Many businesses today have utilized feature rich automated workflows to track and . But what about businesses that do not have a sales force? Can Microsoft CRM help these businesses? The answer is yes. An example of this is a client of ours. They are an accounting firm that had difficulty keeping track of tax returns as the paperwork progressed through its work flow. A return would be dropped off, and the documents would be worked on by various accountants depending on the nature of the return and an individual’s availability. There were written procedures detailing steps to be taken, by whom, and how each step in the process should be performed. But there was no ability to track the efficiency of the overall process or the individual tax preparers. Worse, when a client called, there was no way to quickly locate a return or determine how far along in the process it was; employees would have to manually rummage through files or ask around to find out who was currently working on it.
By installing and customizing Microsoft CRM, the firm was able to set up an automated tax return tracking system. At each step in the preparation process, returns could be checked in and time-stamped. Now when a client calls to check on the status of their returns, they get an instant answer. The new system also has allowed managers to analyze the whole process, and fine-tune where needed to increase efficiency. It also provided clear views into the productivity of individual accountants.
By thinking beyond the traditional use of a customer relationship package, and instead using Microsoft CRM as a platform on which to track the information they need, this client was able to get all the functionality they need to track workflow.
By Intellitec Solutions,
