We recently completed a implementation for a company with numerous divisions that each had its own product lines but whose salespeople could sell all products across divisions into their accounts. The company had started an implementation of SalesForce.com but was really using only the Chatter feature for collaboration and online chatting.
The company had also identified some major customizations and still needed to expand the integration of SalesForce.com to its existing ERP system. So far it had only set up accounts and contacts to synchronize each night and was having problems with records being duplicated in SalesForce.com. With SalesForce.com, the company was also having trouble reporting on information because of the customizations it was doing in order to integrate with Microsoft Dynamics GP. Because of the custom integrations, the SalesForce.com reporting couldn’t reference information such as period sales and credit limits coming from Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Facing further development and full implementation of SalesForce.com, the company decided to switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with Online for integration. Not only was this a cheaper monthly subscription cost, but it also allowed for a better integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP. The deployment of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s Outlook Client also made training the end users much easier and the software more user-friendly in the long term.
We also created a custom entity to manage the division relationships. Within the company’s Microsoft Dynamics CRM, one account record can be shared among multiple divisions. For example, a client could have a customer relationship with Division A while also having a prospect relationship with Division B. This also allows the company to manage contact marketing permissions on a divisional level, and its salespeople can see across divisions and sell cross-divisionally.
If you are considering implementing a more effective CRM and ERP solution for your company, The TM Group would be happy to architect a system designed specifically for the demands of your organization and budget. Please call us today at 888.482.2864 or visit our website at www.tmgroupinc.comfor more information. We look forward to hearing from you!
By Ken Jacobsen, The TM Group
