CRM systems in today’s market. ISVs in the CRM space offer everything from indispensible credit card payment processing services to highly specialized niche applications such as the one I’ve highlighted below for ministries. You can purchase the basic Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution at a reasonable price because it’s not overloaded with modules that many companies will never use. What you get is Sales Force Automation (SFA), Marketing Automation, and Service Management – the 3 main pillars of most CRM systems.

Do you need credit card processing? No problem. There’s an ISV that has developed a credit card processing application that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Are you a faith-based organization looking for functionality that is rather specific to ministries? No problem. There’s an ISV that has developed an application that will meet your needs and it will seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

The key here is seamless integration of applications developed specifically for Dynamics, applications that have been reviewed and approved by Microsoft.

Here are just “a few” examples:

CRM Charge – Electronic Payment Processing for Microsoft Dynamics CRM by Nodus Technologies, Inc.

Ministry Management Solutions-ProClaimCRM by PYA-Wise Software Solutions Inc

PaperSave for Dynamics CRM by PaperSave

DM Project Management for Microsoft CRM by Dynamic Methods

Software for Project Process Management and Time Tracking and Expense Tracking by Tenrox

Scribe Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics CRM by Scribe Software

Powertrak and Powertrak for High Tech by Axonom, Inc.

SmartCatalog Guided Selling Edition and SmartCatalog eSelling Edition by Endeavor Commerce

Integration Bridge for Microsoft Dynamics CRM by Nolan Business Solutions

CRM for Members by Protech Associates, Inc.

PrintRush and FaxRush and ShipRush Server by Z-Firm

Field Service Alert Software by Fieldpoint by Fieldpoint Service Applications Inc.

TaskCentre Business Process Management Suite by Fisher Technology LLC

As you click on the above links, you’ll get a pretty good idea of the extensive, extended functionality available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Here at Altico, we use two add-ons that aren’t even on the above list, namely Exact Target (which I’ve blogged about in the past) and C360 (which we use for multi-field search, but that’s just one of the C360 modules).

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

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) Add Value and Functionality to Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a post from: CRM Software Blog

Microsoft Discloses Global Availability And New Features For Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

Marcia Doron, Altico Advisors — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:00:09 +0000

By Marcia Doron, Altico Advisors

I read this on the Microsoft News Center and thought I’d share it with our blog readers. Convergence 2010 was a great forum for emphasizing Microsoft’s road map for the Dynamics business. The keynote address focused on how Microsoft is delivering on its Dynamics business vision by providing customer-driven advancements across the Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP applications to help organizations embrace change and seize opportunities that drive enduring business success.

As part of that address, it was announced that the May 2010 service update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will deliver seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP, new language support, portal accelerators, and cloud-based developer tools that help improve business connectivity. Also disclosed was the road map for the expected international availability of the next generation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to 32 markets worldwide.

Thus, “the competitive differentiator for Microsoft” will be “the value customers derive through a consistent and world-class user experience and well-designed interoperability across our solutions.” This is reinforced by the fact that the “upcoming Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM releases…work well together and take advantage of existing IT investments.”

Offering New Innovations With Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Continuing on its commitment to deliver the best value in the industry to more than 22,000 customers and 1.1 million users, the May 2010 service update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, available at no additional charge for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online customers, focuses on improving the connectivity of the business to other systems, data and people through developer tools and resources. Key details include the following:

Expanded language support for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. The May 2010 service update is the first wave for moving Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online into international markets with multilingual capabilities for North American customers who have departments or teams with French, Spanish or Brazilian Portuguese language requirements.

New Portal accelerators. The service update adds new Portal accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. These accelerators include Event Management, eService and Partner Relationship Management and allow organizations to extend their reach and extend the power of CRM to external constituents.

New developer tools and resources. The service update provides new developer tools in the updated Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Development Kit (SDK) to enable the connection of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with other on-demand and on-premises applications and services such as Windows Azure.

Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration. A new built-in integration framework for Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM enables customers to easily connect the two systems to help provide business insight and improve user productivity across financials, supply chain, and sales and service. The integration is supported with both on-premises and cloud versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 and Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0.

Disclosing the road map for international availability, Microsoft announced that it is slated to expand the next release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to 32 global markets in the second half of 2010. In addition to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, those markets are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Customers can get Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a service in those markets today, with solutions and consulting from an extensive network of Microsoft partners.

I only wish I knew a few more languages, but for now I’ll just say that I think this is marvelous, merveilleux (French), maravilloso (Spanish), and metzuyan (Hebrew).

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

Microsoft Discloses Global Availability And New Features For Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is a post from: CRM Software Blog

How to Quickly Pull Marketing Statistics from Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Your Next Sales Meeting

Anya Ciecierski, CAL Business Solutions, Inc. — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:38:21 +0000

Less than 24 hours before a big sales meeting my boss told me he wanted me to report on our marketing statistics for the year to date. Yikes – what is an overworked, overstressed, marketing manager like me to do! Two years ago I would have been up all night trying to come up with statistics I needed for the meeting. Good thing we now use Microsoft Dynamics CRM!

With Microsoft CRM I was quickly able to get these reports ready in about an hour:

# of leads received – total year to date, and broken out by month.
# of leads received from each marketing activity – such as telemarketing, direct mail etc..
% of leads that turned into opportunities and sales
% of leads from each marketing activity that turned into opportunities and sales.

Plus I was able to compare all this information with the same time period from last year.

The information is tracked in CRM, then I can easily export it into Excel to do subtotals and analyze data. Then I can make it easier to present in graphical charts. (My strategy in meetings has always been to dazzle people with the fancy pie charts).

Based on the statistics I pulled out of Dynamics CRM, our sales team could figure out helpful trends such as:

Our average close rate when selling Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting software.
What times of the year are our “slow seasons” for new sales. (so we can plan vacations)
What marketing activities are generating not only the most leads but also the most closed deals. (so I know where to spend my marketing budget)

I truly believe that information is power. And having the information at my fingertips has not only empowered our organization and my marketing efforts – but now I can get much more sleep too!

By CAL Business Solutions, Connecticut Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner

How to Quickly Pull Marketing Statistics from Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Your Next Sales Meeting is a post from: CRM Software Blog

CRM Software Blog» microsoft dynamics GP + microsoft dynamics CRM

Are Silos of Information Killing Your Business?

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