Microsoft CRM 3.0 Now Available

Microsoft has announced the availability of their CRM package, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. 

In the last issue of CRMtimes we reviewed a number of the new features of this release. These included enhanced Sales Process management, Account Management and coordinated marketing campaigns, as well as innovative new features for business users across the customer service and service delivery business functions.

The new version provides a consistent user interface based on Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Outlook. Extensive new configuration, customisation and integration capabilities make it easier for customers and business partners to deploy tailored solutions.

The packaging of the product has now changed, so that the license includes the complete suite of marketing, sales and service capabilities. It is available in a Professional Edition and Small Business Edition.

Integration with Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is used by millions of businesses worldwide. Now Microsoft Office programs can be combined with the power of Microsoft CRM 3.0 to give any business new insights into customer needs.

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook messaging and collaboration client already provides businesses with a reliable tool for communicating with customers, storing customer contact information, and scheduling appointments. Now Outlook can do more. With the Microsoft Sales for Outlook client in Microsoft CRM 3.0, all customer information can be managed from Microsoft Outlook. Sales, lead information, marketing pitches—everything you need to stay connected with customers. And because this information can be available company-wide, all employees have the power to see client histories and respond effectively to questions and requests.

Use Excel to analyse customer information

Now, Microsoft Excel works with Microsoft CRM 3.0 to give businesses a new way to understand the impact of changes in sales, pricing, clients, and contacts. Data about sales and other business activities is easily imported to Excel from Microsoft CRM 3.0, making it easy to run scenarios, reports, and graphs for all aspects of a business. And data can be imported into Excel in three ways: As a static table, a dynamic table, or a PivotTable dynamic view. With the latter two methods, Excel automatically updates data as it is changed within Microsoft CRM 3.0.

Integration with Word

Use data from Microsoft CRM 3.0 to target customers for marketing and sales campaigns using Microsoft Office Word and Microsoft Office Publisher. It's easy to select customers for a letter or marketing initiative—and personalized messages take only minutes with Publisher.

Marketing Module Added

Marketing staff members now have tools to help them identify, execute, and replicate effective marketing initiatives across sales channels. Staff can assign, schedule, and track marketing campaign activities and measure campaign performance. With Marketing Automation in place, you can integrate your sales, marketing, and service processes more effectively and present one professional company image to your customers.

List creation 

Microsoft CRM enables you to create and manage lists of accounts, contacts, and leads. You can create lists using the Advanced Find feature, a built-in search capability, or import lists from other sources.

Quick Campaign 

Once a sales representatives creates a list, he or she can create a Quick Campaign. This feature creates phone call, e-mail, and appointment activities for later execution, sends bulk mail-merged e-mailings, and creates mail-merged letters and faxes. Microsoft CRM automatically tracks responses and makes it easy for representatives to see what actions are finished versus outstanding.

Campaign management 

Microsoft CRM makes it easy to run sophisticated marketing campaigns involving many people, deliverables, and deadlines. The Help & Assistance Pane walks your marketing manager through the steps of planning and executing a campaign, including planning tasks, marketing lists, focus products, follow-up activities, supporting literature, and cost and revenue goals. The marketing manager can assign tasks to different staff members, import leads, convert leads to opportunities, view costs and results, and more.

Campaign response 

Track campaign results with built-in reporting and analysis tools based on Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. Link responses to campaigns (ad versus seminar), automatically assign appropriate follow-up (salesperson calls), analyse costs versus payoff, and create customized campaign tracking reports.

New Service Scheduling

Microsoft CRM 3.0 includes an appointment-based service scheduling capability that enables you to define your services, resources, work schedules, and service locations. A sophisticated scheduling engine manages appointment booking and service availability according to your business rules. You can adjust it to optimize scheduling and reduce resource usage and costs. Point-and-click reports help service managers identify trends and adjust services and resources to meet demand. And because service scheduling is an integral part of Microsoft CRM 3.0, your staff can easily reference customer histories, demographics, and preferences in scheduling services. This functionality enables you to deliver more personalized, customized service as well as feed customer service histories back into your marketing and sales processes.

For example, an automotive repair shop might define services in Microsoft CRM as brake jobs, front-end alignments, transmission overhauls, and other service offerings. The repair shop might define resources as individual mechanics, vehicle bays, tools, and parts. When a customer calls for a service appointment, any worker in the shop with access to a computer can schedule an appointment. Depending on the service needed and time slots that are open, Microsoft CRM 3.0 displays the dates and times that are available. The Suggestion Pane even lists resources and services that the customer has used before. With the customer on the phone, the worker can schedule an appointment in a click. Then the appointment (scheduled and finished) becomes a permanent part of that customer's Microsoft CRM record.

Small Business Edition Delivers Power and Simplicity

The Small Business Edition is designed to run on Windows Small Business Server and offers a full CRM suite that can be installed in just 10 clicks. It provides wizard driven configuration of the application, integrates tightly with SBS features such as fax management and integrated server management, and offers an easy migration path from Microsoft Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager.

The Small Business Edition allows a maximum of 75 Client Access Licenses.

Deployment models

With Microsoft CRM 3.0, there have been some new licensing products added. For example, from Jan 1 2006, it will be possible to buy subscription based licensing from partners that offer a hosted solution based on Microsoft CRM.

There is also an External Connector license available (Profession Edition only), which allows access to Microsoft CRM for external users such as customers, partners or suppliers (not employees). Typically the CRM customer or partner will develop a GUI or web site, to provide external access to the company data, only publishing the parts of the data appropriate to the external user. This opens up a whole new area of solution possibilities that can be developed, allowing external users (e.g. customers, suppliers) to interact directly with the CRM system - greatly automating processes and freeing internal resources.

If you would like further information or have questions about Microsoft CRM, please refer to our feedback page, and we will get back to you promptly.

Also, if you are a MYOB customer and want to integrate your MYOB data with your Microsoft CRM data, AccountLink will provide you with that capability - please refer to the article in this edition of CRMtimes for more information, or go to www.aus.com.au/accountlink.