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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

What’s in a name?

Microsoft Dynamics isn’t just CRM, it is a whole product line of business solution software which Microsoft have been developing over past few years, with an aim to provide business solutions to clients beyond the standard Windows desktop and Microsoft Office productivity suite.

Their aim is to address a gap in the market, to deliver solutions that provide financial management, customer relationship management, resource planning and supply chain to the SME market which traditionally was the preserve of corporates.

Their main challengers at the higher end of the market are the likes of SAP and Oracle but the Dynamics positioning is effective, the combination of ultimate flexibility, fast deployment and financially accessible by providing a hosted service offering.

Dynamics CRM 4.0 is the latest release in the Dynamics family and is in fact the 3rd major market release of Dynamics. Version 2 was skipped as the core reporting engine was changed from Crystal to SQL reporting

Why is CRM useful in the first place?

The definition I found on the internet for CRM is:

“Customer relationship management (CRM) is a multifaceted process, mediated by a set of information technologies, that focuses on creating two-way exchanges with customers so that firms have an intimate knowledge of their needs, wants, and buying patterns.”

CRM in SME’s is generally used in an “Operational CRM” mode; it is essentially a “front office” system, helping to support the key client facing functions. A key part of this is sales force automation:

• Keeping lists of leads
• Assigning list segments to salespeople
• Allowing list contacts to be called or e-mailed
• Tracking responses
• Generating reports
• Creating leads for the team

Normally systems break down their functions into the key operational areas of a business so as to make their usage and adoption simpler. Some examples of these are: Sales, Marketing, Service/Support, Finance, Project Management, Stock Control. There is generally areas overlap with other software such as accounting packages like Sage and Quickbooks, so integration of these systems may be required, however this in itself can be quite a large benefit, no reentry of information to create invoices can be quite a time saver and ensure no billing gets missed.

From my perspective CRM is useful because you make sure that every bit of information such as phone calls, email, tasks and meetings get entered in against a client, contact or contract enabling anyone and everyone with the correct permissions to find out what has been discussed and been promised. It is also pretty simple to see how well you are doing filling your sales “hopper”.

What’s special about Microsoft’s Offering?

Microsoft’s new offering is special because it is the magic third version, from my experience Microsoft have normally delivered a very good product by the time it gets to version 3 and this new versions of CRM certainly adheres to that principal.

The user interface is intuitive and easy to use, it has auto completion on all lookups, it has a suggestion panel which gives you options on key fields. You can also access CRM 4.0 though the folder tree on the left hand side of Outlook, which means it is easy to pick up for people who are happy using the Outlook as their mail and calendaring client.

The system architecture is designed to be flexible, customisable and extended, this provides a wealth of opportunities for developing the system to completely reflect and automate your business process in electronic form. Embedded within CRM 4.0 is Windows Workflow Foundation, an extremely powerful and feature rich system that automate process using a web based designer right from within CRM 4.0, allowing users to update their own system as business processes evolve.

One special feature about Dynamics CRM 4.0 is its integration with other Microsoft technologies such as SharePoint and Office. Of most note is the integration with Outlook which is simple, easy to use and means you don’t really have to think. This is incredibly important as one of the key reasons of CRM project failures is down to lack of user “buy in” due to perceived effort using the system, by providing everything so simply, there is little effort required to keep CRM up to date and therefore useful.

How can this benefit my business?
Next time we will go through some example of usage and the benefits they provide.