CRM and its Nitty-Gritties

Competition is all set to reach alarming levels and the need of the hour is business models that are equipped with almost everything. From business management techniques that personify precision to customer management skills that epitomize perfection.

CRM is a term that covers a huge chunk of any business. Yes, the success of the business inadvertently relies on the relationship it maintains with its customers. Customer data which includes demographics, analytical data and statistics is the core of any successful CRM program. Today CRM is used widely in businesses.

Features

Ever since the term was first coined, it literally invaded the world of business. It completely changed the relationship that businesses shared with their customers and brought a degree of sharpness into it which was previously unseen or unheard of.

While companies found it extremely costly and difficult to maintain such a large customer database in the early 80’s and 90’s, CRM was largely successful once technology started to improve and newer techniques and software were developed. Today, a CRM platform is constantly fed with newer information about changing needs and habits of the customer. It is this real time updating that makes CRM so reliable.

Benefits

There are immense benefits of having a complete CRM platform in place. It gives businesses a new and fresh approach that makes decision making extremely easy. Every CRM tool differs from the other as every company has a different set of needs and goals.

1. CRM is used in long term and short term marketing related goals.
2. Marketing campaigns with specific objectives are the result of CRM data.
3. The sales process has improved vastly thanks to the CRM tools in place today.
4. Activity management and service have also reached an all time new high thanks to CRM.
5. When coupled with Business Intelligence, CRM tools have proven to be absolute successes.

For more info visit : CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

The Perfect CRM Solution

How do you describe the perfect CRM solution? Well, it is something that is going to change a lot of potential customers into new customers and existing ones into lifelong ones. Sounds simple enough?

Well, the purpose of CRM is simple but the methodology behind it isn't. You need to ensure that you hire the right CRM solution vendor or else the very purpose of using the CRM is defeated.

When you look up for a CRM vendor, you will come across thousands of vendors in the market. While many of these vendors focus only on the corporate market, a huge number of them focus exclusively on the small and medium sized business market. It is not easy at all to choose one on the basis of the pricing. It is the features that matter the most.

Here are some of the features that you need to look for in a CRM solution.

• Seamless integration with your existing tools : You certainly do not want to spend a lot of money on upgrading your current tools to match with your CRM. The database conversion has to be painless.
• No IT hassles: Hosted CRM solutions are far more flexible than on site CRM because they are delivered over the internet. You do not have to worry about constant IT monitoring and support.
• Easy upgrading: You should be able to upgrade to any new features easily without having to make major changes or shut the system down.
• Customization: I should have mentioned this in caps because it is the single most important and determining factor that will decide whether the CRM solution is ideal for you.
• Scalability: The system should be scalable and any number of users should be able to use it.

So when you are about to choose a CRM solution, ensure that you choose a CRM that has all the above mentioned features.

For more info on CRM Solutions visit : CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

A Short Introduction To CRM Software

Customer is the king as far as a growing company is concerned. This attitude will help any company to achieve more profit over a period of time. Everything you can do for customer satisfaction is worth. Each effort you are putting forward to increase customer satisfaction will return by way of increased profit and add to the goodwill of the company as a whole. A good Customer Relation Management - CRM software will help an organization to achieve its ultimate goal of complete customer satisfaction.

A good CRM System helps to manage the entire customer related functions with a completely integrated software. Right from generating the leads till the time of converting it to a sale could be tracked through this software. Apart from this, the CRM software should be able to process the functions related after sales service and dealer authorization etc.

A good CRM calls for using latest technology and analytical tools. The data collected through CRM software is very valuable in terms deciding the future of the company and for other major activities related to improving customer satisfaction and thereby profits. A good CRM system also offers the users complete control over their operation and added security for the data.

Implementation of CRM Package should be done with utmost care. While the core of the CRM Software remains the same, many of its other functions can be customized for the end user. An expert CRM consultant can offer you customized reports, which can be generated through the CRM data already gathered.

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CRM in Core Sector Companies

I have interacted with many experts in CRM/ERP development and implementations. Almost all of them opine that CRM has limited scope in Capital goods industries. They are not quite right. CRM, Customer Relationship Management was developed primarily to focus on customers of consumer goods, Telecoms and Banking industry.

Today also the almost 80-90% CRM implementations have been in these sectors only. CRM as of today has not been fully accepted in Engineering Procurement and Construction, Capital goods and Core sector companies. These companies are not alive to the benefits these CRM modules can bring about. CRM is a concept and not necessarily a software package developed and marketed by few software behemoths. CRM implementations is supposed to bring with it Best Practices, Evaluation of customers profile, Management of leads/inquiries, Sales closures, Grievance redress and Order execution and closure.

All these activities are quite relevant in Core sector companies as well. However, not necessarily in the same format and style. CRM implementations in these companies require lot of domain knowledge. CRM in Telecoms, Banking and Insurance are mostly standardized. However in organizations dealing in capital goods, the modules are required to be developed based on unique business processes and market dynamics of those organizations. Very few players have requisite wherewithal for developing and implementing these kind of processes. But potential and necessity is there to implement CRM in these sectors also.The benefits arriving out of implementations will be manifold. There will be data classification, trends analysis, market projections, customer complaint analysis, competitors' assessment, Procurement styling etc which will aid decision making. CRM has a long way to go in Core sector companies. The journey has not even begun.

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CRM on Demand - Software As a Service

Suddenly, the whole small to medium sized business market seems to be infatuated with 'On demand CRM' also known as 'Software-as-a-Service' (SaaS). Why this sudden surge in the number of companies opting for on demand CRM over traditional on-site models?

With the advancement in technology and the internet making huge inroads into the lives of people, customers have become more product savvy. They only expect the best from any business and even a small amount of complacency on the part of any business can lead to the loss of a customer. Hence, small businesses relied on software automation and data analysis to improve customer loyalty.

However, they had to rely on a patchwork of applications as CRM was only available for large scale enterprises. So CRM vendors started working on a far cheaper and flexible version of CRM that is best suited for SMBs. The result is on demand CRM.

On demand CRM has been carefully marketed as the perfect integration point for SMBs. The favorable cost factors, the convenience in setting it up and the hardware-free maintenance are some of the reasons why SaaS has really taken over.

But, as a SMB, you should be slightly more careful while choosing any CRM on demand. I will explain the reasons behind this.

1. Most CRM on demand software comes with a three to four year contract attached to it. This means, that you are stuck with it for that period. So you better be careful about what you choose.

2. Not all on demand CRM software is flexible enough to be integrated with existing software applications. If it cannot be done, then it will end up costing more in the long run.

If you are new to the concept of on demand CRM, then seek advice from a CRM consultant who can give you the right advice and help you choose the best hosted CRM.

For more info visit : CRM On demand

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

ERP Brazil: SAP Business One – Localized Portuguese Version By Andrew Karasev Platinum Quality Author

In previous short articles we have been discussing the options for international company (branches of multinationals with headquarters in US, UK, Australia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain) to implement so-called localized MRP in Brazil. We covered Microsoft Dynamics NAV, AX, CRM. This small article is dedicated to SAP and its mid-market and small-to-midmarket MRP application – SAP Business One. SAP BO in Brazil is available in March 2006.

• Local taxes and regulations. CNAE, CPF, IE, IEST, IM – localization supports these rules and taxes

• Multilanguage. SAP BO has advanced language support in comparison to other localized ERPs: Oracle E-Business Suite, Navision, Axapta, JDEdwards – in SAP Business One you can switch language (from Portuguese to English for example) in the same user session for the same company. Multilanguage support in our opinion enables tight control to financial officers in headquarters for their Brazilian or any other overseas subsidiary.

• Transactional consolidation. SAP integrates SAP BO into its family of ERP systems. SAP BO has transaction consolidation module. Just to give you some excurse – you can use two mechanisms to get cross companies consolidated reporting – using data puling (and original currency historical exchange rate multiplication) mechanism – typical example would be FRx reporting for Great Plains, Solomon and other ERPs. Second and more reliable way is – transaction consolidation – when you physically move transactions (adjusted for the reporting currency) to the image of your subsidiary and then run report over your branches databases. Transactional consolidation makes SAP Business One attractive ERP option for Spoke-and-Hub ERP integration model, when subsidiaries use SAP BO and consolidate transactions to the corporate ERP – mySAP or SAP R/3

• Multicurrency. It is supported in all modules (just in case if you have experience working with multicurrency, available for the GL only).

• Customizations. SAP Business One SDK enables you to tune screens as needed, if you think that end-user intuitive modification is not sufficient. If you need to deploy local programmers – they should be experienced in COM objects programming.

• Competition. As you can expect – you see two types of competitors – local ERPs (Microsiga and Datasul to name major) and international: Oracle E-Business and JD Edwards, Microsoft Navision, Axapta and Solomon (Great Plains is not localized, but local support is available through Alba Spectrum)

If you need help – give us a call: São Paulo: +55-11-3444-4949, USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, Europa: +44-20-8123-2580, +45-36-96-5520 or help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is ERP consultant at Alba Spectrum Technologies (http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.greatplains.com.mx http://www.enterlogix.com.br) - Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, MS CRM, SAP Business One, Oracle Financials 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 and having locations in multiple states and internationally.

We are serving LATAM: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Chili, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

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Call Center CRM Software

CRM is a process or methodology used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships. To enable organizations to serve customers better and more efficiently, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is used.

The strategy of using a successful CRM is usually implemented through a software package designed to support these processes. There are some major areas that the CRM software focuses on including service-automated processes, personal information gathering and processing and self-service. The software attempts to integrate and automate the various customer-serving processes within a company. Customer information is stored for future use by the system. The company aims to make cost savings and enroll new customers by providing the customer quick and efficient service, and also maintains a ready to access database of the customer's information. CRM solutions can also be used to allow customers to perform their own service via a variety of communication channels. The CRM packages may also include contact management software stores, tracks and manages contacts, leads of an enterprise.

The package contains the enterprise lead management software that helps the firm to manage, track and forecast sales leads. Some of the types of CRM softwares are self-service CRM and survey management CRM softwares. Self-service CRM software enables web based customer interaction, automation of email, call logs, web site analytics and campaign management. Survey Software automates an enterprise's electronic surveys, polls, and questionnaires and enables customer preferences.

Many of the CRM packages can integrate with Windows-based packages combining email, calendars, contacts, and tasks and much more into one powerful yet easy to use program.

Call Center Software provides detailed information on Call Center Software, Call Center Software Solutions, Call Center Monitoring Software, Call Center Recording Software and more. Call Center Software is affiliated with IT Help Desk Software.

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Brazil: ERP Selection - Oracle, SAP, Microsoft

In the beginning of 21st century we can recognize the trend in international business. Multinational corporations are moving their manufacturing facilities and sales operations to Brazil. Typical scenario – regional office is established in Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro and manufacturing facility in Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Manaus, etc. The first step in establishing controllable operations is ERP system implementation – this formalizes the chain of command, decision making and management. In this small article we will give you Brazilian ERP market review for midsize and large business. We will compare Microsoft Business Solutions, Oracle, SAP as well as local ERP vendors: Microsiga and RM. Let’s come to the topic:

• Local versus International brand. We do not pretend to be the judge, just pluses and minuses. Local brand ERP has local market experience, tax, typical chart of accounts, payroll specifics implemented. They are probably very competitive if you are Brazilian business. However if you represent multinational company or corporation – you should think about users experience for your international management team, IT centralized support and things like these.

• SAP. If you are committed to SAP solution - SAP Business One is probably the system of choice – it has transactions integration to SAP, CRM, MRP/Production, POP, SOP, HR, Multilanguage, multicurrency. SAP Business One is just localized for Brazilian ERP market, especially we should mention localized tax engine. SAP tested its localization with 7 pilot implementation in 2005. You should be looking for SAP Business One customization partner (who is licensed to develop customizations and integration in SAP Business One SDK). SAP Business One sits in Microsoft SQL Server and is written in C++ - it also has integration with MS Office on the level of COM objects

• Oracle. Oracle E-Business Suite, also known as Oracle Financials (as part of Oracle E-Business Suite) and Oracle Applications is natural choice if your Headquarters in Europe, USA, Australia or elsewhere is committed to Oracle platform. Oracle has long time presence in Brazil and is very good choice.

• Microsoft Business Solutions Navision & Axapta. Microsoft is currently on the way of merging/integrating its applications – this is known as Project Green, in September 2005 new marketing name was introduced- Microsoft Dynamics. Respectively Microsoft Navision and Axapta became Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX. More traditional solution for Brazilian market is Navision. It has very strong position in both Europe (where it is recommended by Microsoft in all the countries, except UK – where both Navision and Great Plains are in use) and USA- especially in manufacturing sector. Axapta, however is newer and respectively its design should be more geared toward new technological trends. Axapta should be released for Brazilian market in 2006

You can always appeal to our help and expertise – in our Sao Paulo office we have all these systems expertise, plus Microsoft CRM, MS Great Plains, Lotus Notes Domino. Please give as a call São Paulo 55-11-3826-3449, USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies (http://www.albaspectrum.com) – Oracle, SAP, Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Microsoft CRM Partner, serving clients in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Manaus, Lisboa, Coimbra, Porto, Cascais and having locations in multiple states and internationally.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Karasev

CRM and Customer Life Cycle

Customer Relationship Management or CRM is a combination of enterprise strategies, business processes and information technologies used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. CRM software systems automate many customer-related business tasks.

CRM applications are traditionally developed as client-server software which incurs higher initial cost of ownership. The proliferation of the Internet and the Web has fueled the rapid growth of Web-based CRM or online CRM applications. Web CRM systems are widely deployed for web based call center, contact management, trouble ticket, personal information manager and scheduling.

The life cycle of CRM consists of three phases - customer acquisition, customer relationship enhancements and customer retention. CRM software streamlines CRM activities at each phase of customer relationship management.

Customer Acquisition

Contact management module and direct marketing module of CRM allow companies to effectively promote and market their products and services to prospects. Those modules help speed up the acquiring processes and reduce the cost of acquiring new customers.

Customer Relationship Enhancements

CRM helps companies better understand existing customers' needs and behaviors and enhance the profitability from existing customers by cross-selling. They can customize their products and services to individual customers' needs and preferences.

Customer Retention

Customer service module of CRM system gives the organizations the edge in customer support and call center services. They can increase customer satisfaction while reducing the cost of support. Customer retention is critical to the overall profitability of an organization. A customer you spend hundreds of dollars and months to acquire may leave you in seconds as a result of poor customer services.

Copyright 2005, Bruce Zhang

Bruce Zhang has over 10 years experiences in developing and implementing ecommerce and ebusiness systems in various industries. He has created a news aggregator http://www.sysoptima.com/newsbot/crm.php that automatically extracts CRM news and new articles from over 50 sources daily to help corporate executives, IT professionals and consultants to keep up with the latest development in enterprise software market. The website offers a knowledge base for understanding CRM software from a systems perspective.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Zhang

SAP Business One - Implementing the Future - Version 2007A

SAP B1 is really innovative ERP, dedicated to small business with great ambitions: MRP, discrete manufacturing or production, CRM, advanced warehouse management and inventory (pack and ship), service contracts (including functionality for creative warranty contracts and even rentals), HR with its ability to track employee hiring and certification history, accrual to cash switch in financial reporting, great support for multi-currency and worldwide localizations. SAP staying behind with its accounting software reputation is worth to mention. These and other features make this ERP application to be included into ERP selection and evaluation worksheet. Let's come through some SB1 features on the executive level:

1. Sales Automation or Client Relation Management functionality. The modern competition dictates you the rule of non-solicitation, however if customer calls or contacts you - then you can register this call in your SAP BO CRM as the lead or opportunity to be your sales process indulgence. Of course indulging is not the only purpose of CRM module - the main idea is to organize your sales department and facilitate group work in presentation and sales cycle

2. Customer Vendor Consolidation. If you had previous experience working with mid-size ERP, then you probably remember that you would in the past have to pay extra bucks for such "large company" features as having business with partner, where it is in fact behaving both as customer and vendor. Good example is freight forwarding industry with monthly settlement report. SB1 has it out of the box, plus you can advance the reporting features to give you exactly what you or your transportation partners need

3. Light manufacturing. One of the popular demands is so called disassembly production order, when you get return from your customer and you would like to take pieces apart and place them back to your inventory warehouse bins

4. Self Implementation Pilots. Yes, SB1 is good fit for such risk free scenarios. If you have internal IT people with accounting background who are familiar with AR, AP, GL peculiarities or rather to say uniqueness of your business, then you can purchase one professional user license (around three thousand US dollars) and do it yourself with limited hourly rates based support from your SB1 partner or ISV.

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum, http://www.albaspectrum.com - help@albaspectrum.com - Please visit our information portal Pegas Planet: http://www.pegasplanet.com - serving ERP systems community since 1993, local service in Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, remote support in CA, IL, IN, NY, FL, AZ, WA, NV, MI, WI, QC, ON, BC and the rest of USA and Canada. For 2008 we have SAP BO promotion campaign where we will send our sales engineer and implementation consultant free of charge to you if you are in USA or Canada country side. You will pay only for consulting hourly rates, and we will pay for travel and lodging.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Karasev

Getting Your Personnel Started With Microsoft Dynamics CRM For Outlook

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook is an add-in that is installed on a desktop or laptop computer. CRM for Outlook brings Dynamics CRM into the every-day Outlook experience by displaying the CRM areas as sub-folders in the Outlook mail folders. With a few exceptions, all of the same functionality is available, including set-up and configuration features.
One of the biggest advantages is that, after the add-in is installed, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook can send and receive CRM e-mail from Outlook, which simplifies your organization's e-mail setup for CRM. With one click, Outlook e-mail messages can be tracked in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and linked to customer records.

To get your personnel started you'll need to do the following task:

1. Set up user records to manage e-mail with Outlook.

Your personnel then have two tasks to complete:

1. Install Dynamics CRM for Outlook on their computers.

2. Set up their personal options to allow Outlook to send e-mail on their behalf.

• In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, click Administration, and then click Users.

• Double-click a user record. The User form appears.

• Under E-mail Access Configuration, select MCRM for Outlook. E-mail is sent and received with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

• Click Save and Close.

After you set up your personnel to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook, you need to inform them that they need to install Dynamics CRM for Outlook. If your organization uses workflow or mail merge, to send mail automatically on behalf of users, each person needs to set the personal option to allow Outlook to send e-mail with the personnel's name as the sender.

As a suggestion, create an e-mail template with the boilerplate. You can send direct e-mail to new users, which they will receive in Outlook. Step-by-step procedures on how to create e-mail templates and send direct e-mail are in the Help. You will need to provide your company URL [yourcompanyURL] for CRM in the e-mail message.

GT Kimberly is an ardent follower of IT Software News. He is a regular reader of news happenings of Big Companies like Microsoft, Google etc..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glenn_Tim_Kimberly

CRM Applications Are The Need Of Day For All Businesses

Why you need a CRM application to ensure the success of your business

Today, the world of business has its axis on CRM applications. CRM applications are the need of the day for all kinds of businesses, be it small or large.

They ensure better productivity and profit by bringing about a marked improvement in the performance of the business via customer centric services.

The fulcrum of every CRM application is the same. It aims at creating a better relationship with the customer with the help of carefully collected data. It is the higher interactivity provided via CRM applications that make them so effective.

With a CRM application in place, you can view a 360 degree view of the customers behavioral patterns with regards to the business.

Benefits

There are many benefits of a CRM application for any business.

• You can easily collaborate them with your existing applications sharing data across applications.
• You can collect, store and share data and access it from virtually anywhere in the world.
• Every CRM application can be further customized according to the needs of a business.
• Your marketing and sales program will never be the same again post CRM applications. It brings about a degree of precision in sales programs.
• You can now track the customers’ transactions with the help of real time updated data.
• Most CRM applications are designed in an easy to use format and no extra training is required to impart or use the CRM tools.
• Manage marketing, customers, sales and billing via one platform in which all that you need to do is click.

Get It today

If you are a business owner and you still have to try CRM applications, then stop procrastinating and act today. CRM applications will bring about a refreshing change from the norm and your business will become easier to manage, more customer centric and profitable.

For more info visit : CRM Application Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

The Benefits and the Dangers of CRM

"CRM" stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a business strategy that is used to improve customer service, and increase customer satisfaction. Customer Relationship Management is designed to provide information a business need to develop and implement smarter customer strategies.

The benefits of Customer Relationship Management CRM are clear: CRM ebables companies and organizations to build more profitable customer relationships and reduce operation spendings. Sales, mareketing personnels will have more customer information to work on. The business is able to know what customers want so that they can maximize their revenue by adverting the right products to the right people. CRM also enable business to monitor all the contacts between customers and companies.

However, study has shown that only 16% of businesses are satisfied with their CRM software. More than half of CRM initiatives fail. The biggest problem is that the collected data are not used. Most of the companies has spent tons of money to collect all kinds of information of their clients but never use this information to improve their business. Money spent on CRM software and implementations has been wasted. As a business owner, before you spend any money on CRM software and implementations, you need a complete planning that ensures your success. The ultimate goal is to improve your relationship with your customers, and boost your customer satisfaction.

For more information and resources related to CRM and CRM softwares,visit the one-stop online CRM solution website at http://www.crm-solution-web.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Song_Chengxiang

Is Hosted CRM The Best Option For Small Business?

Why hosted CRM for small business is the best option

Being a small business is no longer an excuse for being complacent. The internet has only aggravated the competition amongst small businesses and now, most small businesses are utilizing the best software and technology at their disposal to beat the competition.

If you are a small business CEO, and are still relying on age old software and business practices, then it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. CRM or customer relationship management is the name of the game. CRM is a strategy that emphasizes on building better relationships with the customer. It works by improving customer loyalty, enhancing customer satisfaction and thereby improving the profitability of the business. It will enable your small business to serve more customers in a much more efficient manner using fewer resources.

Cost constraints? Think again!

The one reason that had made CRM the domain of large scale enterprises is the cost of deploying it. The popular and prominent model of CRM software was the on-site version which required dedicated teams to manage it, hardware and software modifications and a flexible budget. But, small businesses cannot afford this luxury.

So, CRM vendors came out with a CRM software model custom designed to suit small businesses. It is called hosted CRM, web based CRM or CRM on demand.

The most important differentiating factor is that hosted CRM is delivered over the internet and is hosted by a third party (in most cases, the vendor). This eliminates a lot of hassles that are typical with on-site CRM. While reaping all the benefits of a traditional CRM software, small business no longer have to invest in dedicated servers, software experts to manage the software and upgrade costs.

Hosted CRM is flexible, scalable and easy to use. The only investment that a small business has to make is in a quality broadband internet connection and the entire team can work under one platform.

For more info on Hosted CRM visit: CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

What's the Definition of CRM?

CRM is software.

Unfortunately, that belief system is why so many CRM implementations fail. They are only implementing software. Just as in politics, marketing has been used very effectively by software companies, and resellers, to create a belief system based on sound bites. If you say it often enough, it becomes true, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

CRM actually stands for Customer Relationship Management. I don't see the word software in there, do you? CRM is actually a customer-centric way of doing business. It's a philosophy that if you truly know your customer, you will be able to deliver the products and services they need, instead of the products and services you need to sell. The end result should be more than customer satisfaction. It should be increasing customer loyalty.

CRM is also a strategy which is based on an acute understanding of your customers. Knowing which customers are profitable and which customers are not. Knowing what they need, and what they don't need. A solid CRM strategy will help you manage the four bottomline corners of your business: Revenue, Costs, Profitability and Lost Opportunity Costs.

If you are considering that first step into the CRM abyss, or if your looking for some help getting out of it, start with this CRM Definition

CRM is not software. CRM is your commitment to know your customer better. CRM requires you to develop a strategy to increase customer loyalty through a better understanding of those customers. CRM is about setting measurable economic goals, justifying the investment to achieve them and measuring them. CRM is about communicating a customer focused vision to your customer facing business units. CRM is about leading your customer facing business units to work together so your customer sees a clear and unified message. CRM is not about Sales. It's about Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and Customer Support working together.

And once you've done all of this, you will know what you need and don't need in a CRM software package. Don't develop a CRM strategy based on the features of some CRM software. Your requirements should be derived from your Strategy, not from your software.

Mike Boysen is a Sr CRM Consultant for one of the top Sage partners in North America and focuses on developing comprehensive middle market CRM solutions; including back office integration, business alerting, workflow management and business intelligence. He is also the creator of http://www.effective-crm-consulting.com

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Does Small Business CRM Really Help Your Business

CRM is the most talked about software in today’s business world. CRM is an easy-to-use software tool suitable for any small business needing a complete, cost effective and hassle-free solution for managing sales, customers and bookkeeping as well as day to day invoicing.

The all-in-one sales and marketing CRM software program facilitates small businesses to double their sales at a faster pace. From lead generation, to placing an order or even the follow up of the same, CRM is the apt solution in efficiently managing your small business day to day operations.

However why do we require CRM software in the first place is what crosses our minds. The following will give you a better insight as to what you can expect when CRM is adopted in your small business.

• It helps in the automatic integration of the sales marketing and the customers data base,
• Ensures a faster access to vital customer information from any where any time.
• Inexpensive efficient marketing campaigning management system
• Next to zero maintenance costs
• No additional installation and infrastructural expenses
• Instant integration with the existing business procedures
• Easy to understand and use
• 100% customizable to suit your unique business requirements

CRM is very essential for all small businesses in order to have a successful ROI turn over. However choosing the right CRM product customized as per your business needs is the Key, as it helps to derive the real potential benefits when adopting CRM in your small business.

For more info visit : OfficeInteractive Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

SAP Business One Implementation - Customer Specific Pricing

SAP B1 ERP is targeted to small and mid-size businesses and the question about implementing new accounting application is this - which functionality is available in standard business logic, prior to considering adding third party modules or launching in-house customization. In this small article we would like to review SAP Business One pricing model.

1. Price Lists. As you expect, there are various price forming formulas: Last Evaluated Price, Last Purchase Price and then you can base one price list based on another price list with multiplication factor.

2. Special Prices for Business Partners. Here for specific price list you can define discount, applicable to the specific item for this business partner or customer.

3. Scenarios. For your several the most important customers, you would like to announce special program of discounting items, that they ordered last year, but for their internal reasons they stopped ordering these items from you for let's say six month ago. You would like to get their business back and go for really low prices for the items they you enjoyed to sell them in the past.

4. What is nice about SB1 Implementation. From our experience we see that it is common when customer asks about specific custom business logic design and the in a few month of being in production we discover that instead of using custom business logic customer deploys flexible options in standard version to work around and find simple replacement to the customization.

5. SAP B1 Licensing model. Currently it is all-in-one. Meaning that you named user will have access to all the standard modules. However there are several paths for CRM only users, where they can have access to Sales, Service sides or CRM web access only, where license price is typically below 40% of all in one.

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum, http://www.albaspectrum.com, help@albaspectrum.com - Please visit our information portal Pegas Planet: http://www.pegasplanet.com, serving ERP systems community since 1993, local service in Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, remote support in CA, IL, IN, NY, FL, AZ, WA, NV, MI, WI, QC, ON, BC and the rest of USA and Canada. For 2008 we have SAP BO promotion campaign where we will send our sales engineer and implementation consultant free of charge to you if you are in USA or Canada country side. You will pay only for consulting hourly rates, and we will pay for travel and lodging.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Karasev

Selecting a CRM System

Due to the high level of competition between online businesses, more and more of them are choosing to use a CRM system to help with managing their customer relations. If you are thinking of incorporating a CRM system then you will find that generally speaking there are two types to choose from. They are on-site CRM systems and web-based or hosted CRM systems and there are significant differences between the two.

When the two are compared, online or hosted CRM solutions appears to show many obvious advantages over on-site CRM solutions, particularly for small to medium sized businesses. To start with on-site CRM can be difficult to access from some areas of the world, while online or hosted CRM solutions are easily accessed from anywhere.

All data for a hosted CRM solution is stored in a secure location for complete security with a hosted CRM system. Also, much of the work, such as upgrading data is done by the service provider, so this takes this burden off of your shoulders. Another great aspect of online CRM applications systems, is that communications is far more streamlined and efficient.

This means that if you have promotions people working working in one country, they can instantly connect with sales person ell working anywhere in the world by using the web based CRM. For small to medium sized businesses, hosted CRM applications are a life saver and can allow a company that is has a limited budget for customer relations management to play in the big leagues with regards to CRM.

Another great advantage of web based or hosted systems is that they are far easier to implement as compared to on-site CRM ones. This is because there is a wide selection of modules that allows you to select just what is best for your business applications.

Written by Alesandra Gibson. Find the latest information on CRM Requirements as well as Small Business CRM

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alesandra_Gibson

SAP Business One Customization Market - Review

SAP Business One has about 4 years of implementation history and very robust presence in the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, plus it has strong positions internationally. Considering the fact of relatively young age – the design of the system, including object model enable advanced customization, integration with both legacy and new technologies. We see certain stake on Microsoft technologies, such as MS SQL Server and COM object model. Integrated CRM module allows you to deploy Microsoft Outlook client for messaging, just to name a few. In addition to the customizability – SAP Business One has transaction integration to high end SAP, which allows this product to consolidate mid-size and small subsidiaries across the USA or internationally to your SAP corporate ERP system – franchisees network, dealerships, manufacturing facilities, etc. In this small article we will give customization scenarios to IT managers, who are planning to deploy SAP Business One integration, customization, reporting, etc.

• SAP Business One SDK. SAP Business One Software Development Kit has User Interface API, Data Interface API, Java Connector. The recommended way of customization design is XML web services, which allows you integrate custom web portals with SAP Business One objects: Sales Orders, Inventory Items, Customers. Ecommerce or Web-based Extranet (collaboration with your permanent vendors and customers) would be a good example.

• Implementation Partners. SAP Business One has several licensing & certifications criteria. One path allows the SAP partner to provide installations and so-called functional consulting. This means that these companies are experts of tying your business processes to SAP Business One standard set of modules and standard features/functionality. In our opinion – SAP BO is not only for relatively small to midsize businesses, but also for mid-size to large and even corporate business (subsidiaries and branches). Large companies have combination of multiple systems, including legacy – often they combine several platforms: Windows, Unix/Linux, Lotus Notes Domino, Siebel CRM, Salelogix, IBM DB2 to name a few. In this situation you need partnership with technically-savvy and experienced partner

• Customization Partners. SAP Business One SDK is not an open technology and in order to get access to it SAP Partner should get SDK development training and pass certification exam. At the same time, SAP SDK uses open tools, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, for example for coding itself. This leads to the common practice when Customization partners do not provide implementation and functional consulting services, but rather concentrate on development – offshore business location is also common. Some risk, however might be attributed to the fact that one organization does business processes specification and another one realizes them in custom coding.

• Technology Partners. The best result in the custom solution in our opinion could be achieved with SAP Business One Partner, who does both sides: Implementation/Functional and Customization/Development. Considering less then 10,000 SAP Business One implementations worldwide – it might be difficult to find local technology partner in your area, in this case – the compromise is to use remote partner with the network of local independent contractors.

Happy implementing, customizing and modifying! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – SAP Business One, Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials 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 and having locations in multiple states and internationally. We are serving USA Nationwide: CA, IL, NY, FL, AZ, CO, TX, WI, WA, MI, MA, MO, LA, NM, MN, Europe: Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OAE, Bahrain), Asia: China, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, South & Central America: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Chili, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Ricor

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Karasev

The History of CRM

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a series of IT related processes employed by most major organisations in order to effectively manage their customer relations and communications.

They allow businesses to gain in-depth knowledge of their customers, allowing them to respond to the needs of their clients and market their products more effectively.

The concept behind CRM solutions is they allow businesses to integrate all aspects of their activities seamlessly, in order to create a united, professional image.

Early CRM systems can be more accurately described as database marketing. In simple terms, this involved the process of collecting specific client data for certain groups in order for companies to talk to their clients on an individual basis.

This proved to be more suitable and effective for the larger corporations than small businesses. This was due to the fact that the survey-like, repetitive data which was acquired was more suited to the mass market than the more tailored, specific requirements of smaller businesses. For some companies, the basic information of people's spending habits was suitable for effective marketing, for others, it was not nearly enough.

CRM solutions as we know them today, first arrived in the 1990's with grand promises of changing the way businesses talk to their clients forever. In the beginning, however, this was far from the case, as the concept proved to be far better in theory than in practice.

As time has progressed, new technology has made it possible for businesses to tailor CRM systems to the specific requirements of their clients and hence make them more effective and worthwhile. As a result, CRM systems have increasingly become a two-way process. This meant that businesses could now offer incentives for customer loyalty. One successful example of this is Tesco's Clubcard scheme which rewards shoppers with points for their shopping, which can then be exchanged for a variety of goods and services.

Traditionally, the CRM solutions market has been dominated by software companies such as Siebel, SAP and Oracle. Microsoft are a relative newcomer to the sector, however, MS CRM 4.0 is one of the most comprehensive CRM systems available. Its ability to fully integrate with the Microsoft Office Suite means that it already has a significant advantage over its competitors.

Hosted CRM 4.0 from Genesis is the most simple and effective way to implement a CRM system in your workplace. Click here to find out more.

Hosted Microsorf CRM 4.0 Genesis.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Tymon

CRM Software System

CRM is the accepted purpose of Customer Relationship Management is to enable organizations to better manage their customers through the introduction of reliable processes and procedures for interacting with those customers. In today's competitive business environment, a successful CRM software solution cannot be implemented by only installing and integrating CRM software application designed to support CRM processes.

A holistic approach to CRM is vital for an effective and efficient CRM policy. This approach includes training of employees, a modification of business processes based on customers' needs and an adoption of a relevant IT CRM system (including software and maybe hardware) and/or usage of IT CRM Services that enable the organization or company to follow its CRM strategy. CRM Services can even replace the acquisition of additional hardware or CRM software application licences.

The term CRM "Customer Relationship Management" is used to describe either the "CRM software" or the whole business strategy (or lack of one) oriented on customer needs. The second one is the description which is correct. The main misconception of "CRM" is that it is only a software solution application, instead of whole business strategy. Major areas of CRM Software System Solutions focus on service automated processes, personal information gathering and processing, and self-service. It attempts to integrate and automate the various customer serving processes within a company.

A CRM software solution application can manage and run your entire business. From prospect and client contact tools to billing history and bulk email management. The software CRM Sosystem allows you to maintain all customer records in one centralized location that is accessible to your entire organization through password administration.

A front office CRM software system is set up to collect data from the customers for processing into the data warehouse. The data warehouse is a back office CRM Software system used to fulfill and support customer orders. All customer information is stored in the data warehouse. A back office CRM software application makes it possible for a company to follow sales, orders, and cancellations. Special regressions of this data can be very beneficial for the marketing division of a firm.A integrated CRM software system is often also known as "front office solutions." This is because they deal directly with the customer.

About the Author: CRM Software System information is brought to you by CMMS Systems.com, a place to find computerised maintenance managment software. You may ONLY freely print this article on your website as long as you provide and retain the active linkbacks in the author's box unchanged. We use copyscape to ensure active links.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Taylor_May

Small Business CRM - Benefits

When you decide to opt for CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for your small or medium sized business obviously you are seeking maximum returns on your investment. If you are still contemplating about whether or not to invest in small business CRM, we would like to highlight some benefits about small business CRM.

• Recent studies have shown that with the help of CRM the revenue of small businesses has shot up to over 40% per sales person.

• CRM also helps to decrease the sales cycle to a considerable extent. It also helps to improve your customer retention rates.

• The best benefit of small business CRM is that your marketing costs reduce to a great extent and so does your sales cost. And the end result is that you're over all profit margin increases with the help of implementing small business CRM.

• The most important benefit of CRM is that a company can gain about 100% profit just by retaining a considerably small part of their customers with the help of CRM.

• What you need to realize is that CRM is just not a business strategy; it 'itself' is the business strategy, which you need to utilize to the fullest. Most progressive businesses do not consider CRM as an option to choose or think about.

Nowadays CRM has become very essential for all sorts of business and organizations whether small, medium or large sized. Small businesses profit immensely from effective CRM as they can now attract more prospective customers, can manger their sales more efficiently and effectively.

And above all they are able to retain all their customers, which is the main factor why they will, do well in future and present as well.

For more info visit: Small Business CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

Do's and Don'ts While Choosing a CRM Solution

The internet is loaded with guides and tips on how you should choose a CRM solution. But towards the end, they resort to soft selling and offer a biased review for their product. They are not very helpful if you look at the actual details.

But here we have a list of do's and don'ts aimed at giving the newbie a better idea about choosing a CRM solution successfully.

The first and the most important aspect would be the type of CRM solutions on offer.

Do: Web based or on-site

Web based CRM which is also called as hosted CRM is the new form of cost effective CRM solution. It is fast replacing the more conventional forms of on-site CRM solutions. A web based model is extremely flexible, easy to adapt to and offers continual connectivity.

On the other hand an on-site model is far more detailed but may require additional training before your employees get used to it. Also the infrastructure needed to install and use an on-site CRM system successfully is cost consuming.

So your first question would be what kind of CRM solution do you need? Got the answer? Let's proceed to the next.

Don't: Buy it because it's successful

A lot of people buy a CRM solution because it was extremely successful with a friends business. Nothing can be more wrong than this. Always choose a CRM solution that is tailored for your business.

A generalized box packed CRM solution might not always be what you wanted for your business. Some people buy a CRM solution because their database vendor happens to offer it at a discount price.

Do not make these mistakes. View, evaluate, go back to our first Do and reevaluate. Only then should you go ahead and select a CRM solution.

For more info visit : CRM Solution

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

SAP Business One Implementation Highlights

SAP B1 is relatively new ERP and MRP on the US and international accounting application market for small and mid-size businesses. SBO can also serve to large corporation in spoke-and-hub environment where your branch deploys SB1 with upstream integration to mySAP/R3 or in non-SAP ERP. As you probably feel, being IT professional, that technology is a "bottleneck", or at least it should be considered seriously, when you are talking about mid-size business with unique business processes, and making the story more dramatic - all modern mid-size businesses probably see their business processes as unique and proprietary

1. SB1 Sales Demos, Presentations. Sales cycle is simple with SB1 as its interface is very intuitive and such often complex business processes as rentals, warranty contracts, discrete manufacturing, pick and pack in inventory control, CRM, HR, eCommerce - if you see Sap Business One demonstration, you probably feel that you trust this modern ERP

2. SAP Business One Licensing. At this time, 2008 SB1 has full named user, which is just below three thousand dollars, plus it has variations of CRM user licenses: web based only, service and sales, costing eight and nine hundred per named user respectively

3. Installation and Data Conversion. It is relatively simple to install SB1 on your own, however we recommend you to entrust this to professionals, who will also take care about data massage and migration. You should read about SB1 Work Bench module, which allows you to import SBO data in the form of Excel work templates

4. Add-Ons. These are SAP B1 ISV products or also referred as third parties or satellites

5. Analytical or drag-and-relate. This is unique SB1 technology, probably expired by Data Mining and Data warehousing ideas

6. SAP Business One version 2007. It should be released in a matter of weeks, as we are writing these lines. This version, again in our opinion should be crucial to turn around sales in USA and Canada

7. Competition. We think that the closest competitor is Microsoft Dynamics GP and its scaled down version Microsoft Small Business Financials. In essence both are relatively established ERP applications sharing the same technology background - Great Plains Dexterity. SB1 has more encouraging interface, and GP has larger number of installations across the USA and better integration to Microsoft Office, Outlook and Sharepoint.

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com | help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, if you would like to contribute with original article, please visit and submit news on our information portal Pegas Planet: http://www.pegasplanet.com Serving Great Plains community since 1994, customers in IL, CA, FL, MI, NY, KS, AZ, NV, WA, UT, SC, GA, LA, TX, IN, WI, , local service in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, San Diego, Miami, Dallas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Karasev

Reasons for the Rise of Hosted CRM

It has been noted that off late there seems to be a sudden surge in the number of companies opting for hosted CRM. The percentage of companies using on-demand or hosted CRM rose to 85% from 52% in just two years.

What is even more alarming is the fact that even large scale enterprises are opting for hosted CRM over traditional on-site CRM. The functionality of hosted CRM has vastly improved in the last few years. Customization has become an important part of most hosted CRM packages now and this is one of the prime reasons for the rise of hosted CRM.

The vast improvement in the quality of broadband internet around the world is another reason why most companies opt for hosted CRM which primarily works on the internet.

Favorable factors

There are a lot of other factors which work in the favor of hosted CRM.

• You reduce the cost by almost half.
• You do not need any on site infrastructure, you do not need am IT team constantly working on the CRM and it is extremely easy to implement.
• Any global organization with access to a T1 or T3 based internet connection can easily implement the CRM solution.

Think about it, why you would opt for an on-site CRM system when you can get the same benefits minus the hassles like a dedicated server, routers, a server operating system, etc.

Functions like workflow and analytics, a 360 degree view of the customer and multi channel customer support were limited to on-site CRM but now even hosted CRM offers such features. Most vendors today offer CRM software that can be tailored according to the needs of any customer.

Choosing a vendor

As a customer, the only difficult thing for you should be in choosing a CRM vendor. Keep all the above factors in mind and only choose a vendor who offers all these features.

For more info on Hosted CRM visit : CRM

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

Key Features of CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CRM (Customer Relationship management) is all about the theory used by companies to administer and manage their customers, partners, vendors and other stakeholders efficiently.

Features of CRM

CRM is made up of three key features, which are Operational CRM, Collaborative CRM and Analytical CRM.

• Collaborative CRM is to directly communicate with customers without inclusion of any sales or service representatives.
• Analytical CRM is to investigate customer data for a vast range of reasons and functions.
• Operational CRM deals with providing complete front office support to sales, marketing and similar services.

The communication with the customers is recorded and added to the customer’s contact history database and can be easily retrieved for future reference. The biggest benefit about maintaining this contact history is that the customers can easily contact with the service personnel without having to repeat any of the earlier communication or information.

That is why CRM software is used popularly in call centers or BPOs for supporting the call center staff.

Direct interaction is carried out with collaborative CRM that includes feedback from the customers and reporting of issues if any. This interaction can be carried out through a variety of channels like email, phone, SMS, etc. The main objective behind going in for collaborative CRM can be reducing the company costs and improving the services provided.

Analytical CRM finds multiple uses such as taking management decisions, predicting future trends, analyzing customer behavior, planning and executing marketing campaigns and much more.

Operational CRM is mainly concerned with automating customer processes and providing appropriate support to these services.

CRM is not just a mere technology; it is in fact the move towards handling your customers better and more efficiently. The top management should tap CRM’s complete potential to maximize the benefits for their respective organization.

For more info visit : CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

Innovation Of SAP Programs

Today, SAP finds a development in technology advancement and more innovation has been done in this SAP. With the advancement of technology, more new SAP programs have been initiated. SAP investment is a profitable investment and more information is created for the organization. SAP helps to interpret and implement information to the organization properly and correctly. Most of the people will invest in any of the SAP program and then implement in any of the SAP program. SAP implementation helps to make appropriate report with SAP development, native connections and overall integration. SAP programs like SAP BW, SAP R/3 is used as data query for crystal resources.

SAP BW is used as a data source for reports and queries. Generally, most of the people finds difficult to differentiate complex query with simple reports and simple query with complex reports. Most of the people build their structure as per their complexity in skill and report. Understanding the implementation of different SAP programs, helps to recognize the difference from the data collection and sourced. When SAP programs are implemented properly and find the data in the infoprovider correctly, then SAP provides a best outsource to the user. Analyzing the query and preparing the report for the user, helps the user to obtain effective outsource. Designing the SAP BW query evaluates the key figures and determines the data arrangement for filtering.

Query filtering reduces the data processing time and reduces the data. Effective SAP BW helps to optimize the performance of BW query and report. Preparing crystal report for the enterprise application formats the report effectively. Formatting and designing the SAP gives an effective report for the business enterprise. Today, more number of business enterprises is using the SAP to prepare an effective report with processed data. With different formula and processed data, effective and efficient report can be made for the query. It is essential to be noted in SAP programs are that all factors to be considered to process data and prepare report for the business enterprise. There are many numbers of factors available to calculate the crystal report.

When SAP data sources are retrieved properly for processing then the user gets the correct report for the organization. SAP innovation has provided more useful services to the business enterprise to get a proper outsourcing from the data. SAP programs have been innovated to make the users benefited from the different programs. With the advancement of technology in SAP, more new programs will be innovated.

Ron Victor is a SEO copywriter for SAP Course
He written many articles in various topics.For more information visit SAP Training
Contact him at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Victor

SAP Business One XML Connector: eCommerce and EDI Integration

Typical example would be when you need your ecommerce web site be powered by ERP application with sales order execution login: inventory item allocation and shipping to the customer. In some cases you would like automatic invoice posting (in SAP B1 terminology adding) to General Ledger and so automatic order execution – when your items are downloadable applications or media files. In other cases you would start with Sales Order and entrust order execution login, with potentially light production/manufacturing or bill of material assembly to backend MRP – SAP BO.

• Technology. From SAP B1 connector side – it is realized as SOAP web service. From your legacy ecommerce or other application side you can deploy either staging SQL tables approach, or direct SQL data pulling with transactions marking as being send for integration to SAP Business One.

• Web Service. SOAP XML web service with inbound (from ecommerce, EDI or your business partners extranet) data stream to create or update SAP B1 customer object and then create sales document. Outbound XML stream reports you the success of the action and if required gives you created object parameters.

• SAP Business One SDK – this is the heart of the connector, it logins to SAP BO company with the credentials provided (completely validating SBO business application logic), then it initializes new customer and sales order/invoice or updates existing business partner/customer information.

• Fields of application. Connector if this type proved to be on demand for other ERP applications, Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains for example, where it is mostly used in e-commerce and business partner automatic ordering spheres. If can be successfully deployed for the service business, when you need to log technician daily time logs and bill out your customers. Very nice combination for service business is Microsoft Dynamics CRM Service module with time logging logic against contract line budget and then sending resolved cases time to SAP B1 in the form of sales orders.

If you need help, please give us a call US/Canada: 1-866-528-0577, Worldwide: 1-630-961-5918, Brazil: +55-11-3444-4949, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group (http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.enterlogix.com.br), serving SAP B1 customization, integration, software development projects to customers in Brazil, US and other countries. In Brazil we implement SBO in Sao Paulo and Goiania and support integrations and customizations nation-wide. In US we provide functional consulting form SBO in Chicago and Houston and we support customizations nation-wide.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Karasev

What You Need to Know About CRM

1. It’s all about the customer. Some companies focus too much on expensive CRM programs and elaborate IT departments and not enough on what is at the core of CRM. CRM programs need to be designed to appeal to the business’ customers. The best Call Centers are the ones which customers find easy to navigate. The best CRM vendors have the customer satisfaction in mind when designing their CRM applications.

2. On-demand is the way to go. Many vendors offer traditional CRM programs and service. I believe, however, that On-demand CRM is the way to go. On-demand CRM is different from traditional methods in that instead of requiring companies to hire new IT people, and use extensive resources to implement elaborate CRM programs, the software comes with support. On-demand CRM is no longer the “bring your own IT department” approach. Many vendors like Salesforce.com, Siebel, and NetSuite offer On-demand solutions that are great for businesses just getting into the CRM market.

3. Customer Relationship Management is not just software. Some businesses would like it to be simply software, but it will never be as simple as that. Customer Relationship Management is an ongoing learning process. The business must learn from the customer and change accordingly. The closer a business gets to its customer, the better. CRM applications and strategies are the methods through which the business can access, analyze, and learn from customer Data. Knowing what CRM applications are actually for is a very important step in understanding how to be successful when implementing CRM practices.

4. It is important to understand that there are hundreds of CRM vendors out there. Many of the vendors claim to be number one, but if you look closely, they may be number one in only one category. Other companies say that they are number one in CRM, but there is no basis for their statement. It is important for companies to choose the right vendor that will attend to all of their CRM needs. This may not always be the most expensive, “number one” company. On the contrary, some simple companies offer CRM solutions that are highly effective. Some of the major CRM providers are Siebel, Salesforce.com, NetSuite, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP.

5. The best CRM technology can be very helpful for any business. Some CRM applications can now be accessed via BlackBerry devices. Major vendors are constantly updating their software and improving their service. It is a good idea to stay as current as possible in terms of CRM technology. However, always remember to balance technology with customer service. There is no substitute for old-fashioned customer service, the most basic of all CRM ideals.

Customer Relationship Management can be very beneficial for a business if it is carried out properly. It is important to keep the customer in mind at all times when you are implementing CRM practices into your business. Remember that there are quite a few CRM vendors out there, and it is important to choose the vendor that is best for your company. Customer Relationship Management seems like a very daunting idea for someone who has never used it before, but if you follow these steps, you will surely see the benefits of successful CRM.

Frank Dazerton is very interested in Customer Relationship Management and writes for CRM Lowdown.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Dazerton

Update on Current CRM Market

The CRM marketplace continues to flourish as more and more companies are waking up to the realization that CRM is imperative to their success.

CRM applications are amongst the fastest growing applications in the market with a growth rate of 10% in 2006 and up to 17% in 2007. The strong overall growth is expected to continue for the next few years. Newer trends are evolving according to the ever changing needs of the marketplace.

However, not all of them are significant enough to have a massive impact on the market. Here we take a look at two recent trends that have made a difference to the working of CRM globally.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

• CRM software has taken a new form with software as a service or SaaS. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is growing like a wild fire.
• There are several reasons for this sudden spurt in SaaS.
• They are easy to use, easy to deploy, have a much lower risk rate when compared to client/server implementations and also have lower upfront costs.
• These benefits have not only redefined the rules for the SMB (small to medium sized business) market but also for the large enterprise market.
• It has been predicted that the SaaS phenomenon will lead to a 24% growth rate in the coming years.
• Top vendors like SAP and Microsoft have announced their SaaS CRM applications in the coming year.

Service Oriented Architecture ( SOA )

• CRM vendors have also started to release Service Oriented Architecture or SOA products.
• SOA is the new face of CRM and has features like Multi tenancy and combining resources throughout the enterprise.
• A lot of applications are bundled into a single suite making it easier for most companies to manage them.
• If a new business rule is implied, then it is simultaneously implied across the whole SOA platform.
• So you no longer have to keep buying software upgrades every year. You simply buy, use and reuse it again.
• There is a prediction that SOA based services will touch $34 billion by the year 2010.

For more info visit : CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

Microsoft CRM for Corporate Business - Working Offline

If your company has regional and worldwide operations, you might already realized that it is very hard to get decent internet connection in your remote locations. In this small article we will try to give you highlights on how to implement Microsoft Business Solutions CRM for worldwide operations with restricted internet connection.

• Outlook Client. This was very bright idea from Microsoft side to have outlook client as a presentation for Microsoft CRM data. Outlook has such nice features as synchronization and then working offline. If you have outlook client for CRM – you can download your customers, leads, contacts, and event properly programmed custom features, then work with them and finally synchronize them back to MS CRM database

• MS CRM Integration. As the task itself it is not difficult or challenging one. You can deploy MS SQL Server linked server to show your third party or even heterogeneous data on MS CRM screens. However, when we are talking about enabling working offline – we should get different approach. Your third party system should feed data into MS CRM database – through MS CRM SDK custom utility. In CRM itself you should stick to MS CRM user defined fields. If you take this direction – MS CRM custom features will be taken by Outlook client and synchronized with local machine. Your third party data could reside as it was mentioned in heterogeneous platforms: Oracle, DB 2, Sybase, Lotus Notes Domino, SAP, Pervasive SQL 2000, Ctree or any ODBC compliant database.

• Typical Industries. The most popular industry to deploy MS CRM as we saw so far is Transportation & Logistics, where MS CRM is usually integrated with Cargo/Shipment tracking database. Other industries, deploying CRM are: Education, Recruitment & placement, publishing & advertising. MS CRM is getting market in such industries as aerospace & defense, wholesale & retail, pharmaceutical, oil & gas, biotechnology, medicine/hospitals, non-profit

• Customization Tools. Visual Studio.Net is the first to mention, where you can create web application for MS CRM in VB.Net or C#.Net. Then you should use Crystal Reports Enterprise to expand reporting functionality. You use MS SQL Server scripting to pull the data from third party system (but not to update data in the CRM – you should use MS CRM SDK for this purpose

• Self Implementation. This was surprising discovery for us about 3 years ago. Microsoft CRM deploys all the spectrum of Microsoft technologies: MS Exchange, Active Directory, full-text search, BizTalk, XML streams, .Net – and we see that Microsoft-oriented IT departments take an initiative and implement MS CRM with minimal outside help

You can always appeal to our expertise to help you implement Microsoft CRM for your company. Give us a call: 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving Chicago, California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, Australia, UK, Canada, Continental Europe, Russia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

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CRM Vendors Plows Rapidly Adding Analytical Capabilities

One of the keys of CRM success is acting on the understanding that customers plows the intended end-users of CRM systems, not the staff of the organization that is deploying the system.

CRM vendors plows rapidly adding analytical capabilities to their applications, which will better enable their customers to leverage customer it dates that is scattered throughout their networks.

A lot of clients think they can go to a vendor and get CRM. Instead, they get a few components. They buy a suite of front-office applications. But do they have all the channels and the technology, all the functionality and the services to really enable CRM?. It takes multiple technologies and multiple vendors to pull this off.

You need a managerially useful, end-to-end view of the CRM process from a marketing perspective. The basic perspective taken is that of the customer, not the company. In other words, what do managers need to know about their customers and how is that information used to develop a complete CRM perspective?

Many companies invested in CRM solutions based partly on promises of ROI. However, too many plows left wondering what happened to the return that was promised. Fortunately, dates analytics holds promise it goes addressing the problem.

It is difficult to state precisely what CRM Customer Relationship Management means to everyone. Ironically, the term is also applied in those aspects of business that even remotely interacts with a customer. Understanding the concept of CRM will help in decisions relating Customer relationship management product, CRM software and CRM solutions.

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By S. Maurer

S. Maurer is a 53-years old college graduated IT professional, with 30 years of experience in the computer & technology business. Now is the Correspondence Courses Director of http://mba-open-university.net and http://distance-learning-mba-online-mba-program-executive-jobs.net.

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Web Based CRM - Benefits

CRM is a set of business rules, techniques, technologies and practices that gather comprehensive information about customers and then augments the relationship with the customer using that information.

There are two different types of CRM available in the market today. These are on site CRM and hosted or web based CRM.

On site CRM, is hosted on the company's own dedicated server. This means that the company needs to invest in a server, a dedicated IT team and lots of infrastructure. So, it is typically used by large scale enterprises.

Hosted or web based CRM on the other hand is deployed over the internet and are ideal for large as well as small to medium sized companies. It allows a company to reap all the benefits of a CRM system sans the hassles associated with an on site client server CRM tool.

Benefits

The user interfaces of both these CRM systems are as different as chalk and cheese. While on site CRM systems are developed in VB or Java or C++, web based CRM use a standard web browser. So any employee of the company can access the CRM as long as he/she has access to the internet.

Here are some of the benefits of a web based CRM system.

• Reduced cost of ownership: If you compare the cost of web based CRM software with that of an onsite one, you will notice that the difference amongst the two is miniscule. However, if you compare the total cost of ownership which includes several charges like the installation, infrastructure, deployment etc, you will find that there is a huge difference.
• Deployment: This is undoubtedly one of the prime reasons for the success of web based CRM. You do not need a CRM client to access it. Yes, a web browser is all that is needed to access the backend.
• Information sharing: It is easy to enter, transmit and share information across organizational lines.

For more info on web based CRM visit : CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

It's Time For Online CRM to Rule

There was a time when CRM came with loads of expectations. It surely delivered as per the expectations but it also came with its own share of headaches.

There were problems with installation and then with implementation. There had to be a separate technical team 24x7 to ensure that the CRM worked without any hiccups. However, all this has changed now with the arrival of online CRM.

Online CRM is also known as hosted CRM in business circles and it is an end to all the woes that you traditionally associate with CRM.

In hosted CRM, all that you need is an internet connection. You buy the software on a subscription basis and then use the internet to stay connected to the CRM applications. You do not have to bear the expense of initial startup, managing the software and technical support.

The rise

Online CRM has risen because only large enterprises could manage the huge expenses of traditional CRM models. This new online model means that even small and medium sized businesses can take advantage of CRM.

In fact it has led to the market being flooded with vendors offering CRM solutions for small and medium sized businesses. The advent of broadband internet across the world has also contributed to the rise of online CRM.

However there have always been customization concerns with online CRM. CRM experts have speculated that online CRM vendors do not allow room for customization. But most vendors offer flexible programs that can be easily adapted to by employees. Users can then easily dictate the attributes of the system without even getting into programming.

Here to stay

While there are people who still advocate the traditional CRM models, CRM experts suggest that online CRM is here to stay and will soon render all other models obsolete. Only time will tell how the future unfolds for CRM tools.

For more info visit : Online CRM Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

CRM Web Based Solutions

CRM web based solution is an easy and cost effective way to maintain a healthy relationship with your customer on the Internet. It is the latest trend in modern business organizations. With the wide use of the Internet, business organizations have become more reliant on web based CRM services.

Customer relationship management, abbreviated CRM, is a comprehensive business strategy planned to maximize profitability, revenue, retention, and customer satisfaction. However, CRM business strategies mainly focus on customer satisfaction only. With the coming of CRM web based solutions, the entrepreneurs are able to offer support to the customer through the Internet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Depending on the needs, CRM web based solutions can be availed by any type of businesses. For example, specialized CRM web based solutions are available for client profiles, frequently ordered items, automatic replenishment systems, one-click ordering, and market basket analysis. Mostly, CRM web based solutions are built after systematically understanding the needs and demands.

In a CRM web based solution, the Web is used as the platform. The software is generally installed on a single server. Hence, a user from any remote location can access the facilities of the CRM web based solutions through the Internet. Any slight change in the software of the main server will be reflected throughout the system. CRM web based solutions are cost effective and easy to maintain. Apart from these, CRM web based solutions also provide accessibility through wireless devices such as PDAs and WAP-enabled mobile phones. Thus, CRM web based solutions overrun all the downsides of their counterpart, client-server CRM solutions.

In the past, CRM Web-based solutions were used mainly by medium sized business organizations. But in recent year, almost all small and big business organizations have started using the facilities of CRM Web-based solutions.

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