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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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CRM Software Selection – The Basics

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

The power and versatility of telephony software allows inside sales companies to increase their calls, contacts, impressions, faxes, emails, and callbacks. All of this serves to increase conversions and revenue. Telephony software solutions are available to complete the myriad of tasks that call centers or remote sales organizations need to accomplish. The software that manages all of the processes that need to occur for a remote sales professional to meet the needs of their clients and their employer is Customer Relationship Management software.

Customer Relationship Management software, or CRM, serves as a database for the storage of an organization’s information. A CRM calendars private and company events and tasks. It automatically captures information on new leads and incoming calls, and a CRM manages customer accounts through the entire sales process.

CRMs can be integrated with other computer telephony integration (CTI) software solutions. Perhaps the most important piece of software to use alongside Customer Relationship Management would be a telephone dialer.

Dialers automatically call through a list of leads, or a similar list of phone numbers pulled from the CRM. A dialer then patches that call through to a live sales agent. Several different dialers exist, from the speedy but sometimes unreliable ratio dialer to the effective and methodical power dialer. No matter what dialer is being used, they all become more effective when they are allowed to pull info from, and up load data too, the CRM.

CRM can also integrate other telephony business solutions with their own database and the dialers they empower. Voice messaging software allows sales reps to leave prerecorded, relevant voice messages on the voicemail of leads they attempt to contact. The CRM will automatically leave the message while the sales rep may move on to take another call. Alternatively these messages can be broadcasted by the CRM. The dialer will call through the list of contacts and automatically play the prerecorded message, freeing the sales rep to receive inbound calls or dial through a separate list. Generally, at any time the contact listening to the message may choose to speak to a live agent.

Email messaging is another example of a CTI solution. Pre-composed email templates may be selected and sent by the CRM during a conversation by a sales agent. These messages can automatically pull information to be included within the email, such as the contacts name or business. Instantly the lead can receive additional information promised to them by the sales agent.

Customer Relationship Management is the backbone of remote sales, and the industry has responded by producing plenty of business solutions to amplify it.

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

CRM web based solution is an easy and cost effective way to maintain a healthy relationship with your customer on the Internet. It is the latest trend in modern business organizations. With the wide use of the Internet, business organizations have become more reliant on web based CRM services.

Customer relationship management, abbreviated CRM, is a comprehensive business strategy planned to maximize profitability, revenue, retention, and customer satisfaction. However, CRM business strategies mainly focus on customer satisfaction only. With the coming of CRM web based solutions, the entrepreneurs are able to offer support to the customer through the Internet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Depending on the needs, CRM web based solutions can be availed by any type of businesses. For example, specialized CRM web based solutions are available for client profiles, frequently ordered items, automatic replenishment systems, one-click ordering, and market basket analysis. Mostly, CRM web based solutions are built after systematically understanding the needs and demands.

In a CRM web based solution, the Web is used as the platform. The software is generally installed on a single server. Hence, a user from any remote location can access the facilities of the CRM web based solutions through the Internet. Any slight change in the software of the main server will be reflected throughout the system. CRM web based solutions are cost effective and easy to maintain. Apart from these, CRM web based solutions also provide accessibility through wireless devices such as PDAs and WAP-enabled mobile phones. Thus, CRM web based solutions overrun all the downsides of their counterpart, client-server CRM solutions.

In the past, CRM Web-based solutions were used mainly by medium sized business organizations. But in recent year, almost all small and big business organizations have started using the facilities of CRM Web-based solutions.

CRM Solutions
provides detailed information on CRM Solutions, CRM Business Solutions, CRM Call Center Solutions, CRM Software Solutions and more. CRM Solutions is affiliated with Live Customer Support
.

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

Installing a good CRM software package is the cornerstone of any customer relationship management program. Without good software, gathering and storing the multitude of details gained about a customer from each interaction would be very difficult.

Small business CRM systems has gone ahead in leaps bounds in recent years, with several top quality packages now available to choose from. Prior to beginning the search for good CRM software technology however, there are a few basic features you should seek in a potential CRM package:

CRM Web Based Solutions

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

Customer Relationship Management is the backbone of remote sales, and the industry has responded by producing plenty of business solutions to amplify it.

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

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

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

Looking for a speaker for your event – please give us a call 856 358 4021

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CRM: Culture or Technology

I was recently asked to present on the impact of technology on sales, has it helped, in what way, or has it had a negative impact?

After examining the issue with some colleagues and experts in the field, it became clear that technology is an enabler, and as such amplifies what is already there, and what is not.

I don’t think that that there is anyone in sales today that has not heard of, used or been impacted by a CRM package of one sort or another, be it a simple contact management application with some added functionality, to a top of the line CRM that fully integrate with other enterprise applications. Many companies will tell you of the disasters they have encountered rolling out a CRM, in fact an article in the February 1, 2002 Harvard Business Review : Avoid the Four Perils of CRM, stated that “55% of all CRM projects don’t produce results” , and went on to say that “According to Bain’s 2001 survey of management tools, which tracks corporate use of and satisfaction with management techniques, CRM ranked in the bottom three for satisfaction out of 25 popular tools. In fact, according to last year’s survey of 451 senior executives, one in every five users reported that their CRM initiatives not only had failed to deliver profitable growth but also had damaged long-standing customer relationships.”

Yet by November 2004, one of the same writers in an article entitled CRM Done Right stated: ” Senior executives have become considerably more enthusiastic about CRM. In 2003, Bain & Company’s annual Management Tools Survey of 708 global executives found that firms actually began to report increased satisfaction with their CRM investments. In 2001, CRM had ranked near the bottom of a list of 25 possible tools global executives would choose. Two years later, it had moved into the top half. In fact, 82% of surveyed executives said they planned to employ CRM in their companies in 2003-a large jump from the 35% who employed it in 2000.”

While the piece went on to suggest a number of factors, we’ve experienced a number of key things in our work with clients that are worth noting.

First, we very much believe and have seen numerous examples to support the view that Customer Relationship Management is a way of doing business. Most of our successful clients have a consistent view on Customer Relationship Management.

To them CRM is part of their culture, part of their corporate DNA. They see CRM as the proper alignment between software and process to effectively manage their relationships with their customers. The alignment is based on objectives:

Corporate objectives drive the sales organization’s objective; which in turn are the foundation for regional/territorial objectives, and client objectives; when properly executed, these objective form the basis for each client/prospect interaction.

It is as much about process as it is about software. If you don’t create a balance and alignment between the two, you will fail to manage the relationship with you key customers, and not derive much benefit from your investment. In fact we are working with a company that has spent in excess of $13 million dollars over the last 5 years implementing a CRM software with little tangible results to show in improved sales, increased productivity or understanding of their clients and how to mutually improve their relationship.

A study I read recently showed that over 80% of the CEO’s surveyed said their sales organization had a process that was poorly defined or a process that wasn’t being followed. A sales process is like a good map or a GPS if you will. Used properly it helps you determine where you are, if you are in heading in the right or wrong direction, also helps you plan what your “next step” should be to get to your destination. A well defined sales process gives a sales organization the same advantage. It should have logical and defined steps that allow both parties to develop a better understanding of each other and a set of questions that help you qualify or “disqualify” an opportunity.

When we meet with a new client we always enquire about their sales process. A VP we recently met responded: “why yes of course, we use XYZ” (name change to protect the innocent, us). Yet he openly admitted that he struggles with forecasting, prospecting, and his people were spending too much time with unproductive activity, in the little activity he was able to glean from the system. (Unfortunately no software will pick up the phone and do a cold call, I’m working on it.)

The clients who do use the software to support their process tell a different story. Activity is focused on the client experience. It is still true that getting new business from an existing client, is much more cost efficient than from new prospects. No I am not saying you should stop prospecting, but don’t ignore those that have rewarded you with their business, show them some love, make it easy for them to deal with you, and hard to leave you.

A good CRM (software and process) provides you with a complete view of the client, allowing you to align your resources to best serve them. Reducing service calls, reducing time to respond, reducing the effort to take orders, reducing the cost of sale, increasing their satisfaction level and creating a mutual economical value add relationship.

The data available to you will also help segment your clients better, allowing you to decide where you want to put your focus, and which clients you may want to off load. Remember that some 30% or your lowest margin clients suck over 50% of your resources. A CRM done right can assure that you are retaining the right clients.

CRM system can also break down hierarchical communication barriers allowing everyone, not just sales to focus on the customer relationship, allowing top executive to get involved in meeting client expectation and driving revenue. Of course this will only work where the CRM culture is present. And in many companies that have rolled out the software without the process, with out the training, without the internal value proposition, it is not. As stated earlier it in fact diminishes the client relationship. Many companies are experiencing push back from the front line because they failed to show the ROI to the users. Like the clients sales reps want to know what’s in it for them. There is a lot, if there is a supporting process focused on everyone’s success, the company, the rep, the client. This can be achieved with a sales process that aligns around key objectives.

One last thing to consider, CRM systems are usually associated with sales organizations. But client satisfaction is the function of the whole organization. A truly successful CRM extends beyond sales to all groups with in a corporation, and as such, a key success factor is the alignment of the sales process with other processes impacting the client relationship.

Tibor Shanto , is a Principal with Renbor Sales Solutions Inc. , Renbor Sales Solutions Inc. enables companies achieve sustained growth, by focusing on critical aspects of revenue growth. By recognizing that an outstanding sales force is THE differentiator in today?s environment, our clients with our help, focus on the development of both strategic and tactical initiatives to foster a winning team that will out think, out sell and out perform competitors while consistently gaining market share.

Renbor?s Objective Based Selling (OBS) is a structured approach to delivering ongoing results and improvement by focusing the entire sales organization on a key set of objectives. The overarching objective for any sales organization is to achieve exceptional and sustainable revenue growth. This is accomplished by creating a culture of sales excellence built around the principles and processes adopted by world-class sales organizations.

For more information on helping your team sell better, write to: info@sellbetter.ca
, visit http://www.sellbetter.ca
or call 416 671-3555

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Why Power Dialers Work Best with a CRM

Customer Relationship Management software has become an integral part of many types of businesses, and is especially important for companies using dialers. Dialers mean large contact databases, and many phone reps who must then manage this information throughout the sales process. CRM software handles numerous tasks, from scheduling appointments to organizing contact details and taking notes for follow-up. A CRM solution for your company will provide automated processes, direct communication with customers and tools for easily analyzing customer data.

Dialers are generally limited to being a piece of hardware which makes and routes calls. There are several main types of dialers, but the superior choice by far, for B2B (business-to-business) calling, is a power dialer. This dialer calls only one number at a time, yet heightens productivity and lowers costs by saving leads from the waste that occurs with other types of dialers. Predictive dialers, for example, dial several numbers at once, with the hope that there will be enough reps available to take the calls by the time they are answered. This leaves the phone reps rushed and less well-prepared, while also allowing many leads to be lost to over-dialing.

By integrating the CRM software with a power dialer, productivity is boosted further and the way calls are taken and managed is lifted to an even higher level of service and functionality. By using an incorporated system like this, the phone reps have a more efficient way of doing their job. Instead of jumping between two systems, and having to transfer information from the dialer system to the CRM system they are automatically coordinated.

There are several companies now offering hosted dialers with integrated CRM. This is an innovative way to make dialers available to smaller businesses or ones without the funding to buy a whole dialer.

In 2007, MIT researcher Dr. James Oldroyd launched a study into how best to manage the response time to leads collected from web-forms. This study clearly shows that there are gaps in the way most companies approach lead response management. Integrating CRM software with a power dialer is one great way to start optimizing lead response management.

Lisa Anderson has been an avid blogger and print journalist over the last 6 years and has worked closely with InsideSales.com
. She has recently become an expert in dialers
and lead response management. Learn more about the MIT research study here
.

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

Can Web Based CRM Software Help My Business?

From the smallest one-person operation through an international organization, web based CRM software can make any operation run more smoothly. This class of software offers numerous benefits over excel spreadsheets, outlook based contact management, a pen and paper or even local CRM products.

One of the biggest benefits to this type of software is that there is almost infinite scalability. A small company with big aspirations can use the same software when they are a burgeoning office of ten and when they have hit the big time with over one hundred employees. This scalability is often cheaper to implement as well because it is a matter of upgrading a license when a new employee is added. The software is installed on a server and moving from ten people to one hundred is easily accomplished by moving the hosting of the crm software to a dedicated server when the need arises; which varies from office to office depending on how much the web based CRM software is actually used.

Another benefit of this type of software is that it is incredibly user friendly. Most people are comfortable using the web, especially compared to most other computer applications. The computer’s web browser is the single most used piece of software on any personal computer system. By harnessing the browser’s ability to handle complex web pages, these web based contact management products allow even a novice computer user to immediately feel a sense of comfort because the page they are looking at is not a computer program; it is just a page in their web browser.

Another related benefit is how easy it is to access this type of software. Without the web browser based software, the process to securely login to a CRM system is quite a bit more difficult. Some companies would not even allow access from computers that did not belong to the company and one point would only allow access through certain types of internet connections. These safe guards were in place to prevent hacking. With the advent of Contact management systems accessed through the web browser, the encryption is built into the web browser. Some companies still have their employees establish a secure connection via VPN first, prior to using the browser but even without the added layer of VPN, the browser is still quite secure.

CRM software has come a long way. It is much more affordable for the small business now and is easy to use by anyone that can comfortably use a web browser. The future of CRM software will see more robust products at lower price points and more useful features to improve productivity of those using it.

If you are in the market for a Web Based CRM
or an online contact management
suite we can help.

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

Get More Out of Your CRM by Using a Power Dialer

A power dialer is one piece of software that will instantly increase the productivity of your current CRM. CRMs (customer relationship management) track all of the processes associated with sales and store all the data about your clients. A power dialer enhances the outbound calling functions of the CRM.

A power dialer can be integrated into all major brands of CRM. It works together with the CRm like this: The CRM stores a list of contacts and their relevant information. That contact list is then uploaded into the power dialer. The power dialer then calls through each contact on that list automatically one at a time. These calls are then patched through to one of your sales agents.

The dialer provides several benefits. Leads and contacts can be called on average of four times faster when using a power dialer as compared to manually dialing, which cuts down the amount of wasted time between calls. Because of this three to four times as many calls can be placed in a typical work day. Both of these benefits allow your sales agents to spend more of their time selling. Not only does this increase the number of sales closed it also boosts employee moral – sales agents want to be selling, not dialing!

These are not the only benefits such a tool can give you when integrated with a CRM. It automatically makes the CRM a more powerful tool for your business, which also makes the CRM a more valuable investment. With both of these software solutions, it becomes easy to measure results with real time metrics and clear analytics.

Power dialers
that have been designed to be added to a CRM can be installed in minutes. Training to use a dialer is minimal. There is no additional, costly hardware to purchase when acquiring a power dialer. Instead a power dialer uses your existing phone lines.

Other telephony tools built into a CRM work perfectly with a dialer. Automated voice messaging is a perfect example. Voice messaging works by having your sales agents record messages to be left for clients which are then stored within the CRM. Normally these messages can be left while the sales agent stays on the line with a voice mail system. With a power telephone dialer, that recorded voice message is left without the sales agent having to stay on the line. The sales agent can move onto a new call, saving even more time and giving him the chance to make even more sales.

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

SaaS CRM

In today’s crazy economic times companies are tightening up their purse strings as much as they possibly can. Any and all options on how to save a dollar are being considered by companies of all disciplines. Managers are faced with having to trim actual staff to save money or do without valuable technological resources in order to balance a meager budget. This is a precarious position that most of today’s business leaders are facing and leave minimal amounts of room for them to navigate the business playing fields.

Practically speaking, the staff that most management teams have in place have been stripped down to the most valuable team members. The teams that are still on a company’s payroll are overworked and stressed. This will not aid companies in their long tern fiscal and growth needs.

A large expense in many companies is its computer hardware and software needs. If this expense can be minimized and/or eliminated, there may be funds available to hire more staff or invest in staff needs such as training and team building. Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Relations Management (CRM) SaaS CRM could be the tool that aids your businesses economic stimulus.

Today’s company’s success depends on having the ability to shift needed resources back and forth to areas in need. Many organizations tie up valuable resources in technological upgrades that may seem to have a never ending need for financial support. Naturally this causes uncertainty about backing such initiatives and as funding is pulled back, their goes any enhancements that may have resulted in systems upgrades and technological infrastructure strengthening and the never ending cycle of resource depletion continues.

What can organizations do? Hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers today’s businesses the option to start thinking outside of the turmoil and present real time business solutions through CRM Microsoft pricing. The days are gone when managers could secure funding for bigger and better technological solutions and hiring of more and more staff to keep up with growth initiatives. The time has come for fiduciary responsibility and technological creativity.

The time has come to investigate PHASE 2 International and Software as a Service (SaaS). Saas CRM
offers alternative creative options with CRM Microsoft pricing
and all of the functional bells and whistles of the hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM. These tools are one answer to help pull your business from the red and into the black. Think of selecting the SaaS CRM tools from PHASE 2 International as your un-cashed stimulus check. You and your business deserve the piece of mind and opportunities SaaS systems can bring to you. Visit PHASE 2 International for more details.

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

Microsoft CRM Lotus Notes Domino Connector FAQ

Microsoft Business Solutions CRM and IBM Lotus Notes Domino, being two groupware products from competing software development leaders, however could coexist within one organization computer network and even work together in collaboration. There maybe multiple reason why corporation would use both products: licensing, commitment to IBM Lotus Notes as legacy product, risk balancing ? staking on both Microsoft and Java/EJB/J2EE platforms, deploying Lotus advanced workflow to automate document management, etc. The need to synchronize MS CRM and Lotus Notes Domino databases is dictated by the ERP market and the connector is available. In this small article we?ll answer on the frequently asked questions.

? Messaging. Can MS CRM use Lotus Domino instead of Microsoft Exchange? Yes. MS CRM Lotus Domino connector allows you send messages from MS CRM objects: Lead, Account, Contact and all the future object, including Sales and Service modules

? Outgoing Messaging. When Microsoft CRM send email from Account, Contact, Lead ? connector takes control over and sends email through Lotus Domino server. It has Java Agent at the Lotus side and MS CRM SDK custom piece at the MS CRM side. If you compare outgoing messaging with standard MS CRM Exchange connector, then mechanism is slightly different. Microsoft CRM Exchange connector places GUID in the message header and uses this GUID to identify the object in the responding email to push it back to CRM and attach. MS CRM Lotus connector doesn?t use GUID ? instead it scans MS CRM objects (Accounts, Contacts, Leads) in smart cached way

? Incoming Messages. When Lotus Domino server receives email ? Java Agent side of the connector triggers checking with MS CRM if addressor email matches with any Contact, Lead or Account email. In the case of the match ? email is transferred into MS CRM in the form of activity of email type. Again ? please note that connector doesn?t use GUID mechanism. We found that matching is better approach and we have Microsoft CRM Exchange advanced connector ? which works with matching, without standard GUID mechanism.

? Microsoft CRM & Lotus Notes Events synchronization. Future version of the connector will synchronize MS CRM and Lotus Notes objects: Calendar, Appointment, Fax, Phone Call, etc. Please, note that Lotus has different objects ? we have the matching table, please check with us.

? Lotus & MS CRM Versions. Lotus should be version 6.0 or higher. The reason for this is simple ? version 6.0 supports Java Agent technology. MS CRM should be 1.2 or 3.0. Lotus could work in multiple hardware & OS platforms, such as Windows Server, AS/400, etc.

? Product Pricing. It is US$3k basic pack, including 30 users and then $75 each additional user. In Europe price is proportional in Euro.

? Support. Product is installed Worldwide and supported in Europe from German office, in the USA and Canada from Houston and Chicago, in South America, Africa, Australia, Asia, New Zealand from office in Sao Paulo Brazil.

Please give us a call if you have additional questions 866-528-0577 or 630-961-5918! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com
) ? Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Microsoft CRM Partner, serving clients in California, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Russia. Alba Spectrum serves corporate clients in Aerospace & Defense, Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics, Pharmaceutical, Food Processing, Placement, Healthcare & Medicine, Beverages, Agriculture, Non-profit, Distribution & Supply Chain Management, Financial Services, Furniture, Textile, Apparels, Conglomerates, Wholesale & Retail.

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