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

Sage 200 – the next logical step?

Businesses have been using accounts solutions for a number of years and recently CRM software has increased in popularity. However, fully integrated solutions are quickly emerging as the next logical step for a number of forward thinking organisations.

Standalone CRM solutions deliver a number of benefits to organisations including:

- One central location to store information relating to customers

- Enhanced employee knowledge

- Reduced duplication of effort in terms of data entry

However with fully integrated solutions, these benefits are magnified. What’s more Sage 200 delivers a quick return on investment and will soon increase competitiveness, customer satisfaction and profitability.

Implementing Sage 200 connects the front and back office systems and gives employees a complete view of what is happening within the organisation, increasing knowledge and therefore the customer experience.

The latest version of the software: Sage 200 2010 is due to be launched in June 2010. The new release is more powerful and is packed with new features which will bring real benefits to organisations.

To celebrate the launch of Sage 200 2010 and give customers an insight into the new features,  Concentrix is hosting a FREE launch seminar at the Hilton Hotel – Leicester on 23^rd June 2010.

For more information, or to register for the event, please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]

Free Seminar and Workshop – Sage 200 2010 Launch

Concentrix is inviting all existing Sage Accounts customers to their Sage 200 2010 Launch.

The launch will specifically showcase the new features of Sage 200 and will give customers the opportunity to:

- See the latest tools, features and developments in Sage 200 – 2010

- 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

Event: Sage 200 2010 Launch

Date: Wednesday 23^rd June 2010

Time: 10.00am – 12.15pm (registration 09.30am)

Venue: Hilton Hotel Leicester, Junction 21 Approach, Leicester LE19 1WQ

To register* for the event, please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]

*Please note for free entry and refreshments you need to register for the event before 1^st June 2010

 

Sage 200 for Charities - 25% discount available on all new purchases

If you're a registered charity, have you ever considered implementing Sage's mid-market business management suite, Sage 200?

Well, now is the perfect time to think about it! 

Concentrix is currently offering a 25% discount for charities and not-for-profit organisations on all new purchases of Sage 200 for a limited time!

For charities, maintaining the support of funders and sponsors is critical to ensure the future success of the organisation. As a result, CRM for charities is becoming a must have rather than a nice to have.  This means that increasingly charities are running two solutions one for front office functions and one for back office functions. Although both of these systems will bring benefits, essentially the charity will still be running two completely separate systems. Therefore there are a number of problems which can still arise from duplicate data entry.

However, implementing Sage 200 can make these problems a thing of the past. Sage 200 provides powerful accounting and finance functionality as well as 'best in breed' CRM through its Sage 200 CRM module, which is closely related to Sage CRM.

Sage 200 is a fully integrated solution which connects all departments of an organisation. So, rather than having to run separate, unconnected pieces of software to manage different areas of your company, Sage 200 enables you to control all of your businesses main processes from within a single software suite.

Sage 200, helps automate and bring together all the key processes in each area of the organisation: from marketing, sales and customer service, right through to finance, operations, projects and a whole range of other activities.

Concentrix has a close working relationship with Sage and is a fully accredited Sage Business Partner. Concentrix has also been included in the Sage Circle of Excellence and won Sage CRM Partner of the Year in 2009.

Concentrix provides a full range of services from system implementation to training, maintenance, support and hardware.

To find out more about how implementing Sage 200 will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your charity, or to take advantage of the discount available, please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected].

Concentrix begins gardening Project with the RNIB!

Concentrix the leading independent Business Solutions Specialist has begun a two-week gardening project with the RNIB in Loughborough.

Last year Ian Dawkins, the Managing Director of Concentrix Ltd, gave all staff the opportunity to take part in a charity day.

The charity day proved to be extremely popular, with over half of the staff volunteering to participate.  After a lengthy search for a suitable cause, the RNIB in Loughborough was appointed as the charity.

Deirdre Coulthard, HR Manager at Concentrix had several discussions with staff at the RNIB to find out how Concentrix could help.  After several meetings, it became apparent that there was a gardening project to complete, and this quickly became the challenge!

The RNIB in Loughborough have an independent house for some adult students to live in and the garden is in severe need of redesigning!  It has previously been pebbled,   but weeds have started to come through and the garden is no longer fit for purpose.  During the two-week project Concentrix staff will take up all the pebbles, weed and lay new turf. 

Asked why Concentrix has chosen to get involved in a charity day, Ian Dawkins said, “It is really important that we give something back to the local community. Getting involved in a charity day gives our staff the opportunity to join in a project which is going to make a real difference. ”

The project began yesterday, with the first three volunteers from Concentrix getting the project off to an excellent start. Over the two week period there will be a team of three or four working on the garden each day. The new turf, also donated by Concentrix will be delivered on Thursday this week, and the project is due to be complete by Friday 30^th April.

Background Information

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

Concentrix solutions are based on recognised, ‘best-of-breed’ software products. Concentrix supplies Microsoft CRM, Sage CRM, FrontRange’s GoldMine, Sage 200 and Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Concentrix has also developed a number of complementary, add-on CRM software modules, and has a dedicated team of software programmers and developers.

As well as CRM and business management software, the company supplies leading brand hardware, a a comprehensive range of support, training, upgrades, advice and consultancy. In other words, Concentrix provides complete solutions: software, hardware and supporting services.

Concentrix is based in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire and has a regional office in Bristol and central London.

Business Software Company Digs Deep for the RNIB

Staff at UK CRM and Business Management software specialist Concentrix Ltd have begun a voluntary project renovating a garden for RNIB students in Loughborough. The project, which involves extensive garden redesign, is part of a charitable initiative by the company to devote time and resources to good causes within the local community.

Over the next two weeks, teams of three and four Concentrix staff will work on the garden each day. Around 30 staff at the company have volunteered, swapping their desk-jobs for digging, weeding, moving rocks and laying a new lawn.

Asked about the initiative, Ian Dawkins, Concentrix Managing Director said, “It’s really important for businesses to help the local community. Before we started the RNIB garden was in a pretty poor state and we hope to really improve the environment for the students. ”

As well as providing volunteers, the company is also supplying new turf. The project is due to be completed on Friday 30^th April.

Background Information

Concentrix Ltd is a leading UK independent business management software specialist and IT solutions provider. Founded in 1999, Concentrix helps companies increase competitiveness, profitability and customer satisfaction by improving business processes, systems and IT.

Concentrix solutions are based on recognised, ‘best-of-breed’ software products. The company supplies a range of CRM software such as Microsoft CRM, FrontRange’s GoldMine and Sage SalesLogix, and was awarded Sage CRM reseller of the Year in 2009. Concentrix also provides leading ERP solutions including Microsoft Dynamics NAV and the popular business management suite Sage 200.

Concentrix is based in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire and has a regional office in Bristol and central London

News from Microsoft - Customer Service and Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Microsoft CRM is one of the stronger mid-market CRM solutions for customer service, including contact centres, case management and resource scheduling. Microsoft also has a range of accelerator programmes, which enhance the products functionality in specific industry areas and tasks even further.

The company is about to release (on April 30th) a specific Microsoft Dynamics CRM accelerator for Customer Service. Customer service, contact centres and call centres are a highly competitive area in the CRM sphere. The new Microsoft accelerator will be free of charge and will arguably make Microsoft Dynamics CRM the CRM software of choice for businesses and organisations with call-centres or strong customer service requirements.

Here's a copy of Microsoft's latest press release about this new accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM:

Dynamics CRM Named a Leader in Customer Service Contact Centers 2010 Magic Quadrant

REDMOND, Wash. April 15, 2010 — Microsoft Microsoft Corp. today announced that Microsoft Dynamics CRM has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant of the 2010 Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Service Contact Centers. In this research report, Gartner Inc. looks primarily at the first layer: CRM business applications for customer service interactions.

Microsoft today is also introducing the Customer Care Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The new accelerator helps customer care and contact center organizations provide a consistent customer service experience by combining data elements from disparate applications such as mainframes, databases or Web sites for display in a single user interface. The quick ease of access to information helps agents provide efficient service, which in turn helps improve overall customer satisfaction; and, as a corollary benefit can help to preserve or increase profit margins. The core business scenarios supported by the Customer Care Accelerator include the following:

Integrated desktop enables the aggregation of information from diverse business applications into an integrated agent desktop, providing users with a 360-degree view of customer interactions. Customer service representatives have fast access to business-critical information to serve customers quickly and efficiently, which helps increase satisfaction and loyalty.

Desktop automation workflows minimize human error and streamline business processes, eliminating the need for contact center agents to re-enter the same data in multiple applications and helping to ensure a consistent customer service experience.

Computer telephony integration (CTI) is simplified for supplying caller screen pop-up information to agents. CTI makes it possible for the telephony system to connect to the CRM business application and give agents detailed customer information to help them better serve their customer.

Activity reporting gives contact center managers the ability to quickly access agent desktop transaction reporting, identify process bottlenecks, streamline processes and automate routine tasks to improve overall call center efficiencies.

As with all CRM Accelerators, the Customer Care Accelerator is available at no additional cost to current Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers and partners. Accelerators can be deployed as packaged extensions to Microsoft Dynamics CRM or, in the case of the Customer Care Accelerator, can be used to help develop new solutions, enabling organizations to customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM to meet their specific business needs.

“Leaders demonstrate market-defining vision and the ability to execute against that vision through products, services, demonstrable sales figures, and solid new references for multiple geographies and vertical industries. Clients report that the vendors deliver a high level of value and return on their commitment. The development team has a clear vision of the implications of business rules, and the impact of social networking on customer service requirements,” writes Michael Maoz, vice president and distinguished analyst, Gartner Inc. “A characteristic of a leader is that clients look to the vendor for clues as to how to innovate in customer service. The vendor does not necessarily drive a customer toward vendor lock-in, but rather provides openness to an ecosystem. When asked, their clients reply that this product has affected the organization’s competitive position in their markets and helped lower costs. Leaders can demonstrate $50 million in sales to new customers during the past year.”¹

“Delivering a great customer experience is vital to building loyalty and business success,” said Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM at Microsoft. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM delivers a powerful, yet affordable customer service solution to help businesses get a deep understanding of their customers, deliver high satisfaction and use outstanding service to generate new sales opportunities.”

The Customer Care Accelerator will be available for download on April 30, 2010.

About the Gartner Magic Quadrant The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2010 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the “Leaders” quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of easy-to-use, integrated and adaptable ERP and CRM applications that enable business decision-makers to quickly respond to market shifts, take advantage of new trends, increase their competitive edge and drive business success. Microsoft Dynamics solutions are delivered through a world-class network of reselling partners providing specialized services and additional innovation to help customers excel in their industries.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. 1 Gartner Inc., Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Service Contact Centers, Michael Maoz, April 9, 2010.

For further information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM, accelerator programmes, Microsoft Dynamics NAV or any other of the products or services supplied by Concentrix, please contact us.

Congratulations Concentrix Allstars!

Yesterday Concentrix entered a team into the Charnwood 6- a side Football Tournament at the Loughborough College Campus.

The weather was perfect and the day got off to a great start as Concentrix won two out of three matches! This took the jubilant Concentrix team into a three way penalty shoot out.

The penalty shoot out was extremely close and Goalkeeper, Dan Hawkins made some fantastic saves! However, unfortunately, some of our strikers hadn’t quite got their eye in and missed a few shots. This meant we missed out on winning our group.

However, after another nail biting penalty shoot out, we came 5^th out of 16 teams, which is not a bad effort at all. Well Done!!

The squad included:

- John Gilding -  Hardware Administrator

- Matthew Yates – CRM Consultant

- Craig Taylor – ERP Consultant

- Steven Zambas – Microsoft Team Leader

- Stuart Henry – Support

- Chris Tipping – Account Developer

- Sukhdeep Gill -  CRM Consultant

- Daniel Hawkins – Senior Sage Developer

- Himanshu Patel - .NET Developer

Formed in 1999, Concentrix is an independent Business Solution specialist.  Concentrix  supplies best in breed CRM and ERP solutions including Sage CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, FrontRange’s GoldMine, Sage 200 and Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Concentrix helps companies increase competitiveness, profitability and customer satisfaction by improving business processes, systems and IT.

Concentrix is a UK Company with its head office in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Concentrix also has a regional office in Bristol and a satellite office in central London.

 

Sage CRM version 7

The latest version of Sage CRM (version 7), was released in the UK on 29th March 2010. This was a major release of the software and includes some significant changes, additions and improvements from the previous version (v6.2).

Sage CRM version 7 has some brand new, additional functionality and some really useful new features to improve the productivity of staff throughout your business. To quote the manufacturers “Sage CRM v7 will revolutionize how you manage your business and your employees manage their day”. And as mid-market CRM software goes, they’re on to something. Whether you’re new to Sage CRM or already use it, there’s a whole lot of new things to discover.

So what are the main things to note about this latest release of the software?

Firstly, it's a major update. The product has a brand new look and feel, a really nice new layout (with layout options), is more user customisable, includes interactive dashboards, provides powerful integration with Sage ERP and business management solutions such as Sage 200, and has some new administration features. And much more!

There are details of the new features of Sage CRM v7 now available on the Concentrix website. We have also updated the main description of the product, so you please take a look at our main Sage CRM page for a comprehensive overview of this leading customer relationship management tool. Plus we’ve also updated and added some new Sage CRM screenshots.

And here’s some great news for Concentrix customers. If you’re a Concentrix customer using Sage CRM, we will probably be able to upgrade you to version 7 for free (but please note this does depend on your level of support).

There are literally hundreds of features and functions available in Sage CRM version 7. If you need further information on these or any other business management software solutions, if you’re new to CRM or thinking about changing your CRM software, please contact Concentrix – as independent CRM specialists we’ll provide impartial advice on the right solution for your business.

Much More than Sales Force Automation: How to Use CRM Software to Improve your Sales Strategy

Sales force automation is a key function of all good CRM software. It streamlines the sales process, reduces the cost of sales and improves everyone’s time management. However, a good CRM system can also help provide some deep insights into your sales pipeline and prospects, and greatly improve your sales tactics, strategy and decision making.

Knowing what deals to spend your time on and which ones not to avoid is a quick, yet highly effective way, of getting more from your CRM software. In the quest for better sales performance, one of the hardest things is knowing when to walk away from a potential sale. Most serious commercial operators hate to walk away from anything (our MD at Concentrix has to be dragged away if he sniffs a deal!), but it is paramount.

Here are some tips and advice on how sales staff can get more from their CRM software, choose the right prospects and deals to aim for, and just as importantly, know when to walk away.

Wasting time chasing rainbows?...

There are some deals you're just not going to win. Realise this, accept it and get on with chasing business you can win. A key factor in Concentrix's success is our "referenceability" - our track record. From our CRM software we can segment our customers by their industry sector and check that we've got some "previous" in a prospect's area before committing resource to trying to win their business.

This is especially important if we're in a competitive tendering process (say OJEU) where it is unlikely you'll get to meet anyone without a lot of paperwork and short-listing. If you’ve not got the referencibility then it's not likely you'll make the shortlist. So is it worth the effort?

Whale hunting... (vs. run rate)

My boss calls me a "whale hunter" because I tend to focus on larger deals (I don't actually hunt, or condone the hunting of, whales). These larger deals are excellent for the business, but there are some downsides: they can take a long time to land; the cost of sale can be significant; they can be very complex; they are actually quite difficult to forecast.

Concentrix wouldn't be successful if we relied on me and my whales. We aslo need some "run rate" business: smaller projects which we can turn around quicker and grow our customer base. Using sales pipeline analysis and forecasting in a system such as Sage CRM we can identify if our sales opportunities aren't balanced and address this. Sometimes this means walking away from potentially big deals if the profile doesn't fit our business need. We are terribly discerning.

Lost opportunity cost...

CRM and lead management are fundamental functions of good CRM systems. But no matter how well you technically manage each lead or opportunity, make sure you also use CRM to focus on the right ones. For every deal that you chase that you’re not likely to win there’s a deal out there that you aren’t focussing on that will be more suited to you. Wouldn’t it be better to spend your time, effort and money finding and closing those deals?

Turkeys and Albatross...

Some projects are not going to be good for your business. A Turkey may be difficult to deliver and end up failing (who wants a failed project on their hands?); an Albatross may have a negative impact on your business and result in ongoing problems. It's best to identify these during the sales process and walk away (politely, of course). Effective profiling and sales risk analysis – which can be done using your CRM system - enables this.

At Concentrix our sales people work closely with the delivery team to help ensure that projects are successful - taking responsibility for what we sell and committing to our customers. This means we don't just win a deal, "throw it over the wall" and move on to the next deal. For me, this makes avoiding Turkeys and Albatross even more important!

Getting mugged...

On some deals, with some products or in some sectors you might always get "beat up" by one of your competitors. This can be frustrating and demoralising (we just won a deal with a new customer who are within brick throwing distance of one of our major Sage competitors - they can't be pleased!). So if you keep getting mugged, why not avoid those sorts of deals?

Focus your efforts; fight the battles you can win. Knowing how to use CRM for competitor analysis is a massive factor being successful, especially in challenging times. It surprises me how many businesses don't do it, but it's no surprise when they realise terrific benefits from using CRM to help to know when to walk away. This is something that Microsoft Dynamics CRM does particularly well.

Key areas in which CRM can help you decide whether to progress a deal further or walk away (even though I know you don't want to) include:

- Competitor analysis

- Referencibility/understanding market strength

- Cost of sale analysis

- Sales risk analysis

- Trend analysis and modelling

- Activity management

- Forecasting and pipeline analysis

As Kenny Rogers says: "You've got to know when to hold 'em; Know when to fold 'em; Know when to walk away; Know when to run..."

John Odell - CRM Consultant at Concentrix, independent CRM and business software specialists.

New CRM Knowledge Base article - An Overview of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and CRM software

If you're investigating, researching or generally looking into CRM software, we’ve added a new article to the Concentrix CRM knowledge base. The article, An Overview of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and CRM software  looks at how, over the past few years, CRM software has moved from being a ‘nice to have’ tool used by a few large organisations and PLC’s  to being a vital part of successful businesses of all sizes. 

The CRM knowledge base article covers:

 - CRM Software Applications

 - Why Use CRM Software?

 - CRM and ERP

 - Hosted or On-Premise CRM?

 - How to Get Started with CRM

 - Price and costs of a CRM system

 - The Future of CRM

Here’s a brief summary of each section:

CRM Software Applications – provides an overview of a selection of the main ‘best in breed’ mid-market CRM software applications. There are many available, including Sage CRM (version 7 of Sage CRM was released at the end of March 2010) and Microsoft’s flagship CRM application, Microsoft Dynamics CRM (which is arguably the current leading mid-market CRM application) and more long-standing applications such as FrontRange Solutions GoldMine and the web-base application SalesForce.

Why Use CRM Software? Which looks at how modern CRM systems improve communications, increase profitability and reduce operational costs by streamlining the way customer facing staff work, and what differentiates CRM from Contact Management. It also discusses many of the benefits of CRM  such as how, by effectively integrating marketing, sales, customer service and other functions, a good CRM system makes it easier for everyone inside your company to work together and share critical information.

CRM and ERP There are many benefits in integrating CRM and ERP systems, as doing so can streamline processes even further and enable better business intelligence. The article discusses some of the CRM modules which are provided with many accounts and ERP software applications, including the CRM modules in the ERP applications and Microsoft Dynamics NAV and the mid-market business management suite Sage 200.

Hosted or On-Premise CRM? Looks at the difference between the two options (hosted CRM is often referred to as ‘Software as a Service’, CRM ‘on-demand’ or ‘in the cloud’) and why you may choose one over the other.

How to Get Started with CRM is one of the most common queries we get at Concentrix, and knowing where to get started with a CRM project is often the most difficult hurdle to overcome. The easiest way is to contact an independent CRM specialist such as Concentrix, but the article also gives a number of tips and guidelines to help you right from the beginning of your CRM project. One of the most important points is that it's highly unlikely that you will achieve the CRM functionality you require, from any CRM software solution, straight 'out of the box'. For this you'll need an accredited or certified CRM software reseller (often referred to as a business partner). Always check your business partner’s references, for example by ensuring they can produce a variety of CRM case studies, can provide client testimonials and can arrange visits to customer sites. Also check the number of qualified staff they have working with them , how many projects they are working on and,  if you’re using Sage software, check that they’re an accredited Sage Business Partner. Similarly if you’re looking at a Microsoft product such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, ensure your prospective business partner is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner.

Price and costs of a CRM system are obviously one of the most important factors in choosing CRM software. The price of a CRM system depends on a wide variety of factors such as price of software licences, software maintenance, professional services and technical support. It varies between systems, how many CRM system users you have and how you need the software configured to do what you need it to do.  For more information on the price and costs of a CRM system, there’s a further article in the Concentrix CRM knowledge base called How much does a CRM system cost? 

The Future of CRM looks at how the scope of the use of CRM systems and CRM software has developed rapidly. This includes the advent of social networks and the term ‘Social CRM’, and phrases such as ‘xRM’ (where the ‘x’ stands for ‘Anything’, as in xRM or ‘Anything Relationship Management’.)

More information

CRM is being used in a variety of ways to deliver real benefits to businesses throughout the UK. So if you’re looking to gain a major competitive advantage, CRM should be part of your strategy. There are more articles available for free in the Concentrix CRM knowledge base, and for more information on CRM software and making CRM a successful part of your business strategy, please contact Concentrix.