Take the Next Step with Dynamics CRM As a Microsoft Customer, Dynamics CRM Is a Logical Step That Is Good for Your People and Your Business
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Fullscope CRM White Paper Take the Next Step with Dynamics CRM As a Microsoft customer, Dynamics CRM is a logical step that is good for your people and your business. Fullscope CRM White Paper Introduction Simple and seamless Today, sales and marketing professionals are looking for ways Where Dynamics CRM wins time and time again is the way that to improve productivity through their day-to-day actions, to it works so seamlessly with other Microsoft tools that people drive more leads, increase sales and to deepen customer use across the business. In its marketing messaging, Microsoft relationships. Being able to move from one communication asks: “Is your CRM as easy as Outlook?” This really is the key method to the next or to access customer information and to the value of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and its ability to gain updates with ease is imperative. incremental value from your existing investment in Microsoft tools. Few businesses would dispute the potential value of a Customer Relationship Management system for boosting marketing success and sales revenue. Dig a little deeper, though, and you might hear the odd dissatisfied grumble once the shiny newness has worn off. New and exciting is always new and exciting but, on the whole, we are creatures of habit – we like what we know. Your CRM system’s raison d’être is to help you to market more effectively, to sell more and to provide a better service to customers (so that they will buy more). But, to do this, you have to use it – and continue to use it rather than reverting back to what you used Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Sales Activity Dashboard in Outlook to do. A CRM system is no good if it sits in splendid isolation, with CRM Dynamics CRM’s integration with other tools in the Microsoft updates merely as an item on your task list. Most of us, whether portfolio, such as Excel and SharePoint, makes it even easier we like it or not, spend a good chunk of our working day in our for people to use. From its launch in 2003, Microsoft Dynamics email inboxes. We’re pretty much at home there. To get real CRM signaled a departure from other CRM products. Instead value from CRM, it should be as easy as email. There are plenty of providing a standalone application that had its own way of good CRM systems to choose from, but if you already have of doing things, Microsoft set out to provide a customer Microsoft technology in your business, Microsoft Dynamics relationship management solution that dovetailed into other CRM can make life a whole lot easier for your marketing folk, Microsoft products, both from a user and an administration your sales people and your IT team. In the long run, easier perspective. means less cost and more success. “Now my sales people are working in Outlook, they’re completely at home with CRM. It’s a much better tool and they’re actually using it.” Nalin Parbhu, Managing Director, Infuse For more information please contact us on: US: (866) 420-7624 option 2 crm.fullscope.com UK: (0203) 608 1445 Fullscope CRM White Paper Why? By providing native integration between the products Microsoft Dynamics CRM integrates with other Windows users know, CRM becomes an inherent part of the workflow applications and with the Windows Server Active Directory of information between departments and people. What service. This means that when you log into your computer you is more, by using the underlying Microsoft infrastructure, not only gain access to SharePoint Server, Outlook and other implementation is simplified, reducing the need for additional Microsoft applications, but you also gain access to Microsoft security procedures and processes. Therefore, it is easier for Dynamics CRM, regardless of whether it is the online or your IT team and easier for the people using it. on-premise version. Immediately, you have removed a barrier. “I’ll just stick to Outlook” People stick to things they know and so it goes with business applications. Outlook is probably the most used tool on the desktop and is most likely your sales people’s main tool, along with the phone, for keeping contact with customers and managing appointments. So, just think of the reaction when your sales force is told to maintain its calendar and contacts in the CRM system instead. And what if that CRM system is cloud- Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Associated document view in SharePoint hosted, so you need to have internet access to find out the phone number or address of a customer? This level of integration is carried through to the more recent The user will most likely try to keep both Outlook and the CRM cloud version, Dynamics CRM Online, providing similar usability, system up-to-date, but will soon lose interest as it becomes too customization and integration and it is a perfect companion for time-consuming. You start to see people falling back to Outlook Office 365 (now in its third release). The good news continues and the CRM information becomes obsolete. Remember, with the launch of Windows 8 and Office 2013. With Microsoft’s your sales people already have to make sure that phone and acquisition of Skype and Yammer, for instance, the integration Outlook information is synchronized – easy on some phones story includes communication and social connections but more difficult on others. embedded into Dynamics CRM. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is fully integrated into Outlook. This means that all the CRM information is accessible from the Everyday benefits same application that is used day in and day out. And it doesn’t So, what are the specific benefits of a CRM (cloud or on- stop there. Contacts in Outlook can be uploaded and tracked. premise) that integrates with Outlook, Office and other The same applies to emails and appointments that are then Microsoft technology in your business? Here are some everyday converted into activities. In short, this means less duplication situations people face when interacting, or trying to interact, of information leading to fewer errors and less time wasted. with customers through CRM. All of this is done within Outlook with CRM working in the background. “What was my login password?” We all have multiple login details to remember at work and at home. Just one more password can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. And so it goes with the company CRM application. Overwhelm the CRM user with another username and password and it becomes just too difficult. For more information please contact us on: US: (866) 420-7624 option 2 crm.fullscope.com UK: (0203) 608 1445 Fullscope CRM White Paper Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Sales Forecast Dashboard in Outlook “We’ve got unified communications. Dynamics CRM has addressed this issue. You can associate a SharePoint server location/instance with CRM - automatically Can I unify CRM contacts too?” connecting a SharePoint document library to a CRM record. Integrated CRM and telecoms systems are mostly the domain And even more simply, with Dynamics CRM you can create a of call centers. Wouldn’t it be great to have the same thing on SharePoint location (folder) to start storing documents. You can everyone’s desktop? Imagine: just bring up the contact’s name also use an existing SharePoint location where documents are within the CRM system and click on his or her Lync address or already stored. Skype name. “I can’t remember what to do next?” Immediately, a call (Skype, Lync, or integration with your switch) is initiated, either as a voice or video link. Skype is integrated Every company has its own procedures and processes to follow. into the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Not only This is no different in the sales organization; where these tend can you initiate calls, but Dynamics CRM will also log the call to ensure that products or services are sold with an acceptable as an activity and mark it as an outbound call. What is more, if profit margin, sold in a legal manner and sold to customers that you use Microsoft Lync within your organization you can gain have a good financial record to reduce exposure and risk. information on your colleagues’ status – in a meeting, offline or available and can initiate a call, IM or phone call with them. With However, like it or not, sales people will always find the quickest federation, you can do the same with your customers. way to get things done so that they can get on to the next opportunity. The words ‘sales’ and ‘process’ don’t always form “We keep documents in SharePoint. the perfect marriage. Sales people go where the money is, so are fairly transient employees. Why keep a copy in the CRM?” Apart from the obvious increase in storage requirements, What happens when a new sales person joins the company and keeping multiple copies of documents is a nuisance; if you have needs reminding how to close an opportunity and process an to save one copy of the document in the CRM system and then order? Dynamics CRM 2013 release introduced process forms. another copy in a document management system, that’s time The Process Bar is a simple, guided and intuitive way for users wasted. Keeping these important documents synchronized to work through their company’s business process. Each step when changes are made is a challenge. Proposals and signed clearly outlines the stage of the process, makes suggestions on documents need to be managed and available for other information to be collected and recommends specific activities. members of the company to view and they must be accurate.