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Avoiding CRM Failure

If you’re evaluating a CRM suite in particular, you may have heard a lot of horror stories about CRM investments going to waste. Rest assured, it’s not the technology; cases of outright technology failure are rare in e-business, and their heyday was years ago, when a lot of applications were in their early generations.

Much more often, CRM failure has to do with the old saying, much beloved of coaches, that goes, Fail to plan, plan to fail. This is the point emphasized by Mike Murphy, executive director of Siebel Global Services. Addressing his company’s CRM audience some months ago, Murphy remarked, “If you focus on technology as the only aspect of a customer-facing solution, you’re going to have a fairly high-risk project.”

This truism of CRM has been out there for years, but it seems not all adopters have paid attention. “People frequently do not take into account the lessons of those that have gone before them,” Murphy tells Line56. “They will ignore some of the warnings.”

It’s part of a larger pattern in which CRM adopters haven’t conducted due diligence about the state of their own company, or of customers. Take the case of Cisco, which bought hosted CRM from Salesforce.com but subsequently came to realize that user behavior rejected the tool in favor of existing applications. That’s something that the company should have known from the CRM get-go, either causing it to pass up Salesforce.com altogether or else paying increased attention to the change management needed to embed Salesforce.com.

That’s a case of not knowing how CRM users behave, but Murphy knows of plenty of other cases in which a customer strategy has been missing. “When we do a post-mortem on these projects, we see that a customer strategy is lacking, or isn’t linked to a corporate strategy.”

For example, a manufacturer might be tasked to use CRM to do order management in order to improve cross-sell numbers, but might not have segmented the customer base properly. The customers might be craving cross-divisional solutions, not the discrete products currently offered by the manufacturer. But you’d never learn this by implementing order management.

Murphy offers a simple, three-step guide to avoiding CRM failure: 1. Align IT and business about what CRM-addressable problems are, and what to do about them; 2. Articulate a customer strategy, and how it links to corporate goals as well as to the proposed CRM system; and 3. Define goals in a measurable way so you can track your progress.

That’s what you should have on your mind when you think about a CRM suite, or even a component tool. Otherwise, as Murphy says, you might end up with “the technology piece working, but no results.”

David Cowgill is a Senior CRM Marketing Manager in San Francisco.

Article Source: http://www.crmblogger.com/crm/2005/09/avoiding_crm_fa.html

For further information contact: David Cowgill CRM Blog Founder http://www.crmblogger.com

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Who Should Use a CRM?

In the fast moving online world, it is easy and cheap for businesses to establish the internet presence. In the online world, building relationship with customers can bring a strong competitive advantage. A online CRM strategy can be a benefit for an organization in the following ways

* It reduces the cost of communication with customers

* It improves sales targeting through better customer segmentation

* It simplifies the customer retention strategies

* It encourages the development of a comprehensive database, with all staff being allowd access to important

information

* It increases the loyalty.

But an article I went through recently says that only 30% of the online retailers are thought to have CRM strategies, which means online retailers can use E-CRM effectively in order to develop a strong stance in the market.

I thought to put all important steps of E-CRM in the following way:

Step one – Identifying the online customer – The firms has to identify the customer segmentation well. Each market segmentation needs to be identified thoroughly. Are they are transactional users, non-transactional users, high value customers etc. Organization need to consider whether the resources are targeted to the high value users as attached with the Pareto principle.

Step two Website design – In the online world in order to develop a strong relationship the website should provide the customer a good experience. The website design should be based on the industry its operates and the customer segmentation it targets. Eg- A firm operating in the travel industry should not use colors related to gaming sites. The web site should also encourage return visits. This can be done by using attractive and updates web contents.

Step three – Information gathering and handling- Firms need to develop strategies for gathering and analyzing information about the customer activities. A proper development of database is important. Rather than just developing a database firms should think about data mining to target effective communication and life style , behavioral identification the customers. Web tracking should be enabled such as time spent on each pages, web logs etc.

Step four – Communication with customers – There has to be always one to one communication with the customers. The customer complaints and queries need to be answered quickly, also it is always important to display a FAQ page in the web. The organization has to determine the communication ways according to the target segments. Whether its email, bulletin boards (site communication) etc.

Step Five- Loyalty and trust – Trust can be seen as a single important element in CRM building online. Because in the online world there is no physical interaction. Building initial trust is very important. There are few sets of questions the firms need to answer.

Is brand development is based on recognition of attributes of the customer base?

If loyalty programs are used, is it cost effective?

Have customer attributes are identified?

Are there are community platforms?

As an e-marketer, I can see the importance of the above five steps. Firms need to keep all these steps into mind rather than just developing CRM strategies without any clear and cut goals.

T.Ragulan

http://www.ragulan.wordpress.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tharmakulasingam_Ragulan

Any business who sells products or services would do well to use a Customer Relationship Manager, or CRM, especially for a business that sells remotely. Additionally, a CRM is an important efficiency enhancing solution for any organization that uses a call center. The purpose of a Customer Relationship Manager is to organize and track all of the processes and data associated with each lead and client.

A CRM automatically fulfills many of the responsibilities a sales agent would have to perform. The many software solutions designed to compliment the data and task management of a CRM increases the versatility of it dynamically. With supporting computer telephony integration software, a Customer Relationship Manager can instantly capture leads from web forms filled out and submitted by interested contacts via the company’s website. Coupled with a telephone auto dialer, a CRM will upload its list of leads and route those calls through to the best available sales rep for each call. A CRM can even quickly send templated email messages or leave prerecorded voice messages to the lead that the sales rep is contacting with only a single mouse click by the agent.

By acquiring the services of an outside company, Customer Relationship Managers can be provided for remote sales operations without the capital investment into software design or hardware purchase. Instead, all of the necessary components of the CRM are hosted by the providing company. These Customer Relationship Managers are referred to as hosted CRMs or online CRMs.

These hosted Customer Relationship Management tools often provide a very high level of customization within their programs, in addition to having an outside firm that can specifically develop software solutions for a particular business’ or organization’s needs. This includes options such as “drag and drop” functionality. This is a common software function, when applied to CRMs, allows CRM users to individually customize their CRM to their specific business model. The users can add new layouts and fields, customize size, color, and placement of fields, and do so at either the company or sales rep level. Data can be dragged and dropped in whatever position the sales agents want on the screen.

A hosted CRM provides remote sales businesses the tools needed to effectively use all prime business time by reducing wasted time and making the tasks associated with sales easier to accomplish. It is a worthwhile investment even for very small operations, and scales to be productive for much large businesses as well.

David Harlow is an SEO consultant for InsideSales.com
As a firm believer that people should know the facts, Harlow’s blog Inside Sales Adventures
seeks to inform new comers to the industry about important terminology in insides sales, as well as to give tips on what to look for when shopping for industry software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Harlow

Everything You Need to Know About CRM

Customer Relationship Management (or CRM) is a way for businesses to connect with their customer, increase profits, and provide better customer service. CRM is one very important factor in an effective overall business strategy and should not be overlooked. The following are some tips to keep in mind in developing a CRM strategy for your business and finding the CRM vendor(s) that is right for you.

1. It is all about the customer. It is easy to get caught up in flashy programs and elaborate IT techniques and lose focus of the bigger picture. All CRM is about enhancing customer satisfaction. Keep this in mind when selecting vendors and software applications.

2. Choose On-Demand. Whereas traditional CRM programs and services require companies to hire new IT people and demand extensive resources to implement elaborate programs, On-demand CRM software comes with support. Vendors that offer On-demand solutions are especially great for small to medium size businesses, as well as those just getting into the CRM market. Choosing On-Demand will allow your business to focus its attention in expanding in other areas and is therefore the way to go for the twenty-first century company.

3. It’s not just software. This fits into the first point. Customer Relationship Management is not simply about implementing the right software packages. It is continual process of learning your customers’ needs, desires, and expectation and being able to respond in an effective manner. The right software applications, strategies, and methods will allow you to access, analyze and learn from customer data. But you still have to use that information to develop lasting relationships with customers. Therefore, it is important to know the reason behind each CRM application you use.

4. Know your options. It is important to understand that there are literally hundreds of CRM vendors competing for your business. Many will make unsubstantiated or completely meaningless claims. There are countless vendors who all claim to be “number one.” It is essential that you spend the time investigating the vendors and the services they offer, comparing them to one another. This way you will be able to find the one that offers the services you need at a price that is fair. Remember that flash is not everything, and sometimes the company with the most effective CRM solutions will be the most unassuming. Start with the established vendors such as Siebel, Salesforce.com, NetSuite, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP.

5. Stay on top of the tech curve. This is not contradicting points one and three. The end is always customer service, but it is a fast paced world and you have to keep up. Major vendors are always updating their software and improving their services. To get the most out of your CRM applications, you need the most up-to-date technology. This does not mean buying into every tech fad. You should carefully consider whether a new technology is going to improve your customer relations, or just be a drain on resources.

Properly implemented, customer relationship management will greatly improve your business. Satisfied customers will be more willing to do repeat business and refer more customers to you. It is worth the investment to help you learn from customers and respond to their needs. In selecting the right CRM solutions for your business, always keep the customer in mind, look for a reliable vendor, and stay on top of the latest technologies. These tips will help you run a more effective CRM campaign and improve your overall business.

Courtesy of http://www.comparecrm.com
Copyright of Comparecrm.com

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The Many Facets of CRM Software

When hearing the term CRM, or customer relationship management, software, a person generally thinks that it’s a fancy, computerized address book. They don’t think that there are any other reasons for using this type of software. Those who don’t use CRM don’t see the point in it. They fail to realize what it can really do and how much it has to offer as a multi-faceted technological tool for keeping track of a growing customer base. True, it does keep track of names and email information and addresses.

Why shouldn’t it? Those things are important and too many people today have trouble with their businesses because they lose those kinds of things – and therefore lose customers as well. People who spend money with your business don’t want to be forgotten; they want to be remembered and appreciated. CRM software can help you do that without breaking the bank and without feeling that you have to wrack your brain every time someone walks into your store or calls on the phone.

Some customers will certainly stick in your mind – perhaps they made a very large purchase, have a unique name, or are a bit eccentric. For the majority of people, however, they are forgettable from a business standpoint not because they are unimportant but simply because there are so many of them. CRM software is a great way to ‘remember’ not only their names but their preferences and what they’ve purchased in the past. If they’ve called customer service with a problem or even just with a comment it’s important that the information they provide be stored so that it can be retrieved next time. The people who call in to customer service or who shop online, on the phone, or in person often don’t think about the way that their information is collected and stored, and they don’t understand what CRM actually is. When they want to do business they simply expect everyone at the company to know who they are and take care of them – which usually does happen, but sometimes the computers are down and this causes issues.

For the businesses who use CRM, there is a lot that can be done with it. Conversations are recorded and information is collected and stored so that people don’t have to give their information again and again. It’s important for them and it’s a convenience that wasn’t available before CRM became popular. For those who do not want their information out there for everyone to potentially hack into, however, there is little that they can do to hide it. There are no opt-out lists for this kind of information because companies say that they need to keep it for billing and for other issues. Companies will not erase it for you, and even if they did the call that you made to ask them to do so would be recorded ‘for quality assurance.’ CRM is here to stay, and businesses – as well as most consumers – are very glad to have it.

If you need assistance with CRM, visit a site focusing on CRM software
The site provides reviews on everything from web based to various open source CRM solutions. Not only that, the site gives salespeople the tools to make these tools even more effective. To have Michielle Beck write for you, contact her through her Website

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michielle_Beck

Business Process Mapping For CRM

Any business that is planning a change from the traditional way of doing business (delivering what is good for you) to a customer-centric way of doing business (delivering what is good for the customer and then you) will require a re-alignment of information flow and work flow by going through a business process mapping exercise. The purpose of this exercise is to expose the the fundamental inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of cross-functional work flows.

In the front office, the biggest problem is always in the hand off of information between functional units like Sales and Marketing, or Sales and Customer Service. And once you begin the business process mapping exercise you will also likely find redundant work processes from department to department. The goal of realigning processes for CRM is to look at how things flow from a customers perspective. Bottlenecks, delays or even asking the customer to bridge the gap between departments, only serves to lower their satisfaction with the process and ultimately leads to lower customer loyalty.

What to expect from realigning business process

The guru on realigning front office work flows for CRM is Dick Lee of High Yield Methods. He was writing about what CRM really is way back in the 1990’s. Back then, I was simply plowing forward in my standard VAR mode. I still can’t believe how long it took me to understand the fundamental changes that need to take place in a company in order for CRM to be a success. For a long time, I thought all the problems were technical in nature. I was really mistaken.

Dick has developed a business process mapping methodology called Visual Workflow designed specifically for the front office. He feels, and I agree, that there are fundamental differences between front and back office environments. Here are a few of his examples (see his white paper on Visual Workflow:)

Office – Manufacturing

Low Repetition – High Repetition
Decision-based Process – Fixed Process
Adaptability is critical – Consistency is critical
Defects at Workflow Level – Defects at Work Process Level
Invisible Defects – Visible Defects
Empowered Staff – Compliant Staff

Those area just a few examples of the differences. It’s important to keep these in mind because methodologies like Six Sigma were designed for manufacturing processes. Frankly, anything with a cottage industry attached to it scares me. So I like Dick’s more appropriate approach.

The Outcome

Probably the most important thing about realigning business processes are the outcomes.

Driving toward shared objectives across functional lines

Building a stronger relationship with your customer

Building stronger cross functional employee relationships

Eliminating workflow bottlenecks

etc.

The outcomes of your alignment need to address the specific challenges of front office work flow, especially those designed with the customer at the center. A process for forming sheet metal is difference than a work flow where people are empowered to make decisions. Business Process Mapping is a powerful and necessary tool in your CRM initiative, but choosing the wrong methodology could hurt your efforts.

Mike Boysen is an experienced CRM consultant and the creator of Effective CRM Consulting
You can read more about business process mapping
as well as other CRM related topics.

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How CRM Software Works — Creating Customer Satisfaction with a Click

The Web has certainly revolutionized how consumers shop. It has enabled an entirely deeper CRM capability and speed in delivering messages, special offers, transaction data, etc. In fact, marketers have prophesied that the next step in CRM is near total abandonment of traditional consumer advertising, both print and broadcast, and almost total adoption of real-time targeted marketing, a.k.a. inbound marketing, via the internet. An example would be as you enter a Web site, you will be presented with personalized messages, based on data the advertiser has stored on you regarding purchase history, online activity, and promotion participation, along with financial and demographic information, as well. And this will trigger true shopper bliss.

Now, as an obsessive marketer myself, I have to say I?m ready to jump on the bandwagon, emotionally. However, as I step back and analyze what is truly meant, here, I have to question the validity of such a claim. Perhaps it is not the objective that troubles me, but the premise. And the reason is simple: to shop is a comfort to real shoppers. It is a safe activity, meaning that you are participating in an activity that you control, you direct, and you make decisions for what you will shop. Oh, and you might want some degree of help at different points in the process.

Four short years ago we were working with a company that was attempting to sell an in-store, in-lane system that would provide real-time, personal marketing. The client worked very hard on all presentations, yet failed to achieve adoption with a single retailer. My marketing instinct tells me that they would meet the same fate, today.

Why? First of all, because of human nature. After all, part of the human experience is shopping. Most people don?t want to be told what they want. They just want you to have and deliver it when they find it. In fact, some enjoy the experience of the hunt, not even knowing what they want before they set out to discover it. The Web site, then, provides a new world in which to experience this new discovery. However, the value of the experience is relatively unchanged.

Secondly, because of human nature. Consumers feel as though technology is greatly responsible for unwanted intrusions into their private life, already. With out-of-control spam, strange targeted messages that include their names and seem to read their minds, and telemarketing calls that appear to coincide with recent online activity (and often do), consumers are likely emotionally negative toward more of the same, especially as it relates to shopping, online or not.

Finally, because of human nature. Consumers are inundated with information. The internet has given them the ability to search for information that is highly targeted more quickly and efficiently than ever. Generally speaking, those consumers will not tolerate additional information being pushed at them. Remember how I described the shopping experience; it is about an activity that the shopper controls, at their pace. It is unlikely that the mass of online shoppers will eagerly relinquish that control to strangers, especially those that they cannot see.

All my evaluation is not meant to deny that there is great opportunity afforded the marketer seeking greater online CRM. But, the ones that are successful are the ones that can enhance, not detour, the shopping experience, which is truly human.

Opportunity: To find out how Danskin Creative Communication can improve the efficiency of your marketing, advertising, brand identity and development, web design or web strategy, broadcast ad spots, video production, graphic design, copywriting,public relations, etc., contact us at http://resources.danskincreative.com/index.asp?isFunction=contact
.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mick_Danskin

When people ask, ?What is CRM?? the literal answer is, ?Customer Relationship Management,? but that doesn?t really convey much in terms of what all CRM does for a business. This CRM definition is too narrow to really explain everything the system does if it is working to its fullest potential and is user-friendly enough to expand and grow as a customer-client relationship changes and grows.

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. The range of CRM software options vary from those that provide simple customer tracking and live chat capabilities to the more complex CRM solutions that can integrate all of the customer relationship data an enterprise has on each client past, present and future in a dynamic information data network.

What should I look for in a CRM software package?

If there?s an ideal CRM software package that works for every company and every situation, it hasn?t been discovered yet, simply because every company has slightly different needs for their customer relationship management needs as well as software implementation.

In general, however, when you are looking for a strong CRM software package there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are shopping for a CRM package, try to forget about the initial price tag at first (as difficult as this may be) and focus on the adaptability, usability and integrity of each system you evaluate as it relates to your particular needs. A few things to consider:

? What are the most important facets of customer relations are we looking to address, and does this CRM software support tracking and updating all aspects of this? For example, if your company wants to customer service to have ready access to changes in customer spending habits and an opportunity to offer new product options based on these records, make sure this capability is built into the software. Customization down the line will be time-consuming and expensive — if you have a primary goal, make sure it is standard in your CRM software package.

? Will the CRM software package integrate smoothly with all platforms currently in use at your company? If you will have to re-enter all databases such as client names, addresses and phone numbers, this will significantly increase the amount of money you?ll spend in the long run. Make sure that you can either integrate smoothly or import all information needed flawlessly.

? Is the product more than you need? An enterprise solution that offers fifteen functions you don?t need and never will isn?t a bargain if you will never expand into that market niche. Just because it?s available doesn?t mean you have to have it. Selling custom-sewn hats? You won?t need a CRM software package for tracking million-dollar overseas accounts.

? Has this CRM software package been used for a company of your size before? If it has been used for companies up to 10,000 and you have 150,000, the system may simply not be able to sustain the volume of data and crash or develop glitches. Look for something more powerful with a support system capable of understanding the size of your company.

Can you build me a dream CRM software package?

Hmm?let?s see. The best CRM software package would be optimally functional across all platforms and have its own customer support backing it, and ?. Well, let?s take a look at our own list of what we?d really like in a CRM software package if money was no object and we could ?have it all,? so to speak:

? A CRM software provider that has partnerships with other vendors for support in the event you need it for integration of platforms.

? Extensive training from certified CRM software technicians who will walk your people through the process of setting up, using and training others on the system.

? Full data migration capabilities to and from all programs in current use to the new CRM software.

? Offsite server storage backup for all information in the CRM system for added security.

? A toolbox for company programmers for customizing templates for company use — this will save huge amounts of time by eliminating the need to write custom codes from scratch.

? Either in-house consultants or a choice of contracted consultants they recommend (try not to be at the mercy of one consultant when there is a problem).

? A CRM software package designed by a company familiar with our specific industry and its structural needs.

The best CRM software packages enable customer service representatives to review the account information of each client or customer when they are talking to him or her and immediately understand something about that person?s needs, wants and spending patterns.

For banks, CRM software can indicate their banking patterns — are they investing through the bank? Have they recently looked into a money market fund? Do they have substantial funds that could be put to better use than languishing in a simple CD?

A mail order company can note your shopping tendencies and make Christmas shopping suggestions based on past purchases by seeing that you buy a lot of kids? clothes and that you spend about $200 each holiday. Used correctly, a toy company can steer you toward some bargains and suggest alternatives, enriching your shopping experience and building customer loyalty.

Why does CRM software fail so often after it?s put into place?

You?ve heard the stories about a company buying a CRM software package and then realizing it hasn?t really changed anything. The big-wigs are disappointed, customer service is frustrated, and the clients are aggravated with the new changes that don?t seem to show any improvements in customer service or client relations. How does it happen?

Because CRM software was purchased that wasn?t appropriate, was purchased too soon, or wasn?t implemented properly. If you don?t purchase CRM software that specifically addresses what your customer concerns are, you may have software that is very detailed in an area you don?t need and somewhat lacking in exactly what you do need.

Purchasing too soon means you bought the software before you had evaluated what you really wanted. Many companies by CRM software with a goal ?to improve customer relations,? which is not a clear business goal! You should have a very specific, well-defined objective that your CRM software solution can address, and you company should have developed a formal objective before you went shopping for a solution. Retaining customers? Improving the size of current customer portfolios? Penetrating a new market niche? Reduce customer complaints? Improve customer repair response? Determine what it is you want to focus on as a goal, and then choose your CRM software solution based on how it will address it.

Finally, implementation of a new CRM program requires proper management support and effective training. That means that management must be behind it one hundred percent, and not have ?head in the sand? approach where they determine that ?that?s for customer service, I never did understand that stuff,? and avoid learning how the CRM software works. It is an attitude that will pervade the company.

Second, training is essential and must encompass the company to ensure that all levels of personnel will embrace the new system and understand the genuine need for it and the real goal of what you are trying to achieve with your new CRM software solution.

Some CRM software options for small and medium sized businesses

For small and medium businesses, the most common customer relations management software request is for anything that enhances online communications and improves the time between a customer complaint or question and resolution of the issue for them.

For many companies, there are software solutions that can be purchased or downloaded to be used through their Internet website for basic services such as online customer support through live chat and customer assistance with online purchasing that is both efficient and relatively inexpensive. If your need is primarily to improve sales volume, improve response to customer questions and complaints and to make your company website more personalized, look into these solutions that are at the lower end of the price spectrum while providing solid CRM products:

? LivePerson offers two different versions, Basic and Enterprise that provide live chat, email and a variety of interactive forms customized to meet companies? needs for customer relations. This company has developed live chat solutions and online forms for everything from universities to financial services firms. This company provides a wide range of services, including online marketing, case studies, and software designed to improve online shopping cart capabilities.

? LiveHelper offers many of the same features, and adds real time traffic monitoring and other data assessment features as well. For the price, LiveHelper is a very good CRM software value.

? GroopZ includes customer routing software so that you can transfer entire chat strings from one customer service rep to another if you need be, along with an efficient filing system for chat transcripts and customer records. For improving customer relations, the software support suggests pre- and post-service questions for all customers who contact you.

Also included are templates you can set up with specific, pre-scripted answers to frequently asked questions in online chat to save customer service representatives time and make the process clearer and more efficient. This company does a bit more customizing on the front end to fit your needs, and pricing is adjusted accordingly.

? SupportWizard gives you three CRM options that give you some flexibility — you can buy, lease or let them host your customer service/relations solutions. Interactive FAQs, live chat, standard answers to frequent questions, and Boolean search capabilities to review past interactions all make this package extremely effective. SupportWizard also has more customizable features than some, including an ?escalation alert? that can be tailored to specific situations when a supervisor would be notified if a customer service situation exceeds certain parameters.

This is one of the more expensive packages available, but rather than a monthly fee you are paying for lease or outright purchase options, so factor this into the cost. You will also get spectacular customer support and constant upgrades and patches when necessary. The integration of email, live chat and telephone information into one database is also a plus with SupportWizard.

? BoldChat offers free CRM software for online customer service chat that you can use for a limited time, and offers a $9.95/month and a $39.95/month customized version of their CRM software. Both offer live customer service chat, but one adds customized windows and more options on buttons and the number of available customer service reps you can add.

? CSLive offers the most comprehensive CRM software solution available for small and medium businesses, with live chat, email, and the usual customer service features you expect from a small business CRM solution, but with plenty of extras. CSLive also offers an extensive tracking and filing system, an Internet server site where you can upload and store files of customer help articles that customers can be referred to that can by emailed directly to clients by your reps. Throw in the message center and online meetings, and this is practically an enterprise sized solution at a small business price of $29.95 a month.

CRM software, whether on a monthly user basis or purchased outright and downloaded onto your own server, will make serving and understanding your clients and customers a more productive experience, and you will all be happier for it.

Microsoft CRM Custom Design & Development: SDK, C#, SQL, Exchange, Integration, Crystal Reports

Microsoft CRM is new player on the CRM software market. The whole conception behind CRM seems to be different. In case of traditional CRM software (Siebel, Oracle) – the application was designed with platform independence in mind. Microsoft CRM is dedicated to Microsoft technology and so deploys all the Microsoft tools: Windows Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange 2003/2000, SQL Server, Crystal Reports Enterprise, Biztalk server, Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Great Plains as backend, etc.

If you are software developer, database administrator or web designer who is asked: how do we customize Microsoft CRM ? we are giving you directions in this article.

Microsoft CRM SDK ? this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net code samples ? it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is based on web service calls, if you are C# .NET developer ? you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred modification scenario and this should be easily upgradeable customization. VB.Net examples will be available soon.

Legacy SQL Data integration . This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server ? you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config ? please refer to MS CRM SDK

Legacy ASP integration ? this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is ? you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.

Microsoft Exchange Programming . Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector ? which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance – move email to CRM if it doesn?t have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming – you need some COM+ objects creation and VB programming experience.

Direct SQL touch ? in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers ? this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But ? in real world this is not always true ? you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support ? but you can rescue to this technique if you have to get job done.

MS CRM Customization tool ? this is rather end-user tool and we don?t describe it here ? read the manual. We?ve described above the options to use when this tool doesn?t do the job

Crystal Reports – feel free to create Crystal report – tables and views structure is self explanatory. Try to avoid the temptation to create your own SQL view or stored procedure in MS CRM database, instead – create custom database and place your view and stored proc in it.

Happy modifying! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies ? USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com
), he is Dexterity, SQL, VB/C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

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Well Managed CRM – Key to Profitable Growth For Your Business

The web has long been recognized as an enabler to radically redesign business processes. Thanks to the innovations like the internet which enables industrial businessmen to automate and generate functions as never before and they are achieving dramatic improvements in their businesses. Today’s business world is one of the intense competition field and you have to find creative new ideas and ways to reduce costs while improving product offerings. A major breakthrough concept in this field is that of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and this has gained a significant relevance for companies over the last few years. CRM focuses on a key element that is customers. It offers more than just a product and builds a relationship with customers who prove to be mutually rewarding and successful.

What it is?

CRM is a systematic business approach, which compiles a huge amount of customer data and helps a company to organize and manage its relationship with customers. Its main goal is to allow companies to handle their customers in a better way by means of customer service aided by software tools. It involves the integration of marketing, sales, customer service and helps your business achieve greater efficiencies and more effectiveness in delivering customer value.

Implementing Intelligence In the Business

Product, price, place and promotion- These are the four key areas that are important for the marketing of your business.

? Product is concerned with what your company offers.
? Price is influential for the customers to decide whether to buy or not.
? Place is essential when considering in what markets products should be offered.
? Promotion of a product is crucial for sale.

Synchronizing all these things with the overall company strategy is an extremely time consuming thing whereas very important. This can be easily accomplished with the implementation of a proper CRM system.

Enriching Collaboration

Developing your product is very important for your business to establish a sustainable competitive advantage. Be it a new product introduction or an additional feature on a product or correction on an existing product, change in proper time is required. CRM through customer feedback data and the product development will not only generate new ideas for product improvement but will also fulfill the deficiencies that exist. Scheduling resources is a key factor for any company success and CRM makes this consistency possible by analyzing past trends and using them properly to predict future requirements.

Customer service is crucial for every business. Out of sight out of mind will prove to be a detrimental philosophy for any company. However well a product is made, complaints are going to be made. A proper management of complaints, problem recognition, and service staff scheduling and appropriate responses all can be done in a timely and unbiased fashion by CRM system. It is very desirable for every company to focus on sales efforts, again with CRM you can manage this efficiently.

Industrial websites are facing global competitive pressures as manufacturing costs are rising while prices are decreasing. Enhancing and protecting their business through superior customer service and innovative product development is required. Building customer loyalty through excellent customer service will enable them to gain a competitive edge. They can realize the maximum potential from their business with a low cost. CRM solutions can solve everyday business problems and deliver tangible benefits for your business. The main objective of Customer Relationship Management solution
is to achieve repeat sales, managing a long selling cycle, winning new customers, keeping all data secure and accurate and auto generated reports from which you can control and grow your business. In today’s competitive world, industrial websites must meet ongoing demand of customers as well as to raise productivity and maintaining lower costs. The only solution for your business to achieve rapid ROI as well as to meet the ongoing demand of your customer is CRM.

Jennifer Salerno is a veteran in Internet marketing and a wordsmith par excellence with countless articles on a wide range of subjects to her credit. She is an expert on industrial website services

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Customer Relationship Management – CRM – What Does CRM Mean to You?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is not a piece of software. It is not something you just buy. It is not forms to fill out. It may include all those things, but it is much more. CRM was here before it became a popular word, before computers, even before paper. True CRM is a way of life, a way you run your business, a way to operate with your customers. A way to run your company with the customer as the central point, and knowledge about that customer in your data bank.

This article is the first in a series on CRM. This article will focus on what you need to know about your customers.

First, as I have stated before, let us define customers. A customer is anyone, anywhere who uses my product or service. Period. They may not be buying today, but they are still a customer. Now with that in mind, let us understand what we, as an organization, need to know beyond the normal demographic data.

Are they doing business with us today? If they are, that means they are current customers, and thus we should know a great deal about the business they are doing with us.

We should know a great deal about the people who are at the customer and how they feel about our product, our service, and our company. When was the last time our senior management went out to see them. Beside the business they are doing with us, how much other business has come our way because of this relationship? Who are the people they have helped us bring in. How much of the product/service we produce do they buy from others? Key: All this information must be documented so anyone who needs to know can find out.

If they are not doing business with us, do we know why not? Do we know who is working the customer? Do we know the history and results of that work? Too many times I hear people say, “I am working that customer” I say, OK, what have you done? I been calling them? Ok, when, how many times, what has the result been, and whom have you been talking to. How far has the relationship gone? What do we know that can help us? Do you need any help? What do you need? Who has a history working this customer before you? What was their take? Again Key: All this information must be documented so anyone who needs to know can find out.

No this is not trying to micro management sales people, what this is, is good, effective record keeping about what you have been doing. But more importantly, it is a data bank that will help someone in the future to get and keep this customer. As a new rep in a company, I should be able to review all customers that we are going after and see what has been done. I might have new ideas, concepts, and contacts. But if I do not know, then I start at space one. How many times does someone have to start at space one? How much effort do you waste reinventing the wheel? Going after a customer without any knowledge about the customer, again, again, again. I have said his time and again, every time a new rep is hired, they go after certain customers, the same ones we tired before, without any history to read.

So, the first step in effective customer relationship management, keep track of all information about the customer. We have not talked tools, software, forms or anything else, all we have talked about is documenting what you have done. Keep a record so we can keep working the customer. Keep the history so next time we decide to work this customer, we will already know what has been done.

Closing point: I know this is very basic, but sometimes we get so wrapped up in complex, that we forget the basic. If you are not doing this, start a process now to do it.

Manny Nowak has spent over 25 years helping people create success in their lives. An ex-marine and former top-notch computer programmer, Manny has an extensive background helping other achieve extreme levels of success. Manny is the author of over a dozen books; CD’s and tools that focus on your ability to achieve greater success in all areas of your life (personal and professional). So stop hesitating – YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!
http://www.MannyNowak.com

Manny@Mannynowak.com

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Why Your Business Needs CRM

Managers of very small companies (not more than 10 employees) claim they don’t need CRM. In fact, they should have such an application but not only them. Also if you are a freelancer then it’s recommended you work with CRM.

Seems that many people still have in mind that CRM is either expensive ,hard to manage or requires a lot of computer’s resources.

In fact all of these assumptions are wrong. Today you should not install CRM on your machine , you can find many alternatives like free CRM or zoho CRM which offer ‘Software As A Service’ so all you need is one time registration, then with the provided credentials you can login and you have all your information available. You don’t have to buy special hardware as all your data is on a remote server.

You don’t have to worry about backup the database as this also being done by the service provider ,also prices of such services is affordable (from 0$-15$ for a month) depending on the package you select and of course if you are not satisfied you can easily export your data to a different similar service.

I should also mention that most of these CRM services are intuitive and simple enough to understand and in most of them you can find video presentations for each section (appear in their homepage) so you can follow these videos or read related material. If there are still difficulties , you can raise a question in one of their forums according to the topic.

People that only work with MS outlook or word can not share their letters, comments, thoughts and more.Also today more and more web applications can communicate with 3rd party online services like blogs and social networking so you can easily embed snippets of your comments in your CRM. This is of course not the only advantage.

In CRM you can have all your data organized in such a way that everything can be accessed easily.

Say you have a registered customer in your CRM system. You select the account name and see all general details then while drilling down you can see any other information related to this account incl. attached documents so it’s easy for you to access this data. In case that you have many accounts but don’t remember the name then you can search according other parameters like contact name , e-mail etc…

And almost every CRM offers you the possibility of generating reports on your activity according to different parameters enable you tracking your progress.

So CRM systems help your business to be well organized and saving you a lot of time and money. I therefore suggest CRM for everyone who owns a small business including freelancers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dror_Shalit

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