Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Lotus Notes Domino Connector ? Overview For Consultant

We have reworked the original material, dedicated to Microsoft CRM 1.2 and first version of the Connector, now we are very close to make it work with Lotus Calendar events and support Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0.

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.

Andrew is Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.enterlogix.com.br http://www.greatplains.com.mx ) ? Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Microsoft CRM Partner, serving clients in California, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Arizona, Texas.

Microsoft Dynamics GP/NAV/CRM implementation in South East Asia ? highlights

In this small article we will give you highlights on Microsoft Dynamics family of products implementation, customization, user training in South East Asia: Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines as well as in China and Taiwan.

Microsoft renamed its ERPs: Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon and MS CRM and now new names start with Microsoft Dynamics: Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  In this small article we will give you highlights on Microsoft Dynamics family of products implementation, customization, user training in South East Asia: Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines as well as in China and Taiwan.

• English Language.  Considering such country as Philippines, where English is commonly used in business documentation, Microsoft Dynamics GP, or former Microsoft Great Plains/eEnterprise is a good choice.  At the same time Microsoft Dynamics NAV or former Microsoft Navision is also excellent option.  The situation is similar to what we have on the US ERP market, when Navision vs. Great Plains selection is based on the functionality comparison between GP and NAV.
• Chinese Language.  Microsoft Dynamics GP doesn?t support Unicode characters in its native interface ? Microsoft Dexterity (former Great Plains Software Dexterity).  If you are looking at the Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Portal ? you are free to customize it and have it support Chinese.  There is special utility, which allows you to intercept Chinese characters and enter them in Great Plains fat client/Dexterity forms.  The functionality is very popular among Chinese food distributors in the USA ? Chicago and Houston areas
• Taxes.  Both Great Plains and Navision support both tax systems: Sale Tax based and VAT (Value Added Tax)
• Manufacturing.  This is where you should compare two systems: Great Plains and Navision manufacturing module/granule.  Great Plains Manufacturing is good choice for Discrete Manufacturing type, if you have process manufacturing ? you should verify functionality and third party add-ons features.
• Localization.  If the conditions of your local country require localization (tax and language specifics ? very good example would be India), you should check with Microsoft Business Solutions in your country on the positioning of Microsoft ERPs.  In general, when localization requires non-English/Spanish/French Canadian language ? Navision is the recommended and usually localized.  Axapta also is very adaptable and localizable and you will see Axapta as the option in the majority of cases.
• Non-Microsoft ERPs.  In some cases and we know real life stories/examples international company, having Microsoft Great Plains implemented in the headquarters in the USA, decided to implement SAP Business One for its overseas manufacturing facility.
• Software Licenses Sale only.  In South East Asia we see very strong IT departments and IT consulting market.  When company is required to implement Microsoft Dynamics ? it can do it in-house and all you need is software licenses sale.
• Local ERP Solutions.  On the local markets, especially where government regulation takes place you can find local or regional ERP vendors.  There are pluses and minuses of such systems: plus would be government reporting side.  Minuses are from the control side ? international company should have ERP reasonably controllable and the option to rely on local specialists only is risky.

You can always have us help you with the implementation & customization.  Call us in US: 1-866-528-0577, internationally: 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) ? Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials, SAP Business One  and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing.
We serve international clients Worldwide.

 

Build Customer Experiences, Not Relationships

Firms believe that forging relationships with customers will make them more profitable. But people recognize a company's true goal: to take their money. To succeed with CRM efforts, firms must make each interaction a satisfying experience in its own right.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is all the rage, as companies increasingly use technology to craft relationships with consumers. The goal: improving customer acquisition, retention, and lifetime value. Firms believe they can achieve this by:

Increasing contact. To expand their mindshare with customers, firms craft additional ways to interact with customers. This ambition drives automakers to pack cars with telematics equipment and just about every Global 3,500 firm to launch email campaigns. Harvesting data. Companies expect that data logs will reveal customer desires. To create as rich a record as possible, companies meld third-party data, such as credit bureau reports, with their own customer information. Tailoring offerings. From wireless telephone carriers' custom calling plans to Amazon.com's book recommendations, companies attempt to pitch just the right offer to the right person at the right time. Customers Don't Want Relationships In theory, CRM tactics mimic the way that interpersonal relationships evolve -- spending more time together, learning about each other, and exchanging something of value. But the similarities are misleading. Unlike person-to-person interactions, person-to-company interactions will never grow into relationships because consumers:

Like anonymity. A person may gladly share secrets with his friends, but he doesn't like to disclose information to a vendor. In a recent survey of nearly 6,000 North American online consumers, 69% of respondents told us they are either very or extremely concerned about losing control of their personal information. Pursue their own agendas. People don't contact companies for a friendly visit or an impromptu chat. Consumers interact to accomplish specific goals. That's why only 3% of visitors to consumer packaged goods (CPG) sites look for lifestyle content -- despite CPG firms' significant investments in this content. Remain suspicious. Companies' desire to build long-term relationships with customers falls prey to other objectives, such as meeting quarterly numbers. Customers see this in firms' high-pressure sales tactics, reluctance to replace defective products, and seemingly arbitrary contract termination fees. And highprofile events like the 1980s junk bond debacle or today's Enron scandal solidify people's belief that companies simply can't be trusted. CRM Must Focus on Customer Experience Since customers will rebuff corporate relationship advances, firms need a new CRM focus. Forrester recommends that companies build and sustain their customer base by obsessing about customers' experiences at every touchpoint. To succeed, firms must:

Redesign internal processes, not customers. Changing the way a company operate may be hard work, but changing human nature is nearly impossible. A large hotelier recently realized that confused customers called the reservation line for tech support, and vice versa. Rather than bracket the numbers with instructions that no one would ever read, the company built a consolidated contact center. Fulfill current goals -- don't rely on loyalty. Firms must redouble their efforts to anticipate user behavior, expecting increasingly empowered consumers to forgive even fewer missteps. Companies should use the questions of Scenario Design -- who are your users? what are their goals? and how do they accomplish those goals? -- to guide the design of customer-facing systems. Measure outcome, not activity. Companies must evaluate interactions from thecustomer's perspective. An immediate but nonsensical answer to an email inquiry may fulfill internal metrics for responsiveness, but it ultimately dissatisfies the consumer. To avoid this, firms must measure what matters to the customer -- if and when an initial problem was resolved. http://www.illusivecreations.com Calgary Web Design

Chris is the owner and operator of  http://www.illusivecreations.com Illusive Creations Calgary Web Design, with over 10 years exp. He can put together your new site, host your new site and then submit it to the search engines and gain TOP RANKINGS!!

Cement Stronger Customer Relationships By Following The Confirmation Letter ABC's

As more entrepreneurs enter into online commerce, many make a common mistake: they get so involved with the technology that they forget that there's a live person on the other side of the computer screen. They forget that they're dealing with PEOPLE.

As a result, the Internet has begun to get a reputation for being cold...lacking in the personal touch. And it's this personal touch that forges a strong customer bond. Ignore this and you may find your customers drifting over to your competition.

You must give them a reason to stay loyal!

Did you know that sixty-eight (68) percent of customers who quit buying from a company do so because they feel that the company doesn't care about them? Just their wallets?

And never assume that since you don't hear any complaints that all is well. Of the above mentioned sixty-eight percent, 96% will not let you know how they're feeling...they'll just disappear.

And though they wouldn't tell you, rest assured that they'll probably tell their friends - statistically, one person usually shares a bad experience with nine other people. And 13% will even take this one step further - spreading the bad experience to 20 or more.

Can you see, by not reinforcing customer satisfaction and loyalty, that this could become a costly business mistake?

Savvy marketers make sure to establish this human connection early...one of the easiest (though often overlooked) tools to launch a strong relationship is a well-executed order confirmation message.

A well-planned confirmation message is often the first contact a merchant makes with a customer after the initial sales letter. It doesn't have to be elaborate...just make sure you're not missing the basics.

For instance, does your message hit the following ABC's?

A - (A)cknowledge Their Positive Action.

By instantly reinforcing their wise decision to purchase your product, you may be able to head off a number of cases of 'buyers remorse,' thus cutting down on refunds.

With ezine signups, by sending a confirmation message, you're reminding a prospect that they'd requested the information. Often subscribers forget that they've signed up. Or, someone may have signed them up without their knowledge or approval - a confirmation message notifies them of the action.

Some ezine publishers are using their confirmation message to set up a double opt-in, requiring a new subscriber to physically respond that they wanted the subscription. Done by requiring a return email or click through, this has become an effective way to offset spam complaints and unauthorized sign-ups.

B - (B)enefits They'll Receive From Their Purchase or Free Subscription

After a transaction, the confirmation letter should reiterate the benefits of signing up or purchasing a service or product. Reinforce this positive action by reminding a customer of the value they will be receiving (this also underscores their perception of you as a quality merchant).

C - (C)larifying Terms Of Product Delivery

If the product is digital, and will be delivered sequentially (like an ezine or mini-course) the confirmation letter will remind the customer or prospect how often to expect an installment (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly). A gentle reminder makes for good customer relations, and, again, cuts down on potential accusations of spamming.

If the product is available immediately, the confirmation should reconfirm that it is digital, available through instant download, and then give clear instructions on the steps involved. Not everyone is a download veteran; you can't assume that they'll know what to do. Head off any potential frustration with step-by-step instructions. To those that need this extra help, you'll be an instant hero.

By keeping it personal, anticipating requests and questions, and by extending professional courtesy, you will be on the right track to forging a strong online relationship with your customers -- ultimately leading to a smoother and more profitable online experience for everyone involved.


Paula Morrow heads http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com She specializes in public relations, information marketing and creating cashflow systems. Her newsletter, IDEALProfits, is now read in 12 countries. Subscribe and receive 5 BONUS ebooks! http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com/subscribe.html


As a result, the Internet has begun to get a reputation for being cold...lacking in the personal touch. And it's this personal touch that forges a strong customer bond. Ignore this and you may find your customers drifting over to your competition.

You must give them a reason to stay loyal!

Did you know that sixty-eight (68) percent of customers who quit buying from a company do so because they feel that the company doesn't care about them? Just their wallets?

And never assume that since you don't hear any complaints that all is well. Of the above mentioned sixty-eight percent, 96% will not let you know how they're feeling...they'll just disappear.

And though they wouldn't tell you, rest assured that they'll probably tell their friends - statistically, one person usually shares a bad experience with nine other people. And 13% will even take this one step further - spreading the bad experience to 20 or more.

Can you see, by not reinforcing customer satisfaction and loyalty, that this could become a costly business mistake?

Savvy marketers make sure to establish this human connection early...one of the easiest (though often overlooked) tools to launch a strong relationship is a well-executed order confirmation message.

A well-planned confirmation message is often the first contact a merchant makes with a customer after the initial sales letter. It doesn't have to be elaborate...just make sure you're not missing the basics.

For instance, does your message hit the following ABC's?

A - (A)cknowledge Their Positive Action.

By instantly reinforcing their wise decision to purchase your product, you may be able to head off a number of cases of 'buyers remorse,' thus cutting down on refunds.

With ezine signups, by sending a confirmation message, you're reminding a prospect that they'd requested the information. Often subscribers forget that they've signed up. Or, someone may have signed them up without their knowledge or approval - a confirmation message notifies them of the action.

Some ezine publishers are using their confirmation message to set up a double opt-in, requiring a new subscriber to physically respond that they wanted the subscription. Done by requiring a return email or click through, this has become an effective way to offset spam complaints and unauthorized sign-ups.

B - (B)enefits They'll Receive From Their Purchase or Free Subscription

After a transaction, the confirmation letter should reiterate the benefits of signing up or purchasing a service or product. Reinforce this positive action by reminding a customer of the value they will be receiving (this also underscores their perception of you as a quality merchant).

C - (C)larifying Terms Of Product Delivery

If the product is digital, and will be delivered sequentially (like an ezine or mini-course) the confirmation letter will remind the customer or prospect how often to expect an installment (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly). A gentle reminder makes for good customer relations, and, again, cuts down on potential accusations of spamming.

If the product is available immediately, the confirmation should reconfirm that it is digital, available through instant download, and then give clear instructions on the steps involved. Not everyone is a download veteran; you can't assume that they'll know what to do. Head off any potential frustration with step-by-step instructions. To those that need this extra help, you'll be an instant hero.

By keeping it personal, anticipating requests and questions, and by extending professional courtesy, you will be on the right track to forging a strong online relationship with your customers -- ultimately leading to a smoother and more profitable online experience for everyone involved.


Paula Morrow heads http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com She specializes in public relations, information marketing and creating cashflow systems. Her newsletter, IDEALProfits, is now read in 12 countries. Subscribe and receive 5 BONUS ebooks! http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com/subscribe.html
 

Paula Morrow is webmaster of http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com and has extensive marketing experience earned from 20 years in the public relations, entertainment and advertising worlds. Now applying this experience to the Internet, she enjoys creating cash-generating systems and coaching new marketers on innovative ways to promote their businesses both online and off.

Management Features of Sales Force Automation

 Sales force automation, or SFA, is a term that refers at its most basic to automating critical sales functions like lead and account management. Sales force automation uses software to automate sales tasks like order processing, lead generation, information sharing, contact management, customer management, and employee evaluation.

It also keeps track of customer preferences, buying habits, demographics, and performance management. Sales force automation tools improve field sales productivity and open whole new realms of possibility for companies. With an on-demand architecture that allows effective sales force management and CRM, managing sales information is easy on even the largest scales. Essentially, customers and sales employees can manage and share any type of information.

There are a number of benefits and features that come with sales force automation technology, and these features comprise the backbone of the SFA system. They include:

Lead management

Lead management allows companies to keep better track of leads by ensuring they don't get cold. This can reduce or eliminate the need for manual routing and lead assignment duplication, clearly defines opportunity assignments, and is able to automatically assign leads to the correct individual based on territory, product expertise or user-defined rules. Thus SFA allows for automatic load leveling across sales territories, and better relationships between team members.

For example, with automatic lead management, you can set security controls that ensure teams or partners can access only their own leads, increase lead conversion rates and improve sales response times.

Opportunity management

Opportunity management allows sales teams to work better as units by standardizing sales methods and systems, identifying bottlenecks, and tracking deal closures. It also allows employees to focus their resources on strengthening key partnerships and dominating key competitors instead of competing with each other. More organized sales teams allow managers to delegate tasks and set up automatic reminder emails for themselves and their team.

Most importantly, the opportunity management feature allows companies to centrally track custom information like partner and customer communications and milestones while simultaneously monitoring myriad sales processes like sales channels, service effectiveness or product lines.

Account management

An account management system ensures that your company is able to attain full knowledge of your customer accounts. Accurate knowledge of customer account equals better collaboration amongst your sales teams and retains lasting customer relationships. Additionally, account management allows a company to defines and evaluate all those involved with the account, from the project manager to the executive sponsor.

With account management, you can set up online access to all customer account information, like organization charts and current partners-across the entire company. No one is left in the dark and everyone knows the account status and history.

Territory Management

On-demand, advanced territory management capabilities allow you to adjust to rapid changes within your company. An easy point-and-click interface ensures your company can automatically route accounts and opportunities to the correct territories.

A solid territory management system also decreases lag time in lead assignments by ensuring a lead never gets cold; lead assignments are easily queued and automatically sent to the correct territory. In essence, territory management allows companies to easily monitor, set up, gather, transfer, assign, re-assign, and change accounts across territories.

Contract Management

Contract management is another integral feature in sales force automation. Essentially, it allows companies to manage a contract's lifespan by shortening approval cycles for contracts, renewing contracts sooner, and reducing administrative costs.

This SFA feature improves tracking and management of contract information, such as value, conditions, terms, evaluations, and more.

Traditionally, most companies have had to build, buy and sustain an IT software system all on their own; however, this leads to extremely high maintenance fees and myriad other costs. Today, the advent of automated sales force technology allows businesses to subscribe to already built, on-demand, customizable services that provide everything a traditional IT software does and more.

The architecture of sales force automation allows for a decrease in the total cost of ownership, reduction of risk factors, a decrease in wasted time, and a new focus on business and management rather than technology.
Diane Newsom writes for salesforce.com ? A pioneer in rel="nofollow" href="http://www.salesforce.com">SFAsoftware. Visit their site for more information on sales force automation.