As you’ve probably seen from many of the other posts on this blog, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a customer relationship management system that can help you with sales leads, telemarketing dialogues, and other marketing functions. So how does an application like that help project managers in the construction game stay organized and in control of their projects?
Well with its CRM offering, Microsoft has adopted an xRM philosophy, where the x stands for ‘anything’ and means the software can be built on and customized to fit almost any industry. Applications built on top of Microsoft Dynamics, including the IPM, then have access to all of CRM’s features, and these can be used within the customized application the same way they are used in CRM.
One such feature that has been incredibly useful for project managers using IPM is CRM’s email tracking function, which automatically generates a tracking code in the subject line of an email. Then, any outgoing or incoming emails with the same tracking code are all grouped together and stored in IPM. The CRM tracking function is unlike anything that is available in other project management applications, and here are three main reasons why:
1. Emailing filing is not automatic in other project management software applications. Some other applications do have email filing, but this often means you have to forward the email to a central job email address, so the process is not automatic.
2. Other applications can only file all emails under the Job. Just think of how many emails you may send and receive on one Job, and how difficult it would be to sort through them all to find the one you are looking for.
3. With CRM email tracking, each transaction has a unique code. This means you can click on an RFI in IPM for example, and see all the communication related only to that RFI.
By building a , the process of email tracking for companies in the construction industry is now easy and automatic. So with CRM tracking, you have smaller email logs, as each transaction has its own set of stored emails, and your project managers can stay organized.
To find out more about how your project management needs can benefit from the combination of a CRM system and a Project Management solution, contact .
By Reef Fielding, IPM Global: the creators of IPM –
