Microsoft CRM Implementation fundamental CRM principles revision

Microsoft CRM is relatively new player on the now becoming traditional CRM software applications market. We would like just to mention shift in the technical conception Microsoft CRM is committed to Windows and Microsoft components: Exchange, Active Directory, SQL Server, etc (while traditional CRM applications, such as Siebel were biased toward multiplatform compatibility: Unix, Oracle, Windows, SQL Server) and move up to business logic paradigm shift.

There is high-tech wisdom and it is always applicable to traditional industries, such as auto makers. Dont try to be too innovative on the market, rather have your competitors build the market niche and then move in. It is rather safe not to purchase the car of the new line, just introduced this year, even if it comes from such a respectable manufacturer as Toyota. The same in software industry we have unlimited trust and greatest respect to such CRM makers as Seibel but I guess we have to admit companies like this had to be pioneers on the market and had to create the market, being a little bit premature, however savvy in the long term market prediction..

Microsoft seems to be allowing the enthusiasts to create the market niche and then move in with its own or purchased and beefed up solution. In the case of MS CRM it seems to be from ground up MS development and very excellent fit to Microsoft Business Solutions business strategy.

Microsoft CRM application conception in our opinion was substantial simplification in CRM functionality and making IT group to support it, by deploying all the recent Microsoft technologies.

Bullets to emphasize:

1. Microsoft CRM is for MCSE / Microsoft oriented IT departments Microsoft CRM would be be-loved system for IT specialists. If you are MCSE+I - CRM will recruit all your MS Exchange, Active Directory, MS SQL Server, Windows domain security, Windows 2003 Server, Web publishing and HTML knowledge and experience. This is completely opposite to earlier Apple Computer believe - that computer systems should be easy in service and completely intuitive. MS CRM is kind of intuitive for end user, but not for its administrator.

2. Microsoft CRM - is not CRM - but rather simplified CRM - if you do remember old days whitepapers about CRM in general, or even it's predecessor - Lotus Notes/Domino - these papers were full of predictions about the future and were written for top level company executives, not for regular computer specialists. This was probably why so high percentage of CRM sales failed in implementations. Microsoft CRM has the highest ever rate of successful implementations, because it is not a CRM, but rather popularized version of it - it just does the job - as cheap and reliable car.

3. Transportation Companies - about 30% of our clients in the States are transportation and freight forwarding companies. This actually proves the hypothesis that MS CRM is very simple solution - these companies usually do not have extra money to spend on their computer system, but need the solution for its sales people to instantly see the cargos, plus have simple customization, allowing them to integrate with legacy system.

4. Movement down to small and tiny companies this is completely new trend for CRM market. We know the examples when 5 employees companies make a decision to implement and have surprising success in Microsoft CRM implementation.

Happy implementing!

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, serving clients in Chicago, California, Colorado, Texas, New York, Georgia and Florida, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com) You can reach Andrew at 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577. He is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

help@albaspectrum.com

Is Customer Relationship Management Right for your Small to Mid-sized Business

Customer Relationship Management has been a holy grail for Big Business for the past ten years. So what about Small to Mid-sized Business (SMB) applications? If you talk to CRM software vendors they will claim that CRM systems help SMBs become more efficient, drive more sales (your ROI) and increase the accuracy of your forecast.

A few consultants have an alternative view: they see CRM as a process rather than a software product. A CRM process allows you to effectively manage your customer interactions (get to know your customers). This way you actually get to use the nice shiny tools that the CRM software vendors offer.

While I tend to agree with the latter, my experience with databases is as my algebra teacher used to say: GIGO! (Garbage-In Garbage-Out).

Regardless of which view you take, you?re going to need to do a lot of research and soul-searching within your organization in order to get the most from your CRM. Here is what you need to think about to get started:

What is Customer Relationship Management?

Well...the answer depends not only on who you talk to, but also on who you are.

If you are a sales rep, CRM simply means effectively using Outlook or Act or some other contact manager to track potential customers as they move through your sales cycle.

If you're a business owner or CEO then it means tracking all of your customer's information as they touch your organization at key points. This is how you know when they'll need to buy your widget or have their new wiget serviced or whether they'll want to know about an upgrade to a particular line of widgets.

As the owner, CRM means you will be able to provide your employees with access to customer information at all levels of your organization from a centrally managed location. This improves service and aids in customer retention.

The big idea here is to keep vital knowledge about your customers within your organization, even if your employees change.

Is CRM Right for You?

It depends on who you are, and how you apply it.

If you're a Big Company CEO then you've probably already sunk millions into a strategic alliance (bought their product) with Oracle or SAP. Then you paid their developers millions more to automate your broken business processes. This generates tons of overtime hours from overworked employees as they fix customer issues "in the back office". Fortunately, your stock went up anyway because you talked big to Wall Street analysts about your million dollar magic database system which makes your organization appear more efficient. Operational inefficiencies are quietly choking this organization, but your golden parachute will probably open out as soon as the fan begins to blow your way.

HOWEVER, in all likelihood if you are reading this you're probably not a Big Company CEO. Perhaps instead you run a mid-sized private company with multiple regional locations. In this case you may have several different systems that require your employees to spend their time faxing documents back and forth between departments. Despite this your customers are pretty happy because they get to speak with Sally (their favorite customer service rep) everyday and the product gets out the door.

OR you?re a small business owner that knows almost all of his customers by name because you?ve managed to enter MOST of them into your Outlook address folder. SOMEDAY you?ll be able to find the rest of those business cards from last year?s convention. Anyway, you?ve managed hire a few key employees that remember the rest of your customer?s names, what they?ve ordered and when they?ll need to re-order new stock. Because of this you can usually come close to a forecast of next month?s sales.

Now for the nitty gritty:

So, what can CRM do for a Small to Mid-sized Business?

Properly applied, CRM can:

* Make every customer count - The cost associated with finding a customer means that you need to make every customer count. While it?s important to secure new business, it?s your repeat business that means long term success. * Help you know your customers - When you're a small business knowing your customer means knowing what they need now and what they may need 30/60/90 days from now. This knowledge is often the key to survival. * Generate cross-selling (making suggestions) of product enhancements or alternatives. * Target marketing communications to your customer?s specific needs. * Increase customer retention and repeat business. Repeat business from existing customers means reduction in overall cost of sales.

Okay. So you?ve decided that you?re sold on CRM and you want to buy a system to bring in those customers, get inside their heads and bring ?em back for more. Now you?re going to need to know your CRM options in terms of software systems.

Pros and Cons of ASP vs. Boxed Software:

There are two models for CRM. Application Service Provider model and software based. There are a number of advantages to both the ASP and software models.

Application Service Providers ASPs offer web-based CRM services. The ASP model is a decent option if you want to implement a solution quickly and your organization lacks the in-house talent or resources to customize an existing application or build from the ground. ASPs are good bet if you?re an internet based business or small business that needs a fast and low-cost start-up solution.

Pros * No software updates to manage or install * No servers to support or purchase * No back-ups of critical customer information required * Generally low start up cost (hardware, software and training included)

Cons * ASP's can go out of business, taking critical customer information with them * High-speed internet connection required * Internet connection outage means critical customer information is not available

Boxed or Off-the-shelf software Several software manufacturers produce CRM solutions that work with existing packages (Lotus, Outlook). Often these companies offer stripped down or basic versions of their packages targeted to small businesses. This can be low-cost solution if you?ve already invested in standard Microsoft business applications and can deal with most of the standard modules they offer. If you?re flexible and willing trade some functionality for convenience and price then boxed software may work for you.

Pros * Application is theoretically available on a 24/7 basis * No high-speed internet connection required * Business critical information is securely stored on company servers and back-ups are easily accessible * Business is not immediately interrupted due to a change in the developers business situation

Cons * Generally high-start-up costs (server hardware, software and training) * On-going support required: Back-ups, updates and service packs etc. * Data can often be stored in a proprietary format that will require conversion in to new format

Other CRM Solutions: Custom Development If you?ve the budget, time and patience then a gaggle of consultants, CRM solution providers and software engineers will beat down your doors to develop a custom CRM system that works flawlessly with your existing systems. I?d recommend this option only if you?re spending other people?s money, get a big bonus and then are able to leave the company before it falls apart. If you do select this path, carefully work through your specifications with your ?partners? and good luck! Managed Solutions ASPs offer to create a customized brand-version web of their web CRM applications. These are usually on a dedicated server and often sell for a flat development fee PLUS lots of other customized options. It can be solid choice if you?ve got the budget and are willing to be flexible with some of the functionality.

Who Are The Players?

Unfortunately, in the CRM market the question is more like who isn't a player. Using the broadest terms you can call a Rolodex a CRM system. The important thing is to define CRM for your organization.

Regardless, here?s a quick list:

Product Name: Sage CRM Solutions Software: Sage SolutionsFeatures: Customer Care, Marketing Automation, Microsoft Outlook Integration, Offline Synchronization, Sales Automation, Wireless PDA Access, Customer Care, Marketing Automation, Microsoft Outlook Integration, Offline Synchronization, Sales Automation, Why On-Demand CRM Microsoft Windows, Microsoft SQL; Oracle DBMS'.

Product Name: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Company: Microsoft Price: $5,000 to $50,000 Features: Sales, Customer Service, CRM Mobile, Marketing, Suns Legacy Partners, Hutchinson and Bloodgood, Kindermusik International Microsoft Windows;Microsoft SQL. ASP/Web interface environment; Microsoft .NET Framework

Product Name: SAP Business One CRM Company: SAP America, Inc. Price: $11,250+ Features: Sales Opportunity Management, Business Partner Management, Service Management built-in reporting, internal workflow and alerts, highly customizable, embedded CRM.

Product Name: Oncontact V Company: Oncontact Software Price: $1,000-$1,500/user Features: CRM Account Management, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Toolkits Microsoft C#;Microsoft .NET platform.

Product Name: Entellium CRM Company: Entellium Price: $50 per user / month

eSalesForce, eCustomerCenter, eMobile, My*Entellium ASP

Product: Neocase Company: Neocase Software, Inc. Price: <$1,000 per seat w/server; <$100 a month on demand Features: Parent/Child Cases, Contract and Service Level Agreement Management, Self-Service Solution, Customizable Partner Portal, Searchable Knowledge Management Tool, Dashboards and Reports

Product Name: Parature Company: Parature Inc. Features: eActivity, eAsset, eChat, eContact, eDownload, eForum, eKnowledge, ePortal, eProduct, eReport, eSurvey, eTicket Web-based Product: Pivotal CRM Company: Pivotal Corporation Features: Pivotal Sales Suite, Pivotal Marketing Suite, Pivotal Service Suite, Pivotal Partner Management Suite, Pivotal Analytics, Pivotal Technology, Pivotal Mobile CRM, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Home Building and Real Estate, Healthcare Payers, Medical Device Manufacturing ASP;MS-SQL

Product: NetSuite CRM+ Company: NetSuite Inc. Price: CRM Software From $129/user/month Features: Real-time Dashboards, Business Intelligence, Sales Force Automation, SFA: Order Management, SFA: Upsell/Cross-Sell, SFA: Incentive Management, Customer Support & Service, Partner Relationship Management, Marketing Automation, Productivity tools, Document Management & Publishing NetSuite CRM+ is a web-based CRM solution.

Product: Maximizer Enterprise CRM Company: Maximizer Software Inc. Price: $499/user + Features: Sales Force Automation, Outlook integration, Wireless CRM, Web-Based CRM, Marketing Automation, Customer Service and Support Management, Customization, Business Intelligence, Workflow Automation, Accounting Link, Partner Relationship Management, StemCell Technologies, Inc., W&O Supply, Inc., Microsoft Windows, SQL, .NET, Outlook, Office, IIS

Product: ADAPTcrm Company: ADAPT Software Applications, Inc. Price: $1,000 to $1,500 per seat Features: Campaign Management, Accounting Integration, Sales Management, Service Ticket Management MS SQL 2000

Product: OfficePax Company: eTouchware, Inc. Price: $179.00 per seat Features: Group Calendar, Email, Invoicing, Time Management, Project Management, Group Contact Management, File Sharing MS Access; MS SQL

Product: e-Synergy Company: Exact Software North America Price: $5,000 + Features: Web Shop, Event Manager, Sarbanes-Oxley, Software Development Kit (SDK), Customer Relationship Management, HR Management, Document / Knowledge Management One-X; MS-SQL

Why can't we be friends?

Fast forward 2 years later. Your CIO has quit, the budget has been cut and your CRM implementers are sending flaming emails to each other about whose fault it is that billing?s screwed up. It?s possible that your CRM project has turned into a stanza from the Mariners Tale (origin of the term "albatross around my neck") for a few key reasons:

*Lack of commitment. In order for most organizations to become ?customer-focused? upper management must lead the cultural change. This requires first admitting you have problem, followed by a genuine attempt to view your operations from the customer?s perspective. Without this painful process your CRM will help your organization screw up more efficiently. This means losing customer relationships and revenue.

*Lack of communication can prevent buy-in. In order to make CRM work, all the relevant people in your business must know what information you need and how to use it.

*Lack of leadership could cause problems for any CRM implementation plan. Unless your management (you) is willing to lead by example and push for a customer focus on every project, CRM will not help you. If a proposed plan isn't right for your customers, don't do it. Send your teams back to the drawing board to come up with a solution that will work.

Eating the Elephant: Small Bites, Chew Slowly

Some organizations try to install every single module at once in order to get it over with quickly. This can be a sign of lack of commitment with in your company.

Look hard at those that are pushing for an ?aggressive implementation? timeline because most likely they?re working an agenda?the failure of the implementation. Take a deep breath and remember that any business approach that brings cultural change will generate resistance.

Breaking down your CRM project into bite-size pieces with small pilot projects and simple, measurable and realistic milestones will often keep the feeling of success surrounding your project going and draw-in all the necessary departments. Small focused groups allow you the flexibility to make on-the-fly adjustments without increasing the political noise level.

More Is More

When it comes to data, always get more than you need and peel it back. It?s easier to reduce the amount of data you need than to attempt to create new.

Thorough analysis of the data you?ve collected is necessary to insure that what you?ve collected is truly mission critical.

Grab Your Sox and Drop Your?

Understand the rules around Sorbanes-Oxley. If you have more than a few employees then yes, you?ll need to setup a project leader or team to insure that your system is ?SOX Compliant? and leave it at that. There are a number of great resources to assist you in understanding the legislation on the internet?go look ?em up on Google.

Solution Providers: Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure

For any organization CRM is a large investment so choose your ?partners? with the same care you?d choose your spouse.

Considering that the divorce rate is at 50% it's obvious that people often make expensive mistakes when choosing a partner. In this case, the wrong partner could cost you your business. Before you impulsively join in a ?strategic partnership? with a solution provider you may first want to ask them a few key questions:

The Company
* How long has the supplier been established?
* Who are their partners?
* Who are their suppliers (Office equipment, software, development etc.)
* What are their Mission, Vision and Core Values? Look at those statements carefully. Often those are not ideals that have been achieved but where they want to go.

The Product
* Be sure to understand the licensing, purchase and on-going development costs. Seems obvious but it?s worth saying. What are the specific costs associated with the product; i.e. a one-off purchase price, an annual renewable license, a charge per user etc?

Drive Before You Buy
*Does the supplier offer any form of evaluation software so that you can try before you buy?
*Do they have an analysis or assessment process prior to installation?
*Will they do a pilot implementation for a specific area?

Specifications
*Is the system scalable to grow with my business?
*Is the system written in open-source code? Is the code written to industry standards? Is there a developer community?
*What operating systems does it support?
*What are the bandwidth requirements?
*What are the client-side requirements? Hardware? Software?
*Are there special service packs, patches or other OS or applications updates that need to be installed prior to implementation?
*Ask for a security statement. What security risks or potential risks are associated with this product?
Support
*Will they assign an implementation project manager (NOT a sales rep) to co-lead the implementation?
*How much is charged for technical support? Is it on a per call basis? Monthly? Is it 24/7 coverage?
*Does the supplier provide consultancy and, if so, at what rates?
*Can the supplier recommend any third-party developers that make use of their core CRM products?
*Is there an active independent user group where experience and ideas can be freely exchanged?
*Can the supplier provide references for businesses in your industry sector using their software?
*Does it offer training in the CRM solution and, if so, at what typical cost?

The Final Analysis

OKAY. What have we learned so far?

*CRM has broad applications, benefits and drawbacks. There?s no easy CRM push-button solution.
*CRM is a process that requires cultural change aided through the use of technology tools.
*CRM software will not instill customer centered focus within your organization.
*Customer centric behavior is driven by leadership example, communication and ultimately organizational buy-in.
*Beware the need for speed! Implement your system using small achievable milestones to build on success and use that success to draw in participation from other departments
*Choose your supplier carefully and ask LOTS of questions.
*Get more data!
*Good Luck?you?ll need it.

Jason Baselice, Managing Associate for *net.marketing associates (www.netmarketingassociates.com). You can contact Jason at: j@netmarketingassociates.com

Is Customer Relationship Management Right for your Small to Mid-sized Business? By Jason Baselice ? 2006 *net.marketing associates

Jason Baselice, Managing Associate for *net.marketing associates (www.netmarketingassociates.com). You can contact Jason at: j@netmarketingassociates.com

Why does every company need a CRM (Customer Relationship Management)?

First, let?s define what a CRM is: The term Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a system that connects different parts of a company through the thread of customer relationships. Sales, Marketing, Accounting and Customer Service can all be tied together with a powerful, centralized CRM software made to retain customer loyalty, increase revenue, deliver consistent and efficient customer service, and finally, evaluate which customers to focus on.

Basically, every company has customers, and every company should maintain some basic information about those customers such as names, addresses, purchases, contracts, invoices, etc. Therefore every company should have at least some basic "CRM Technology" to track and serve their customers. Even small businesses use Outlook, Quicken or other applications for this purpose. If you use Microsoft Outlook for your daily communications, calendaring, tasks and appointments and need a way to track sales leads and opportunities, to share data across sales representatives, to improve the understanding of your sales process, to communicate with a broad groups of people on a one to one basis, to improve your business process in the most important area ? sales, and need a reporting system that beats multiple excel spreadsheets, then you need a complete CRM solution.

Why ? Because a CRM software can increase profitability for your business by reducing current operating costs, usually in the call center or distribution system, and by increasing customer value through smarter marketing using customer data to increase customer profitability.

Can you do it without a CRM ? Probably, but not as efficiently because only a CRM is built to take care of Customer personal needs ?centrally?, meaning that by using a single software, all the employees of the same company can access an organised database via Internet, where sales, customer service and management have access to the same customer data using tools such as ?Sales Force Automation? (provides Lead Management, Opportunity Management, Account and Contact Management, Reports and Dashboards specifically useful for your organization's sales team), ?Customer Support and Services? (provides Ticket Management, Knowledge Base, E-mail Notifications specifically useful for your organization's customer support team.), ?Marketing Automation? (provides Lead Management, Mailing Lists, E-mail/Mail Merge templates, Product Management, specifically useful for your organization's marketing team.), ?Inventory Management? (provides Products, Price Books, Vendors, Quotes, Purchase Orders, Sales Orders, and Invoices specifically useful for integrating your organization's sales, inventory, and accounting processes and enhance the sales effectiveness.) , providing a complete integration between pre-sales, post-sales, procurement, fulfillment, and other business processes within your organization.

In other words, a good CRM software will help you build customer relationships by setting mutually satisfying goals between organization and customers, establishing and maintaining customer rapport and producing positive feelings in your organization and for the customers.

Organizations that implement CRM and turn their business into e-businesses will find their competitors' customers ready to welcome them with a "smile". According to a study by IT Consulting firm Aberdeen - "The winners in this new economy will be those companies that can effectively leverage the Internet to redesign, automate and integrate all business operations".
Take the plunge!

Either jump on board with CRM and invest, knowing you need it, or get out the calculator and pencil and start adding up what you?re going to lose!

One thing is for certain ? a few short months after implementing your CRM solution, you?ll wonder how on earth you ever got by without it!
http://www.momentustech.ca

How to Build Customer Relationships

Building a lasting relationship with your customers is a vital marketing strategy in ensuring the existence of your business. Making your customers unhappy even once can impact their likelihood of ever revisiting.

Small, local stores, retailers, and companies, can sometimes offer more personable service because of their focus on the quality and uniqueness of their products not sold anywhere else. Honoring the customers' needs is what brings them back for more. The customers who approach you will not necessarily be a part of the local crowd--therefore it is important that you take the time to make a good impression to improve business. Running a small or local venture can be mixed with challenges all in its own, but with effective marketing you can overcome all the odds. What better place to promote that concept than on your web site?

Before you have your web site up and running, first develop a marketing plan as to what you would like to achieve through it. As an extension of your philosophies and style, you will want a web site that reaches out to your customers and lets them learn about you at the same time. Once you have that together, then you can plot out the components of your site. Here are some tried-and-true ways to offer optimum results:

* List sales dates, and offer deals, discounts, or coupons/vouchers for customers to print off and use. * Use your web site to offer email or postal mail updates to all customers who choose to be on your mailing list to which they can subscribe online. * Offer free or discounted shipping on orders processed via your specifications. * Offer to include a small free gift as a thank you to customers for their business. * Suggested features to include on your web site for customers to view are a pictorial catalogue, biographies of key contacts, employees, or owners/managers, and map and pictures of your business. * Include a Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) section for self-help in case customers are experiencing trouble browsing or shopping online. * Clearly explain your products or services, including all applicable fees so customers are not unpleasantly surprised when they obtain a quote or make a purchase with your business. * State your policy of returns, damaged goods, or refunds where applicable. * Vary your selections by season, holiday, or event. Marketing yourself as a novelty producer in your industry will help you come out on top. * Make sure your web site is well-maintained at all times, where technical difficulties experienced on your web site are kept to a minimum to avoid losing impatient customers. A small, local business that is not prepared to handle an influx of customers will lose to a larger competitor. * Provide a feedback section for customers to offer suggestions and rate their overall satisfaction. You can also opt to email a survey to customers who shop online with you.

With careful planning, your small business can be well on its way to surpassing local recognition and make its way to the top of the list for successful ventures!

Jennifer McGroary is a WAHM who has been operating her own home-based web design and consulting business since 1999. Jennifer helps local small businesses, family-owned, & home-based businesses maximize their profits without spending money on advertising. To learn more, visit http://www.cssites.com

Customer Relationships How To Build Them

The Gurus all tell us this is the way to sell on the web
or this is the way. New ways and techniques are daily
mailed to my inbox telling me if I just do this then
I will be a success selling on the web.

However, the psychology of selling everything goes through
A simple process that is not a secret. The formula has been
taught us ever since we have first been on the web.
You know this secret if you are a newbie or a
seasoned veteran selling on the web.

First you must get the customers attention. How do you
do this? First of all the customers on the web are searchers
by that I mean they get on their computers, go to a search
engine and search for specific things they want to know about
or buy. So it makes sense that your site title, where you
are ranked on the search engine and your description of your
site are the first ways to get their attention. Ok, say you
have done a good job of that so you get them to your website.

You are still trying to capture their attention. So snappy
headlines and good content will get their attention. They are
not ready to buy yet. You shouldn't even be trying to sell them
at this point. What you present on the website will either
encourage them to come back or they will just click away and
never return. So not only good content about the subject
that they are looking for is essential. How about a five day
course. This accomplishes two things it gets them to give you
their email and you are giving them good content. Make this
course personal and dynamic and you have gained trust. Perhaps
you first get them to join your ezine. Where again you get their
email, give them really good content and have a chance to interact
with them. Again you are building trust and forming a relationship
with a real person. This is not instant. Relationships take time.

After you have built a relationship you can then recommend to them
products, and services. But even then you cannot sell to them if
they do not need your product. If you don't believe me try selling
ice in the artic. So try and target your market. Find out what your
customers need and then fill that need.

The last thing you are going to do is to send your prospects to your
product page. This is the one of the most important pages you
will ever write. It has to tell them what your product can do for
them. How it will change their lives to use your product. In other
words make them really want to buy the product.

Now you are at a point in your sales that you will be sucessful. But
to recap you can not go from get the customer's attention to sales
selling is a relationship between two human beings and relationships
take time. Judi Singleton is the publisher of Jassmines

Journal
A targeted daily ezine.
You can subscribe at http://www.motherearthpublishing.com