Microsoft Dynamics CRM

This report provides a comparative analysis between the three generations of CRM based upon implementations from around the world with a variety of businesses. This whitepaper attempts to demonstrate how to get the most out of your CRM implementation and investment and get the most out of your existing or planned CRM solution.

This whitepaper also identifies and investigates the top 5 reasons for CRM expense and how these factors have changed over time, such as integration issues, web service costs, reporting issues, missing implementation and project deadlines as well as customization issues.

Download this whitepaper here.

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

Can customer relationship management boost a company’s return on investment? Yes - but only if the company acts wisely. Just because a company gets a CRM solution, doesn’t automaticall mean that they will suddenly rake in the profits hand over fist!

There are many sensible ways to boost ROI with CRM. As Alexander Gordon says, “Inbound Customer Marketing, or ICM, is one of the most effective ways of boosting ROI. The latest development in ICM involves rewarding a customer when he or she calls to know about the products and services of the company.”

Of course, you are not limited to using ICM with CRM to boost ROI. there are other choices:

“Have a plan in place. How long do you think the CRM implementation will take? Try to stick to the deadline that you have set for your business; otherwise, the system runs the risk of becoming outdated.”

Ah! The old concept of a ‘Plan.’ It still works. In fact, it’s probably one of the best ways to make better profits; find a good workable plan and stick to it.

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

What can CRM achieve? This is a question that is often asked by small companies that are unsure of what exactly CRM is, and what it can do for them. As Natalie Aranda says:

“CRM software is extremely important for any company who is serious about accomplishing a goal. If they are ready to release a new product or just want to get better sales, these programs can help them determine what to do.”

CRM should not be seen as the technology only. It is a strategical position deployed by the company that achieves its aims through the manipulation of cutting edge software - CRM.

Does this mean that any old CRM solution will do?

“When trying to find a great CRM solution, it is important to question your needs and what you want from the software. Many programs offer a different amount of features, thus it is important to break down what you would like.”

Yes, the importance of getting the right tool for the job cannot be over emphasised, for as Natalies says, “Every successful business needs an intelligent and creative staff who can take the company to another level. If you donв€™t have a great team, your CRM software will only give you a massive headache.”

Don’t let your CRM software let you down!

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

Does web based CRM software have any advantages over desktop CRM software? It might have. Maybe we should do a comparison…

Mr Mansi Aggarwal says this abpout web based CRM: “The web based CRM service is more effective. Web-based CRM services mainly covers three areas of service- sales force automation, management of customer relationships and customer services and automated marketing.”

Hmmm… But doesn’t desktop CRM do the same thing, pretty much?

“(CRM) software enables teams and departments to share a central and fresh database. The software facilitates its users with an online contact manager and a project-tracking tool, either over the web or within the corporate intranet.”

OK, so there may be a few advantages, pros and cons, I guess. It’s all a matter of choice, really. I guess we can agree with Mr Aggarwal on one point he makes though: “CRM is basically a business strategy designed to accrue gains, generate revenue and cater to customer needs and satisfaction.”

Choose YOUR CRM software solution wisely!

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

CRM is just for big businesses. That’s what some small companies seem to think. It’s fancy technology and not for them. Well, of course, they are wrong. CRM is a strategy and not just technology. It is for every company, big or small, and every business can benefit in every way.

As Rama Krishna says, “CRM provides a streamlined approach when dealing with the basic operational functions, namely sales, marketing and customer services. CRM facilitates small businesses to stay ahead, by providing them with customer-centric applications to suit their specific requirements.”

Small businesses may have to work a little harder to make CRM fit their methods of trading, but it will be worth the effort. Rama Krishna also has this to say: “Successful small businesses are those who have taken a holistic approach where they treat CRM as not just a strategy but also as the state of the art software to suit their unique requirements.”

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

Deploying a CRM software solution in the workplace is a good start. But after that you have to make sure that your work force actually know how to use the software. You can leave that up to a training company, but it might be best to oversee it to make sure that your staff really understand what is required of them.

CRM is different to many other solutions available. It is essentially a strategy and not a tool, in the strict sense. As Natalie Aranda says, “Customer Relationship Management is considered more than an art, the true science of building profitable and mutually beneficial relationships with customers, providing professional training, business and management skills courses, and even exam preparation to obtain CRM certification.”

Make sure that you opt for the best course there is. Natalie also has a view on that: “…include the Microsoft CRM 3.0, providing the knowledge to integrate into any business customer intelligence using Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 3.0, creating a centralized repository of customer data that sits neatly alongside Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Office.”

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

Implementing CRM successfully is really quite easy, but it does need some thought beforehand. Many seem to think that CRM is the software and that’s it! CRM is a strategy that is powered these days by a ceratin type of software that makes the whole strategy easy to implement.

As David Cowgill says, “A CRM solution is more than a new software package. It also encompasses a mindset, a way of doing business and a way of interacting with others in the firm. The success of a CRM implementation rests on the shoulders of a workforce that is willing to share information about clients and contacts.”

But there are possible problem with this in certain companies, as David explains, “However, this “collaborative” mentality flies in the face of the culture within some professional services firms. For better or worse, many professional services practitioners are skeptical of sharing contact information for fear of losing opportunities to generate work that they can produce themselves.”

And of course, there’s a ‘right’ way to do it too, “However, if a CRM implementation is introduced to the workforce as an opportunity to create new opportunities for all, success rates will improve significantly.”

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

CRM is a strategy. It is not merely the act of tracking customers and adding that information to a database. But so many companies who integrate CRM into their business practices do no more than that. They don’t have a real CRM strategy.

CRM in its basic concept is not new. Business has been looking after customers since trading bagan thousands of years ago. Early man knew that someone who willingly traded with him was more likely to trade again, so he was a little bit nicer to those “customers” and treated them better.

Today we have sophisticated software to do the same job, but the basic strategy remains the same. However, in some instances, those who deploy the CRM software seem to think that that’s it! They simply do not understand that CRM software is not the strategy; it is merely the tool that makes the strategy easy to deploy.

As Roy Gough says so succinctly: “The principle of looking after your customers so that they come back regularly is, after all, merely the basis of good trading.” CRM software enables you to do this without a lot of effort, but not without some effort. And of course, some CRM software programs are so much better than others at doing this.

Make sure that YOU have a real CRM strategy. One way to give yourself more time to concentrate on the strategy is to deploy a software solution that doesn’t need hours and hours of training to get up to speed.

Choose your CRM software solution wisely…

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

So, you’ve decided to invest in a CRM software solution for your company. That’s great! You’ve been convinced of the need of CRM through observing other companies that have blossomed after making a similar investment. You know you need CRM… But are you prepared for it? Or to put it another way, have you prepared for it?

Steven Taylor has this to say about preparing ofr CRM: “Successful integration of a CRM Customer Relationship Management system in your company, however, might not be as easy as it seems. The following might give you an insight why CRM systems fail in some companies∦ Most companies fail to prepare for CRM systems. By this, I mean that most companies fail to integrate all the departments that need to share the information for it to be effective.”

And it’s not just that. Steven claims that there’s more to consider: “Furthermore, CRM units scattered all over the companyв€™s departments is often more effective than just making one big CRM department. This will ensure that each department will get the information and data that they need.”

And if you really eed convincing, he finishes up by stating: “A CRM system will also help you a lot in expanding your business. As CRM systems are capable of handling enormous amounts of data, CRM systems will help you a lot in coping with the increased numbers of customers and data. With a CRM Customer Relationship Management system installed and properly utilized, you can be sure that all data is maximized and used to ensure that your business will be successful and your customers a lot more satisfied than before.”

Microsoft CRM Software Provider

The usual answer is that CRM is customer relationship management. Yes, that’s what the acronym stands for, but CRM as we have evolved to know it is really something more.

As Lucy Roberts says: “This CRM definition is too narrow to really explain everything the system does if it is working to its fullest potential…”

She’s right, and she goes even further by explaining that, “CRM in the broader sense encompasses not only customer relationship management itself but how customer relationship management is handled and the most important elements of a CRM program that are essential to its being successful.”

But I feel I must disagree with her on one point: “If thereв€™s an ideal CRM software package that works for every company and every situation, it hasnв€™t been discovered yet…”

I think it has been discovered!

Microsoft CRM Software Provider