The Microsoft Dynamics CRM so-called 2014 Spring Wave release brought so many new features alive that one would more correctly have to call it a tsunami. Now, those of us who use Microsoft Dynamics CRM every day for sales, marketing and service reaping the benefits. That which had been code-named Leo (I’m a Leo!) brought us enhancements to the core Dynamics CRM service management capabilities. Mira brought us some amazing marketing resource management add-on tools. And finally, Subra, my favorite, brought us social listening.
But what does “social listening” mean? It’s almost as esoteric as the code names that Microsoft uses ahead of its new releases. Until I saw it with my own eyes, I had no idea how powerful social listening was going to be. Now, my team uses it every day. Here’s why. The social listening frame comes up automatically on the account page in . You just scroll down and it’s right there, a treasure trove of information that you need to know about your clients, your prospects, your leads, your vendors. The frame is actually called Insights. Here’s what it looks like (This is the actual screen right out of my CRM system. I’m using the Microsoft account listing that I already have in CRM as a real-life example):
I know, the screenshot is a little bit hard to read, but right there on the main screen you get a ton of information – Ownership, Industry, Revenue, # of Employees, Description, Address, Phone, clickable URL, and clickable recent news headlines.
But wait there’s more! Click on the PEOPLE tab and here’s what else comes up:
Up to the minute information about the key people at the company, in this case Microsoft. And you can filter your results by role. For example, you could choose to see only c-level people working at Microsoft. Or VPs only, or board members only. And all of these people are clickable! In other words you click on CEO Satya Nadella and you get his email address and phone number!
It’s the ultimate in transparency!
I hope your team will love Subra - aka social listening, aka Insights – as much as we do here at Altico Advisors. It’s great to be informed before you even get on the phone to call any of your constituencies, especially when it comes to your clients and your key prospects. But it’s great for cold calling, too.
Who are we? We’re Altico Advisors and we’re passionate about Microsoft Dynamics GP and CRM, especially when the two of fully integrated, and especially now that the Dynamics CRM Spring Wave 2014 has been released.
To learn more about Altico Advisors, you’re invited to browse our Web site @ , contact Altico Advisors the old school way at 508-485-5588, or reach out to us online at .
by Marcia Nita Doron, , Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner serving Massachusetts (MA) and beyond.
