Use Connections to Build Deeper Insights into Accounts and Contacts

Have you ever noticed how people and companies are often interconnected in multiple ways?  In other words, contacts in your CRM are probably connected to other contacts and companies in not-so-obvious ways.  An employee with one company can also be a former employee at another company.  And one company can be a customer of another.

The Connections feature in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 allows users to identify these associations and build greater insights into their networks.  Dynamics CRM has a wide variety of off-the-shelf connection types depending on the type of entity.  For instance, there are contact-to-account connections including Employee, Former Employee, Influencer and Referral.  For contact-to-contact connections, there are other options such as Friend, Spouse, Parent and Child.  Users can also create custom relationships.  For example, we frequently work with consultants and strategic partners who have relationships with multiple accounts.  So, we created a new connection type called "Consultant".

Real connections still matter in business, and documenting these relationships between various contacts and accounts can be very helpful for management and sales teams.  When interacting with clients and prospects, it’s important to know when you have shared contacts or have history with the same company.  If you are not using the feature now, we encourage you to start thinking about it and formalize these linkages as you work with your records and connections become apparent.  You never know when it will pay off!

2B Solutions, Inc. specializes in Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management (CRM), iOS development, and mobile applications that give organizations the ability to respond to their customers and critical events from anywhere.  Dynamics CRM offerings include deployment and customizations for businesses of all sizes in industries of finance, health services, education, retail, distribution, warehousing, and government.  Our custom mobile applications include 2B-Inventory – a complete mobile inventory and store management application for retailers and warehouses.  2B Solutions has also developed mobile applications for mobile sales, asset tracking, and event tracking among others.  2B Solutions is a certified Microsoft Partner with competencies in Microsoft Mobility Solutions, Microsoft Business Solutions, and ISV/Software Solutions.

by 2B Solutions, Inc.