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

Concentrix launches a SharePoint based Intranet Solution

Concentrix has launched BizNetix, the SharePoint based intranet solution.

Over recent months the business environment has become extremely competitive and as a result organisations are increasingly having to go further to secure a sale. This has lead to businesses becoming more flexible in how their staff work, with some working from home and others being out of the office on appointments for a number of days if not weeks. Although having a dispersed workforce can help to deliver results in terms of  generating awareness, it can be extremely difficult to manage. This is where SharePoint can help. SharePoint can enable organisations to communicate more effectively, manage documents , produce reports and make more informed business decisions. The problem is that not many people use it!

Asked about why people don’t use SharePoint, James Nightingale – SharePoint and BizNetix specialist at Concentrix said, “ Although they don’t realise it, many people actually have a SharePoint license – any business which has purchased a server after 2003 is likely to have a SharePoint license for free. So, one of the key factors is a lack of knowledge that they actually have a license. However, another factor and perhaps the more likely of the two is the fact that SharePoint is such a vast solution, providing functionality over so many different areas that people are scared off by the complexity of it as they don’t know where to start and this is where Concentrix can help.”

Concentrix is an Independent Business Software specialist and provides best in breed solutions. Our team have the accreditations and expertise to be able to see where SharePoint would be beneficial, where it would add real benefits and where a different solution will do the job better. Concentrix have realised that for many businesses SharePoint will add real benefits and for this reason have made it easier to get started with the solution by creating BizNetix – the SharePoint based intranet. Although intranets have traditionally been associated with larger organisations, the can deliver benefits to organisations of all sizes  by providing a critical source of communication. Essentially BizNetix gives you an intranet and an  introduction to some of the features, functions and possibilities of SharePoint, with low financial outlay. What’s more,  it only takes a few days to get up and running!

Nightingale continues, “BizNetix really will deliver a number of benefits to all areas of a business, because among other thing, it provides a familiar and consistent user experience, facilitates easier  communication within the organisation and enables you to securely share business information.”

For more information about BizNetix or SharePoint solutions, contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]

What is a Microsoft Partner of Record?

Here’s a question recently asked by a client to one of our Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online consultants: “What is a Partner of Record?”

You may come across the phrase if dealing direct with Microsoft, for example enquiring about a product or filling in a form for a software trial. If you request a free trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online from a Microsoft website, you will almost certainly be asked for your Partner of Record.

So what is it?

Quite simply, Partner of Record usually refers to your Microsoft business partner: the company that supplied and implemented your Microsoft software and services. They will usually be a Microsoft Certified Business Partner (there are various levels and types of these), specialising in the application or area you’re working in. For example, Concentrix is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specialising in CRM and ERP solutions, and has achieved both Gold and Silver status in Customer Relationship Management (plus other competencies).

Concentrix recommends working with an accredited or certified business partner as they will be able to work closely with you on your project and provide a wide range of professional services in addition to the services you receive from Microsoft. These include advice, training, technical and application development, configurations and customisation, support and much more.

Working with a Microsoft Business Partner significantly increases the chances of your project being successful and delivering ROI in the shortest time. For ERP or CRM software projects in particular, we strongly advise against trying to deploy the products without working with a qualified, experienced business partner (in fact you may not be able to purchase licences unless you do).

It’s important to note that working with a Microsoft partner or specifying a partner of record does not change the fees you pay to Microsoft. Also it doesn’t change or limit the support you receive from Microsoft. If your business partner supplies additional services, they will of course be able to quote for these.

If you’re unsure who your partner of record is, and you’ve asked around within your own organisation, you could try contacting Microsoft direct and they may already have your partner of record listed. If you haven’t worked with Microsoft Business Partner before, a good way to find one locally or with the relevant specialism you need is to search the Microsoft PinPoint site. A search on Google or Bing will also usually deliver the results you need.

If you have been working with, or previously worked with a particular business and want to continue working with them, it is important to state them as your partner of record when interacting with Microsoft; otherwise they may assign another partner to you.

Concentrix is an independent UK CRM specialist. For further information about the software and solutions we offer, please contact Concentrix.

End of Mainstream support for Sage Line 100

Sage has announced that their accounting solution Sage Line 100 will reach its 'End of Mainstream Support' on 30th September 2012.

Sage currently offers full Mainstream Support for Sage Line 100, via SALP or Sagecover, which includes legislative software updates for customers. However, from 30th September 2012, the type of support offered will change. Effective from this date, Sage will move into a phase of Extended Support meaning whilst Sage will still provide technical support, enable strings and the facility for existing customers to add users or modules to their system, they’ll stop producing software updates related to Sage Line 100 and will no longer guarantee that Sage Line 100 will be legislatively compliant.

The table below shows the summary of changes that Sage will be introducing:

	Mainstream Support to 30th September 2012	Extended Support from October 2012
Product available for sale (additional users/modules only, no new site licences)	Yes	Yes
Enable strings (Provided to your Sage Business Partner)	Yes	Yes
Legislative Updates ( provided by Sage to maintain legal/fiscal compliance	Yes	No
Hot fixes/Bug fixes/Patches/Service packs (provided by Sage for recognised defects)	Yes	No
Wish list/defect log ( open for the registration of defects	Yes	No

 

For more information about support for Sage Line 100, or alternative Accounting and ERP software such as Sage 200 or Microsoft Dynamics NAV, please contact Concentrix.

Urgent Technical Update - GoldMine 6.7 Corporate Edition

Users of GoldMine 6.7 Corporate Edition are likely to now see the following type of pop-up message when logging into the application:

The application believes that there is a problem with the date setting, however, this is not the case.  Users who receive the prompt should click No and continue normal use of GoldMine.  This message will appear at each log in attempt.

 We understand some of the frustration this will cause users and have been in discussions with FrontRange Solutions about the problem.  They have confirmed to us that synchronisation is not affected by this issue; the problem is with their development team to understand the cause and they will relay any necessary outcome to us in due course.  It should be noted, however, that GoldMine 6.7 Corporate Edition is no longer supported by FrontRange Solutions due to the age of the product, and subsequent later versions now available.  Concentrix shall, of course, advise any further information to you about the issue.

If you would like to discuss the possibility of moving to a supported version of GoldMine, please contact Concentrix support on 01509 410555 or email [email protected].