CRM UK - the official blog of the CRM specialists at TSG

Counting the Cost of Sales Leads

Although there is no denying that "times are hard", here at Concentrix we are keeping a positive attitude and retaining focus on our core business: "helping companies and organisations improve their business processes".

The key metric that we look at to measure the success of a project is the return on investment achieved for the customer. We bang on and on about ROI and often use it as the "stick" to fend off requirements creep - "...how we will demonstrate return on investment for this development?" being a common question from our business analysts.

Sales, marketing and finance managers are always conscious of the "cost of sale" or "cost per lead", but this is often something that is difficult to manage.

During a recent "Requirement Workshop” on a new project for a large multinational, I was struck both by the lack of any current method of measuring the cost of sales and by the desire to achieve this using CRM. Indeed, one of the key requirements handed down from the board was simply to report accurately and in detail on the return from marketing spend (and cost of the sales teams). For me, this raises a couple of important question for all businesses:

  - What does each sales lead cost you?"  and, just as importantly, 

  - what is it worth to find out?"

Accurate, reliable, real-time measurement of a wide variety of parameters are a basic, key advantage of professionally implemented CRM systems. To discuss how Concentrix's CRM products and services can help you to measure, manage and maximise your investment in your business, please contact me.

John Odell - CRM Consultant

It was good to meet you at TFM&A!

Hello and thanks for coming to see us - to everyone who visited the Concentrix stand at this year’s Technology for Marketing and Advertising (TFM&A) exhibition at Earls Court.

Despite the last minute changes and a pretty hectic couple of days, we’re more than glad we exhibited. We met lots of fellow sales, marketing and technology professionals, had lots of interesting conversations, got some great feedback and generally found the whole experience really worthwhile. Also because CRM is what we do, being right outside the CRM and Campaign Management Theatre was a big bonus for us too. 

The Concentrix staff on the stand were James Nightingale, Bhavesh Lad and Mark Kemp. They were also joined at times by Peter Elgar and Rebecca Rooney. Attendance at the exhibition seemed to be up this year, and the programme of events looked impressive (although because we had a stand, none of the COncentrix staff actually managed to attend any). We don't usually exhibit at events, but will be giving some serious thought to returning next year.  

So if you visited stand C6 at TFM&A 2009 and want to continue a conversation, arrange a CRM software demo, need any further help or advice from independent CRM specialists, or have any feedback about the show, please get in touch.

Technology for Marketing and Advertising – Concentrix update

Just to confirm, Concentrix is still exhibiting at the Technology for Marketing and Advertising (TFM&A) exhibition at Earls Court, London on the 24^th and 25^th of February. We have our own stand – situated at C6 on the floor plan.

We’ve had a number of queries about the exhibition because of FrontRange’s recent decision not to attend. So to clarify:

Originally Concentrix had arranged to exhibit with FrontRange Solutions on their stand, along with three or four of FrontRange’s other UK partners. Unfortunately, FrontRange had to cancel at short notice. However, TFM&A is an important exhibition for a large part of the Concentrix target market, so we’re still exhibiting. What’s more, we’ll be showing our full range of products and services, including Sage CRM and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, as well as FrontRange’s GoldMine.

Concentrix remains committed to a strong partnership with FrontRange, and committed to the GoldMine suite of products. GoldMine Premium in particular remains a major product for Concentrix – it’s one of the most popular CRM solutions around, with a large and extremely loyal user base.

If you’re not able to attend TFM&A, and would like to take a look at GoldMine, we have a fully interactive demo of GoldMine Premium available 24 hours a day on our website. You can also use our website to book a live, one-to-one online demo with one of our GoldMine experts.

If you can make it to Technology for Marketing and Advertising this year, it’s well worth a visit. And of course, please drop by our stand and have a chat!

Concentrix has many years experience with a wide range of CRM products and different CRM environments. As independent CRM specialists, we provide a comprehensive range of CRM products and services. We’ll be more than happy to discuss any aspect of CRM, business management software, or any related issues you may be having. Above all, we’ll provide you with free, unbiased, high-quality, ‘product agnostic’ advice.

So, we hope to see you at the Concentrix stand, C6! It’s next to the CRM and Campaign Management Theatre, so it’s easy to find and convenient to access if you’re going to one of the many presentations taking part in there. 

We look forward to talking to you at TFM&A!

Free Seminar: Sage 200 – 2009

Sage 200 2009, the latest release of the popular Sage 200 Business Management software suite, is getting significant interest. So, Concentrix is inviting selected customers to a free Sage 200 – 2009 Seminar and Workshop. Being held at the Best Western Yew Lodge Hotel & Conference Centre (within a mile of Junction 24 of the M1) the seminar will give customers the chance to:

    § See the latest tools, features and developments in Sage 200 – 2009

    § Talk directly to software experts from Sage and Concentrix

    § Take part in ‘hands-on’ demonstrations of the software

    § Ask questions about any aspect of Sage 200

    § Meet and network with other Sage users and Concentrix customers

Sage 200 is a powerful set of integrated business management software modules. The latest release (Sage 200 – 2009) helps organisations improve each stage their business processes.

The seminar will include special guests Scott Gibson and Michael Crampsey from Sage (UK) Ltd, as well as staff from the Concentrix Sage Business Unit.

This is a great opportunity for Concentrix customers to find out first-hand about this new software suite, get a detailed look at the product, discuss Sage, business management software and IT generally, and ask any questions.

Date: Friday 6^th March 2009

Time: 10.00 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. (Registration 9.30 a.m.)

Venue: Best Western Yew Lodge Hotel & Conference Centre, Kegworth, DE74 2DF

To register for the seminar, please visit the concentrix website and complete the online event registration form. Alternatively email [email protected] with your details, or call us on 01509 410 500.

Please note that for free entry, parking and refreshments, we need you to register for this event

If you need any further information about this seminar, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Concentrix a ‘Centre Of Excellence’ for Advice on Sage Software

Concentrix has been selected as a Customer Development Centre by Sage. Here's further details in the latest press release:

 

Sage Selects Concentrix as Customer Development Centre.

UK business management solutions specialist Concentrix has been selected as a Customer Development Centre by leading business software supplier Sage (UK) Ltd. Customer Development Centre status means that Concentrix has been carefully chosen as a Centre of Excellence to help and advise businesses on the best time to progress through the range of Sage software.

 

Concentrix has been an accredited Sage Business Partner since 2004. They continue to build and develop a close working relationship with Sage, which is underlined by their selection as a Customer Development Centre.

 

Commenting on the selection, Ian Dawkins, Managing Director of Concentrix, stated “Sage has chosen only a handful of business partners as Sage Customer Development Centres. The criteria are pretty strict, which is in line with Sage’s trademark ‘Breathtaking Customer Experience’. We’re really pleased that our close relationship with Sage and the success we’ve delivered to our customers has been formally recognised.”

 

In the UK, Sage is synonymous with business management software. From accounting packages for sole traders to enterprise-scale CRM and ERP systems, Sage has solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of a wide variety of organisations.

 

As businesses grow and their processes become more complex, they begin to recognise that their software needs to change accordingly. For example, Sage 50 is a highly popular suite of software aimed at smaller businesses, and includes modules ranging from accounts and financial applications to contact management. Typically, companies using Sage 50 will progress to Sage 200: a powerful, fully integrated business management solution for mid-sized businesses.

 

The gains from migrating from Sage 50 to Sage 200 can be substantial, but changing systems is a business-critical decision. It needs to be done at the right time, in the right way, with minimal disruption to the day-to-day running of the business.

 

Because Concentrix is a Sage Customer Development Centre, organisations can discuss their business requirements with them knowing they will receive expert help.  All Sage Customer Development Centres are companies with a solid track record with Sage products. With Concentrix, this includes everything from straightforward upgrades to more complex Sage 200 migration projects. What’s more, businesses have the assurance that Sage has formally recognised Concentrix as having extensive, proven knowledge of Sage software. This assurance is extended further, as Concentrix is fully supported by Sage and has instant access to their head office and technical support teams.

 

In the current economic climate, businesses are increasingly looking at ways to streamline their operations.  But are they likely to invest in new technology and risk changing their current systems?

Dawkins continues “We’re actually seeing more and more interest in integrated business management solutions such as Sage 200, especially with the release of the next version, Sage 200 2009, due imminently”.

 

So businesses are exploring ways to move forward, but they also need to be sure they’re doing the right thing. And this is a key benefit to working with a Sage Customer Development Centre.

Dawkins concludes “With the current air of uncertainty throughout the economy, businesses are more actively looking for ways to improve their efficiency and processes. But they need to be assured and supported in making the right decision. Because Concentrix is a Sage Customer Development Centre, businesses that work with us have that assurance and support.”

 

About Concentrix

Founded in 1999, Concentrix is a leading business management software, customer relationship management (CRM) software and IT solutions provider. Concentrix helps companies increase competitiveness, profitability and customer satisfaction by improving business processes, systems and IT.

 

The Concentrix product portfolio includes software, hardware and a full range of supporting services.

Concentrix takes a product agnostic approach to implementing systems, ensuring their customers get a solution which matches their strategic objectives and business requirements. As well as the Sage 50 and Sage 200 suites, Concentrix also supplies Sage CRM, SalesLogix, plus other ‘best of breed’ CRM solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM and FrontRange's GoldMine.

 

Concentrix is a UK company with its head office in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Concentrix also has a satellite office in central London.

Market to all of your contacts quickly and effectively with Sage ACT!

Most companies are aware of the importance of successful marketing and providing the right message, to the right customers, at the right time in order to influence sales. However, for many small to medium sized businesses this has not been an option in the past, because of the significant costs associated with marketing and the fact that their contact management system did not have the functionality to enable them to do it. But this no longer needs to be the case.

Swiftpage is an online email software which is now an approved addon to Sage ACT!and it is the first tool to fully integrate with the contact management solution! Swiftpage will allow all ACT! Users to market to their existing contacts, quickly, efficiently and cost effectively. It will also enable them to:

• Create emails. Either by using an online editor, one of the 75 preinstalled templates or by importing a new template.
• Send up to 1000 emails with a single click.
• Track who opened their emails. Swiftpage enables you to view detailed graphical reports.

Concentrix can currently provide you with a special offer on Swiftpage! If you purchase Sage ACT! By 31^st March you will receive SwiftPage completely free for 3 months!

For more information about Sage ACT! 2009 or Swiftpage, please contact Concentrix on: 01509 410500 or email [email protected].

Achieve greater productivity with Sage ACT! 2009

Sage ACT! is the number one contact and content management tool with over 2.8 million users, spanning 25 countries. ACT! Centralises your contact information, organises your diary and tracks sales leads.

Storing all of your important data centrally ensures that all employees have access to the same up to date information, therefore significantly improving employee knowledge and ultimately productivity.

Sage ACT! Is perfect for small to medium sized organisations who want to obtain a complete view of their business activities.

ACT! 2009 has recently been released and includes a whole host of new features which will provide significant benefits to your business, including:

The ability to

• Accurately track and view sales opportunities. Act! 2009 enables you to quickly review detailed opportunity information. This will therefore improve your forecasting ability.

• The opportunity to get an instant overview of current activities. The new dashboard feature enables you to bring together all of your vital information so you can make informed decisions quickly.

• The ability to quickly and easily organise and search for your key information. You can now benefit from a cleaner database and therefore improve your ability to extract critical customer information.

• The knowledge to create and maintain excellent relationships with your customers. Through using Act! You will be more organised and have a greater u

nderstanding of your customers needs, which will improve how you respond to changes in the market.

Concentrix has produced a free online demonstration of ACT! The Sage ACT! Demonstration is completely interactive, so you can get a full understanding of all the software’s tools and features. What’s more, no installations or downloads are required, so you can be up and running in minutes.

For more information about Sage ACT! Contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or click here for direct access to the Sage ACT! Demonstration.