We Blog CRM

Persons using Bridgedexchange Version 3.6, web-based CRM will be able to manage the layout, customize web based forms, search for contacts in the system, manage documents, and track e-mails with a customized template. Additionally it permits users to keep track of their own sales progress while providing managers with the means to track it as well. The sale cycle can be customized by navigating the MYpreferences area. The CRM administrators are able to add or remove sales steps to help manage the sales cycle. This additional feature also enables managers of the CRM to evaluate the sales representative’s progress by virtue of reports compiled in the MYreports.

Users are required to set up an e-mail account in order to upload and store documents within the system. The system is designed to distinguish between documents containing employees’ group identification and the e-mail address of the user in the system.

There is also a MYLayout area. MYLayout allows each employee to customize the location of different blocks that appear within the application. At the onset the user is required to select the section he or she wishes to customize by browsing the drop down menu providing sections. Once a selection is made, the new page allows the user to make a selection from among the assigned locations of each block.

Quick Views which are comprised of the Calendar, Events, Contacts, and Clients are located on the upper left side of the screen. The lower left side is reserved for the Add Events, Add Contacts, and Add Clients.

Once leads or contacts are entered into the system using the MYforms online form, the information is then saved (at the bottom of each contact page) as an original version.

A tracking file is provided in MYdocuments. Once placed in the top level of each directory at the site, the tracking script will keep track of all users coming into the site while saving the keyword and search engine data used. The tracking script is used for external websites, rather than for internal use of the CRM application.

Once shared documents are displayed to all users on the system they cannot be deleted. All users are able to peruse documents all at once. A new version of downloaded documents cannot be changed and updated on the system until they are uploaded . It follows that all documents are required to be downloaded onto the local computer system and then re-uploaded to the server if a user is going to make changes to a document. There is a method for storing each uploaded document so as to distinguish it from others.

Wednesday, 22 March 2006 AMC Technology, L.L.C., which provides multi-channel integration solutions for contact centers, announced that the integration of the AMC Multi-Channel Integration Suite version 5.0 and Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM version 8.9 has been successfully validated by Oracle. It is worth noting here that Oracle is a provider of business applications software and AMC is a Certified Partner in Oracle® PartnerNetwork.

The AMC Multi-Channel Integration Suite is widely known for its provision of contact centers that pre-packages server-based integration. The pre-packaged server-based integration delivers real-time connectivity with telephony systems such as those from Avaya, Cisco and Nortel.

Oracle makes available a proven set of industry-specific, best practices, CRM applications software, and business processes, making it possible for corporations to sell to, market to, and serve customers within various channels and lines of business.

As a result of the integration of AMC Multi-Channel Integration Suite with PeopleSoft Enterprise applications, contact centers are able to manage all types of customer interactions with higher levels of customer service, more efficiently and effectively. Also, PeopleSoft Enterprise customers can enable full telephony functionality. The list of telephony functionality includes agent log-in and work modes, softphone controls, caller identification, and screen population of application pages.

As a proven, pre-built integration product, companies can expect a more efficient implementation together with lower cost. Close to 100 corporations worldwide use the AMC product suite daily.

Yesterday, Wednesday, March 22, 2006 InsynQ, Inc. a company which provides online application services, announced its launching of the managed CRM application service called Always-On CRM. Always-On CRM is based upon the SugarCRM commercial license, an online CRM implementation suitable for small and growing businesses.

InsynQ, Inc. recognizes that small companies are often intimidated by the complexities associated with CRM application services. The Always-On approach to CRM is made simple and takes a standard application framework and applies it to a wide variety of business models. The introduction of the Always-On CRM application service complements the other online solutions already available through InsynQ.

Always-On CRM can be purchased at the low introductory price of $40 per user, per month after initial setup. A minimum of 5 users are required.

Some iterations of CRM, may be confusing. Coining an old phrase; that’s the nature of the beast. Many iterations are geared toward automating customer service operations. However, there is more to CRM than screening service calls. A new dimension of CRM is making its name as a powerful remedy for professional services firms. The new CRM product is particularly beneficial to those firms with management teams that are targeting firm-wide intellectual property in order to increase the number and variety of clients, improve productivity and of course, increase profits.

CRM solutions distinguishes itself from accounting or HR solutions. CRM solutions are user-friendly and are confined to specially trained and skilled employees. That said, Cowgill asks: how can a firm ensure success? According to Cowgill the following five simple steps "can help put your organization on the path to CRM success".

1. Always keep in mind that ‘culture is king’ - A CRM solution, apart from being a software package, is also a way of conducting business and involves contact and communication with fellow employees within the firm. For CRM implementation to succeed, members of any one workforce are required to share information about clients and contacts. Many persons engaged in the professional services industry are slow to share contact information for fear of losing opportunities for their own professional growth. What needs to be remembered is that a CRM implementation promises to create new opportunities for all and success rates will automatically follow. It is up to management to promote a work culture focused on "the greater good" as opposed to "individual gain."

2. Adapt a phased approach - Management teams mistakenly try to force-feed the workforce with new technology. CRM implementation is no exception. When working with the software developer’s implementation team, management should agree upon a plan of phasing software such as initiating a CRM rollout by location, practice group or department. The phased approach permits both the business entity as well as the implementation team to make adjustments, manage expectations, achieve milestones and promote successes.

3. Secure senior management support - Full management is important to the successful implementation of CRM solutions as it starts and ends at the top. Once management support is procured it must be maintained because it is futile for management to commence the process and then, in a manner of speaking, abandon the raft midstream. After all CRM implementations are all about management leading by example. Rolling-out a CRM solution takes hard work, but the benefits are substantial.

4. Evaluate the firm’s working procedures and processes - While working with the software developer’s implementation team, management should review, analyze and evaluate the firm’s procedures together with all of the data sources that will be integrated into the CRM solution.

5. Exercise caution when selecting the Right Software Partner - It is important to keep in mind that the way CRM is employed by a professional services firm is entirely different from the way it is used by a products institution. It follows that services-based organizations would be wise to choose a software provider that specializes in professional services solutions. Of equal importance is the software solution’s ability to seamlessly integrate with other business processes within the firm. It is also important to ensure that the vendor is capable of providing experienced and committed staff members that are ready, willing and able to work with your team to ensure success.

Go to: Pointers to getting CRM right

Thursday, 23 March 2006, Microsoft Corp. announced that it has now made 5,000 industry platforms available. The platforms are available through Microsoft Solution Finder and Microsoft Industry Builder.

Microsoft Solution Finder is an online directory which permits Microsoft Dynamics partners, developers, and customers to conduct a search of over 220,000 Microsoft Certified Partners. The search can be navigated via industry, geography, or Microsoft product.

The directory gives customers and partners access to at least 5,000 solutions, 2,000 of which are closely integrated with Microsoft Dynamics business management applications, such as financial management, customer relationship management (CRM) as well as Microsoft Retail Management System.

I.B.I.S., Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and DMB Financial, LLC announced the selection and integration of Microsoft Dynamics CRM for the purpose of automating DMB’s marketing and sales.

Previously DMB Financial had difficulties managing its day-to-day operations while keeping up with a boost in business because they were using outdated systems and methods. According to Daniel Kwiatek, Chief Operating Officer for DMB, "Our operations were very inefficient and became increasingly difficult to manage from one day to the next as our business continued to grow."

"Additionally, we had no visibility into our sales pipeline and forecasting was nearly impossible. It became apparent that unless we improved our operational efficiencies, we would not be able to provide the level of service that our ever-growing nation-wide clientele expected from us. Following the installation of Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM, we realized an immediate improvement in our telesales, leads tracking, and management reporting operations." The implementation of Dynamics CRM has saved the DMB costs which were used to compile leads that eventually could not be put to effective use. When trying to use the leads it invariably involved using Excel spreadsheets which were often executed by manual means.

After just one month of partnering with Dynamics CRM, DMB realized a 30% increase in revenues, which improved to 50% in the next six months. Credit is entirely Dynamics CRM’s. According to management the marriage is responsible for a 100% increase in the number of leads identified and tracked by DMB.

Go to: DMB posts growth

Broadcast simultaneously from California and New York, SAP recently announced that it will implement a hosted CRM service under its mySAP CRM program. The new service targets its mid-to-large agents. Salesforce.com currently dominates the small and medium-sized businesses. The senior director of product marketing at NetSuite, Sean Rollings, did say however, that NetSuite somehow expected SAP to serve small and medium-sized business entities with the new product.

SAP is new to the hosted CRM market and faces some tough competition such as Salesforce.com. The latter initially set out as a hosted service.

Rising to the challenge, SAP’s hosted CRM service starts at $75 per user, per month and may be purchased for as much as $125 per user, per month. SAP’s fees are similar to rivals such as NetSuite, which offers a similar service at approximately $75 per user, per month.

While SAP’s hosted CRM is cost-friendly, it is determined that it is also able to smoothly integrate with other applications. To achieve this goal, SAP is in the process of working with Microsoft on the Mendocino project to secure complete integration with Microsoft desktop applications.

Open source CRM, which was first noticed in the CRM market a couple of years ago, was not mature enough at that point in time to meet the requirements of the corporates. Now, according to SugarCRM, the market has awakened to the potential of open source CRM, yet it is not a technology that is set to trouble the leading CRM vendors. It is not even as big as hosted CRM but open source vendors are upbeat about sales in 2006 and are even talking in terms of tripling the existing customer base.

Open source CRM can be deployed as a hosted or on-premise offering. Sugar CRM gained its first commercial deal in October 2004, it had been in operation for two years before that. Since October 2004, the company has added approximately 400 new customers. Apart from its commercial client, the open source code is downloaded from the SugarCRM website around 200,000 times every month; however, the company keeps track only of its paid clients. The growth of open source CRM can also be gauged from the fact that around 4,000 developers are a part of the SugarForge.com development community.

By implementing the Sugar Network, SugarCRM aims to obtain a better understanding of the manner in which companies use open source CRM. It will provide training and useful plug-ins for Microsoft Outlook and MS Word at a price that should evince interest in these offerings. The low cost of open source CRM and its customizability are its main attractions, especially for small enterprises who wish to test the waters before moving on to a larger CRM deployment. Over a period of time, open source CRM has been steadily losing its advantage of customizability to hosted offerings.

Open source CRM is best suited for companies that have a staff of around 30-50 personnel; however Sugar CRM also has been deployed to cater for 9,000 seats. There are companies such as BluewhaleCRM that started off as open source CRM vendors but moved toward a shared source model. The primary reason for this according to some experts is that some in-house IT expertise is required to handle open source CRM and small enterprises often do not have that, also the support from the development community is not as strong as it should be.

SAP has announced that it will be providing a hosted CRM service as a part of its mySAP CRM. The service will cater to the CRM needs of the large and mid-sized enterprise customers of SAP. SAP feels that the vast majority of its 100,600 installed applications should benefit from the addition of the on-demand capability. SAP will have to compete with Salesforce.com for the SME segment. NetSuite, which is another player in the SME segment, provides web-based CRM and e-commerce solutions. It feels that SAP may well target the SME segment with its present offering.

SAP is going to have to work extra hard in establishing a presence in the SME market as it is a latecomer in the segment which already has established players like Salesforce.com, Siebel, and NetSuite. SAP will also have to contend with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0.

SAP has priced its hosted CRM offering at $ 75 per user per month, the price can go up to $ 125 per user per month. SAP is offering its service at around the same price points as its competitors. SAP is aiming at integrating its offering with all the diverse technologies that an enterprise with its offices all over the globe may be using. To this end, SAP is working with Microsoft on the Mendocino project for integrating SAP with Microsoft desktop applications.

At its 2006 Users Conference in February, 2006, TGI revealed a significant amount of software enhancements in the latest edition of Enterprise 21.  Version 6.5 contains a substantial amount of new functions ranging from user specific dashboards and trending reports to enhanced CRM functionality and third party integration.

Specific features and functionality enhancements include the following:

Compatibility with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft MapPoint.

Integration of VOIP for CRM activities.

User friendly dashboards along with integrated DSS reporting, customized graphs, drilldown capabilities, and export to Excel, HTML, or e-mail.

Enhanced help engines available online for easy to follow instructions for processing transactions.

Enhanced audit tracking for regulatory compliance.

Management and trending of accounts receivable and accounts payable activities.

Enhanced CRM functions and performances for prospecting and lead generation.

Improved CRM functionality for direct marketing activities.

Enhanced MRP processing and production in facilitating the smooth function of machines as well as employees.

Improved production scheduling and processing in manufacturing to accommodate make-to-order environments.

Improved user friendly lot processing and reporting of associated history.

Enhanced trending and sorting of inventory levels and turns.

Increased WMS functionality for RF environments.