Merit Matters Blog - Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Productivity Is Key to Profitability

nospam@example.com (Josh Richards) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:32:19 -0500

Sales productivity is built on twin pillars: efficiency and effectiveness. To be a high-performing company, the sales organization requires both. The key isn’t to bring on more people to make your company grow. The key is making the ones you have more efficient and effective.

Efficient means they are discriminating in how they spend their time, less on activities such as:

Account maintenance
Administration
Travel
Planning

Effective means they spend more time on high-value sales activities and are more effective at those activities, such as:

Needs identification
Solution development
Product demos
Proposal development
Closing (negotiating, pricing, contracting)

A survey of 841 sales professionals at 500 companies with large sales forces (2,000 employees) showed that salespeople at high-performing companies spend 40% more time each year with their best potential customers and 30% less time on administrative tasks compared to salespeople at low-performing companies. High-performing companies demonstrated faster sales growth and better financial performance compared to industry peers. (Driving Profitable Sales Growth: 2006/2007 Report on Sales Effectiveness, Watson Wyatt Worldwide)

With any challenge comes opportunity. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is uniquely positioned to provide measurable business benefits for sales organizations.

Specifically, Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps organizations:

Increase time with customers.
Improve close rates.
Shorten sales cycles.
Achieve real-time insight.

Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Get Improved Customer Loyalty with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:24:21 -0400

Looking to improve customer loyalty and retention? Want to boost profitability along with way?

We can help—with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online®.

Focus on great customer service - rather than learning new technologies - with reliable and accessible customer care functionality in a familiar Microsoft® Outlook® application. Plus, with access to complete case and customer data, you can respond to cases faster and improve customer retention.

Enjoy access to world-class, scalable customer service technology without a world-class investment in infrastructure—because Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is hosted in the cloud. What’s more, because it’s delivered by subscription via the internet, there’s no hardware or software to purchase or maintain, and no deployment cycle either, so your agents can be up and running quickly.

Download your complimentary CRM Comparison Guide to discover what sets Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online apart!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Productivity Enhancements

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:17:36 -0400

Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides numerous enhancements to help users enhance their productivity.

One key productivity enhancement that deserves some attention is dynamic marketing lists. In previous versions, Marketing Lists were static which meant that users had to create new queries or run existing queries each time they wanted to execute a marketing program to get a current Marketing List. Now with Dynamic Marketing Lists, when the list is set to “Dynamic” the marketing list is automatically based on a query at the time of execution which ensures the marketing list is up to date.

The Total Record Count enhancement now allows users to see the total number of records return in the result set without having to scroll from page to page. While not the sexiest feature, it is something that many customers and partners will greatly appreciate.

And two related enhancements that are worth calling out are email attachments and rich-text emails. In previous versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, users had to create workflows to send out bulk attachments. Now with just a click, users can choose to “Attach File” and instantly send out bulk email attachments.

Along similar lines, in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 enhancements were made around rich-text formatting. While previous versions provided basic text formatting, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provide more in-depth options for rich-text and in turn allowing users to better personalize emails.

All of these enhancements and many other enhancements in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 help users spend less time on time consuming tasks and more time on their core competency.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Business Auditing

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:46:02 -0400

Better meet SLAs and achieve operational efficiencies flow with system-wide auditing.

Auditing data helps organizations quickly and effectively track changes and improve accountability.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provides the ability to categorize, manage, and audit data -- both at the macro and micro level. The system-wide auditing capability provides a global view of all the changes made to the data in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database and allows filtering on a wide range of parameters.

For example, a customer service organization could check the audit trail of a specific case, see when the case was received, when the status changed, when it was escalated, and when it was resolved. And when necessary they could then use that information to prove they met their specified Service Level Agreement (SLA) obligations. But that audit trail also helps them identify any inefficiencies and improve operations.

Or a sales organization could use the auditing feature to ensure that sales staff are following a specific sales process or to ensure that the sales reps are following up on sales opportunities within an internally agreed timeframe.

By default, auditing is enabled across all fields, but you can also tailor this setting to fit the specific needs of your organization.

Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Dashboards

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:44:00 -0400

With Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, companies are able to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and make more informed decisions with real-time dashboards. Dashboards are another key element of successful business management, and a critical tool for organizations to stay up-to-date on key performance metrics.

In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, you are given access to a powerful range of real-time and flexible dashboard capabilities. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 includes pre-built dashboards that sales, service, and marketing organizations can use out of the box. In addition, organizations can also early create new real-time dashboards via point-and-click configuration that meet their custom requirements.

For a sales organization, a real-time dashboard could show the sales pipeline, top customers, quota attainment and revenue. For a customer service organization, a real-time dashboard could show call-times, customer satisfaction levels and top customer service issues.

Another great thing about the new dashboard capability in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is that they are completely customizable. For example, organizations can even bring in data from outside sources like stock prices, mapping information, financial data or other external data sources.

And different from some other CRM solutions (i.e. Salesforce.com) in the market, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 dashboards are real-time, which helps organizations to have the most up-to-date information.

Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM or view our on-demand Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 webcasts.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 vs. SalesForce on Pricing

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:39:52 -0500

In previous blog posts, we have already discussed Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and the power of productivity. We've also highlighted the low cost of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online with Cloud CRM for Less.

Now, Software Advice has posted a video with Microsoft's Brad Wilson, General Manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, discussing the pricing strategy of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. Since Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is roughly one-third the price of SalesForce, can Microsoft Dynamics CRM slow SalesForce and gain a bigger market share?

Again, we think so!

Learn more:
Will Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Slow SalesForce?

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011: The Power of Productivity

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:54:55 -0500

Your people are the key to providing world-class customer experiences.

While the economic recession is officially over, many companies are still reeling from the its effects. In short, the downturn has led to a very competitive landscape. That shift has been further fueled by some key market trends.

A more discerning consumer with heightened sensitivity to price, value, and service
Unparalleled consumer access to vendor info
Erosion of barriers to switching

Consumers have changed the way they evaluate and purchase, driven by greater access to information (i.e. Internet, social networking sites, etc.) and a culture of shopping around. It’s not sustainable to compete on price alone. The traditional channels of influence have broken, and now consumers may go to many different sources for advice on their purchase decisions.

The key to providing world-class customer experiences begins with your people. You can have a great Web site, you can have a great 1-800 phone number, you can have a great marketing campaign, or strong brand, but at the end of the day what customers remember is their interactions with your people. Whether it’s with a call center operator, a sales representative or a technician who provided great service, that’s what your customers will remember. That’s why your people are central to differentiating you and your organization from the competition.

The innovations in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 enable a wide variety of new capabilities that drive productivity gains including the following:

Uncover new connections, both in terms of people and systems
Focus on rights leads by more effectively qualifying and routing them
Be more effective in team selling activities
Simplify work management with flexible queues and activities
Streamline problem resolution with guided processes and dialogs
And attain real-time insight into the business with flexible dashboards and inline data visualization

Simply put, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 helps organizations amplify their productivity. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provides tools that are familiar to use, which will enable you to be intelligent and facilitate connectivity.

View our on-demand Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 webcasts.

Cloud CRM for Less

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:40:57 -0500

Get $200 cash per license of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online!

Organizations worldwide are realizing that they do not need to pay a premium for a world-class CRM solution. Why pay $65, 70, or even $125 per user – every month – if you can get a better solution that works great with your existing Microsoft investments at only $34 per user per month? That’s a savings of up to 72%!

Despite the great costs savings, it’s not always easy to switch from one CRM system to another. That’s why Microsoft is offering qualified organizations $200 per seat that they license. Think about it: switch 30 seats, get a check for $6,000. Switch 100 seats, get $20,000.

This money could be used to migrate critical business information and processes from one system to another. It could also be used to pay down any cancellation fees that might be incurred with another vendor. Whatever the case, Microsoft will send you cash to help manage the expense of switching – and start the process of saving money.

Contact Merit Solutions or learn about other Microsoft Dynamics Promotions.

Coordinating Sales and Customer Support with Microsoft

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:34:45 -0400

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 can work together as a composite application to deliver a unified, familiar experience for a sales manager.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the latest version of Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint Server together enable sales and account managers to easily access all of the information about their customers from a central dashboard.

Gain benefits through efficiency, productivity, and ease of use through combining these products.

View the Demo:
Coordinating Sales and Customer Support with Microsoft

Special 60% Discount on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:26:51 -0400

Are you a Microsoft Dynamics GP customer in the market for a CRM solution?

Then we would be proud to introduce you to Microsoft Dynamics CRM through a special offer: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online at a 60% savings over regular subscription rates.

Eligible Microsoft Dynamics GP customers can receive Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online at a subscription rate of only $19 per user, per month. Where else could you get a complete sales, service and marketing suite within a native Microsoft Office Outlook experiences, supported with robust functionality like mobile access, offline data usage, powerful workflow, 5 GB of storage, a 99% financially-backed service level agreement (SLA) that can be integrated into your GP system?

Extend the Value of Your Microsoft Dynamics GP Deployment with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online!

Contact Merit Solutions for more information.

Leveraging Dynamics CRM and SharePoint for Enhanced Business Impact

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:04:10 -0400

Evolving market forces are putting increased pressure on businesses to improve customer experience and bottom-line efficiency at the same time. These contradictory trends simultaneously demand greater quality, customization, and client engagement with lower costs. The result is a convergence between collaborative, unstructured information work and the structured tasks required to optimize relationships with customers, partners, vendors, and others.

Though some people do both kinds of work, information work and structured task work are typically performed on separate information systems. Enabling information workers to engage effectively with task workers requires uniting the best elements of the collaborative, document and team-focused information worker technologies with the relational line-of-business applications that support structured task work.

The “better together” scenario delivers an answer to today’s great business challenge: how to be more customized, more rapid, and more engaged with the client while still driving down transaction costs and associated overheads.

Read the White Paper:
Leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SharePoint for Enhanced Business Impact

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sage Migration Offer

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:16:08 -0500

We are excited to announce the Microsoft Dynamics CRM “Sage Migration” Offer - a Microsoft Dynamics promotion directed to businesses currently using a Sage business application including both Sage ERP and Sage CRM solutions. The promotion is comprised of up to a 20% discount on user licenses of Microsoft Dynamics CRM purchased off the Microsoft Dynamics Price List.

Effective Thursday, November 19th, 2009, and available until the end of the business day (11:59pm CST), Friday June 25th, 2010 qualifying Sage customers are invited to take advantage of this offer.

This offer is only available in the United States to eligible U.S. residents. Customers must provide proof confirming licensing of the applicable Sage applications including applicable signed license agreement and/or billing evidence. This offer only applies to Customer’s initial license purchase. All subsequent license purchases will be based on estimated retail prices. This offer is only available through participating resellers. Reseller prices may vary.

Contact Merit Solutions for more information on this offer.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:36:31 -0400

Today’s pharmaceutical companies must navigate a changing landscape of products, customers, and regulations. Pressures from increased competition and government price controls are forcing companies to rethink their entire operation. Learn how easy-to-use customer relationship management (CRM) software, such as Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM business management solutions, can make it easier to respond to government cost-cutting efforts, and get the right messages to your most profitable customers. See how easily your sales team can use up-to-date information to move more quickly to expand your market and increase profits.

Request a complimentary white paper today and learn how Microsoft Dynamics CRM software can help you respond to increasing competition and price pressures. The white paper will address how you can:

More accurately target your most profitable customers.
Rapidly ramp up sales and marketing efforts with new drug approvals.
Improve field sales productivity and marketing effectiveness.

Increased competition and government regulations don't have to mean decreased profits. Learn how to stay profitable despite the threat of increased competition and strict price controls. Request the informative white paper written by David Caruso titled “Market Effectiveness: The Key Competency for Pharmaceutical Growth.”

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:56:41 -0400

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP is a tool to help you integrate your Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM products.

The Adapter is FREE. However, you must have an active/current Microsoft Dynamics GP Enhancement/Support plan. In addition, the you also need an active/current Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Assurance (SA) Support Plan.

Out-of-the-box Adapter entity mappings:

The Adapter is an out of the box, lightly extensible data integration tool. If your integration requires more complex needs such as introducing workflows into the integration components, integrating other 3rd party products, or doing more multi-mastering of data across multiple applications, then an ISV integration toolset may be more appropriate.

Check out the Microsoft Dynamics GP Team Blog for more information.

New Microsoft Dynamics CRM Demo Videos Added

nospam@example.com (administrator) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:29:41 -0400

We have added a couple more Dynamics CRM Demos and White Papers to our site. Below are the two new demos:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sales Force Automation

Watch this sales module demo to learn how to get your sales teams quickly up to speed with the advanced but easy-to-use features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Take advantage of a highly intuitive interface and embedded Microsoft Office capabilities to boost productivity, streamline sales cycles, and gain insights to drive more sales. Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes it easier to find new customers and deepen existing relationships. Increase selling time, shorten sales cycles, improve close rates, and gain actionable insight with the Dynamics CRM Sales Module.

View the Dynamics CRM Sales Force Automation Demo.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customer Service

Watch this customer service module demo to learn how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer service module can help you improve agent productivity, streamline operations, contain costs, and deepen business insight.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes it easier to deliver higher levels of customer service, deepen customer relationships, and increase lifetime values.

View the Dynamics CRM Customer Service Demo.