Updated · Originally published
Can you easily perform pricing calculations in Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
You likely have your own quoting process. Often the pricing and quality calculations are done in Microsoft Excel, or on a calculator. Then the final number is entered on a quote form in Dynamics CRM to be sent out and tracked. But what if someone else wants to know how you came up with that calculation? They don’t have access to your formula in the Excel doc or your scribbles in a notepad.
Wouldn’t it be easier if all your numbers were recorded and calculated directly inside Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
You can do this with the ForgeXRM EditAble CRM Grid tool.
This affordable add-on allows you to turn any Dynamics CRM form (or screen) into an editable grid so you can edit, sort, group and calculate data as easily as you would in Microsoft Excel. The best part is that the EditAble CRM Grid is easily configured with point-and-click configurations.
Beyond the standard Quantity x Price = Extended Price scenario, how could these inline calculations be used?
Example 1: A Trucking Carrier using Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides other freight and shipping companies with financing so they can grow and expand their trucking businesses. Calculating the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) they will offer when giving out loans to trucking companies is an integral part of their quoting process. This is a very convoluted calculation based on a number of factors, including the type of freight, the volume of freight, and the type of trucks used by the trucking company. Using EditAble CRM Grid they can group these various financing factors and then calculate the different annual percentage rate they can offer for each product or line of service. These different APRs can then be aggregated to determine the overall level of financing they can offer the trucking company. EditAble CRM Grid has integrated a once disjointed process, reduces the administrative effort of their sales and finance team, and most importantly, provides visibility for all Microsoft Dynamics CRM users across the company.
Example 2: An IT company using Microsoft Dynamic CRM wants to calculate the price of a consulting project based on the number of hours of various resources at different billing rates. In addition, they want to calculate the overhead cost of each employee to determine the profitability of the overall project based on actual hours spent on each task associated with the project. Using EditAble CRM Grid they can create a grid that is grouped by resource and rollup calculations of actual hours spent against budgeted hours to determine resource and profitability. Another configuration option of the EditAble CRM Grid is the ability to dynamically change how information is grouped. For example, grouping by resource provides a quick view into resource profitability and utilization, but changing the option to group by Project Task shows the profitability of each task related to the overall project.
In each scenario all the information lives in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The ability to view this information in different ways, while performing complex calculations with minimal effort provides end users the insight they need to make informed decisions quickly and easily.
For more information on EditAble CRM Grid, contact ForgeXRM.
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By Ryan Plourde, ForgeXRM,
