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

Concentrix TSG to attend iT Showcase in Leeds in May 2011

On Tuesday 10^th May 2011, Concentrix TSG are exhibiting at the iT Showcase in Leeds.

If you are looking for business management software, the most effective way to find out what's right for you is to talk to people who not only understand your business issues, but also provide the right solutions to solve them!

Which is why the iT Showcase is a good place to start.

The showcase will allow you to chat with the best solution providers, and also network with other IT professionals in your region. Our stand will be welcoming all to come and have an informal chat with our experienced consultants.

Here at Concentrix we specialise in CRM and ERP software, including Sage, Microsoft and Goldmine, which can be tailored to your individual business needs.

So be sure to look out for us on the day. And what’s better, to attend the iT Showcase Live exhibition won’t cost you a penny!

The showcase is being held at the Centenary Pavillion in Leeds and doors open at 10am until 2pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

Concentrix TSG holds another successful business software seminar for partners

On Tuesday 19th April 2011 Concentrix TSG held a business software seminar for members of our Professional Partnership Programme. A good number of people showed up to attend and the event was a huge success!

Our Sage 200 and Microsoft SharePoint specialists did a great job presenting, as did our Managed Services Account Manager and Sales Manager. Business Development Manager from Sage, Lisa Warburton, was also at our head office to update everyone on the latest news from Sage.

Here at Concentrix TSG we take a partnership approach towards businesses that offer products and services that complement those provided by us. Membership of our Professional Partnership Programme is free and it gives partners a wide range of benefits to help their businesses, their customers and their clients.

Topics that were covered in the seminar included:

- Sage 200 – Our Business Intelligence Consultant Andrew Siddles gave us an overview of the key differences between Sage 50 and Sage 200.

- Microsoft SharePoint – James showed us what can be gained from using SharePoint, it’s so simple! 

- Cloud Computing – Richard Bates, one of our Managed IT Services Account Managers, delved into the growing craze of the ‘Cloud’ and our new Intuition Managed IT Services. All of these products and services, including SharePoint and BizNetix; the ‘instant’ intranet built on SharePoint and Intuition Managed IT Services - are provided by Concentrix TSG.

Microsoft SharePoint specialist James Nightingale said “The morning was great, and it allowed our partners to see what other software is available to help benefit not only their own business, but their client’s also”.

The feedback from all attendees was very positive and we are already thinking of what topics to include in the next seminar, a few of which look to include Microsoft Dynamics CRM and our new ‘Cloud’ services team. Microsoft Dynamics NAV is also a popular topic, which is no surprise as it is Microsoft’s leading ERP and business management solution.

Do you have any topic ideas that you would like to be discussed? If you are interested in our Professional Partnership Programme, seminars or our products please feel free to contact us.

He did it! Concentrix TSG's Roger Peacock Successfully Completes the London Marathon (and raises well over £7000!)

Here’s a message from Concentrix TSG Sales Director, Roger Peacock, after he successfully finished the London Marathon on Sunday.

“I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone for your sponsorship and support over the months in my fundraising for Rainbows Hospice. The 17th of April finally arrived and all my training came to fruition at the start of the 31st London Marathon. Nervous anxiety turned to youthful excitement and the pace went well for the first 12 miles or so, after that it was pretty much agony all the way!!!

The day was extremely hot with temperatures in excess of 20°c and this definitely took its toll, with runners dropping every few miles. Having reached the Embankment and the 25 mile marker, signs started to count down to the finish and finally Buck House was in view, with only one corner left and a ‘sprint’ to the finish.

I finally finished with a time of 4hrs and 39 minutes. A little longer than I would have liked, but at least I’m still walking, didn’t hit ‘the wall’ and can now tick that little challenge off the list. Having completed the run I cursed and vowed absolutely never again; however the demons may well have caught up with me and I’m now thinking about the next one – so watch this space.

As for the fundraising side of things, I am delighted to announce that overall we have raised in excess of £7,000 + Gift Aid for Rainbows. This is a fantastic amount that will make a real impact to their work and the lives of the children and families they support. The website http://www.justgiving.com/roger-peacock/  is still open and I’ve added a couple of pics if anyone wants to see how we’ve done or add their congratulations after the event.

So once again thank you for all your overwhelming support, it’s been truly motivational and there is no way I couldn’t have sustained all the winter training without everyone’s backing. Many thanks to everyone

Roger

A message to Concentrix customers: Concentrix Limited acquired by Technology Services Group

We’re pleased to announce that Concentrix Limited has been acquired by Technology Services Group (TSG) as part of its on-going strategy to provide a “one stop” local IT service to businesses across the UK. This acquisition is a key step in the growth of TSG and Concentrix have been chosen as a perfect fit for TSG due to our skills and expertise in the mix of business software products that we provide and support.

To give you some background on TSG, they are one of the UK’s leading IT companies and support thousands of customers throughout the UK from Aberdeen to Southampton. They offer a wide range of IT services and products including a comprehensive choice of business software solutions and on-site/ remote support services, network solutions, telecoms, cloud computing and virtualisation technology, all specifically developed for small to medium sized businesses. They can also assist larger organisations through their specialist division, TSG Enterprise Solutions offering services such as unified communications, VoIP, cabling, wireless systems and much more.

We would like to reassure all our customers that these developments will not cause you to experience any changes to the services you receive today. Ian Dawkins will be continuing his role as Managing Director of Concentrix TSG, ably assisted by the existing Concentrix management team and you will continue to deal with the same personnel as you do at present.

Our immediate priority is to ensure that service levels are maintained and that all of our customers are happy.

Your existing account manager will be in touch to answer any questions that you may have. We look forward to continuing to work with you and your business. For more information please see the press release about the acquisition of Concentrix by TSG, or if you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact Concentrix.

Concentrix customers will not experience any changes to the services they presently receive. All Concentrix staff will be remaining with the business and you will continue to deal with the same personnel as you do at present.

New Range of Cloud-Based Managed IT Services from Concentrix

Cloud computing is being adopted as a new way of working for an increasing number of businesses. CRM software in the cloud, for example, is really taking off in the UK and is proving to be the right strategic decision for many organisations.

As well as CRM and other business management software and applications, it’s also possible to run, manage and support your IT infrastructure from the cloud. These remote services typically include IT security, system and data back-up, disaster recovery, proactive maintenance and intervention, network monitoring, website hosting and email hosting, management, archiving and protection.

This week, Concentrix launched a new range of managed IT services. We call these services our Intuition range.

Concentrix Intuition Managed IT Services are run by our team of IT experts at our head office in Loughborough. Through Intuition we aim to provide you with better IT infrastructure, reduced downtime and disruptions and better service at much lower costs than employing full-time or even part-time IT professionals.

Concentrix Intuition Managed IT Services are an efficient, low cost and easy way to ensure the smooth running of your IT systems. Intuition enables you to effectively outsource as much or as little of your IT management as you want, to a UK based company. The broad range of services we provide remotely would cost you much, much more to run in-house using trained IT staff. That’s why we do it.

What Managed IT Services Does Intuition Provide?

Currently Concentrix Intuition Managed IT Services include:

• Remote IT Management and Monitoring

• Managed IT Support

• Web Protection

• Email management and Protection

• Remote Email Archiving

We hope to extend the range of services we provide in the future. And if there’s a service we don’t provide that you would like us to, please get in touch.

So What are the Benefits of Concentrix Intuition Managed IT Services?

In summary, Concentrix Intuition Managed IT Services will reduce your IT costs, help you manage your IT more effectively, increase your business productivity, reduce problems and fix those that do arise more quickly. Intuition provides you with a fully maintained and up to date system, and access to a team of IT experts.

To find out more about Concentrix Intuition, please visit the Managed IT Services and Infrastructure section of our website, or contact Concentrix.

The Real Reasons UK Businesses are Moving to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the cloud-based version of this leading CRM solution, is rapidly establishing itself as a key player in the cloud CRM market. Considering it was only released in January, here at Concentrix we’re seeing a high level of interest in the product from new and existing clients alike. We already have a number of new clients that signed up for the thirty-day free trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and thought the product was great. They've now incorporated the software into their business strategy and have it actively up, running and delivering productivity and efficiency gains for them.

Cloud-based CRM software is a great choice for businesses that have limited in-house IT resources or don’t want to manage their own hardware and IT infrastructure. There’s usually little or no financial outlay for new computers or equipment, and you just pay a monthly fee per user. In this way you make your CRM system an operational cost rather than capital expenditure.

Once businesses have decided to go down the cloud CRM route, they’re choosing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online because it’s easy to use, it has a familiar look and feel, it’s quick to get up and running and you don’t need to be a technical expert to understand it. It’s also possible to migrate from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to the on-premise version of the product Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. The features and functions of the online and on-premise versions of the product are almost identical, and the ability to migrate between the two deployment options is probably unique in the world of CRM software.

As well as its great features, functionality and flexibility, the price of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and some of the current offers around it are key reasons behind its rapid up take among UK organisations.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is available in the UK for just £22.75 per user per month. That price compares extremely favourably with other cloud-based CRM software applications. In June 2011, the price will increase, but not by much (it will still be less than £30 per user per month). The introductory pricing, combined with its power and ease of use, has been enough to convince many companies that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is the right choice for their business.

In addition to the competitive pricing, back in December 2010 Microsoft published an open letter from Michael Park, the company’s corporate vice president of sales, marketing and operations for Microsoft Business Solutions. In this letter Microsoft announced its “Cloud CRM for Less” offer for Salesforce.com and Oracle customers. This offer is still running. So, for organisations with a minimum of 15 users (and that meet some other basic criteria), Microsoft will give you cash back for each user that makes the switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online between now and June 30, 2011. It’s not a small amount of cash either; it’s £134 per user. So, for example, if you switch 30 seats, you get over £4000 back. And you can spend that money on anything you like (there are no restrictions).

Here’s some more news to help get you started with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. If your company is a small business, Microsoft recently announced it’s offering the free trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online extended to 90 days from the usual 30 days. The aim is to help small businesses develop and manage their customer relationships and sales pipeline. This extension of the 30-day trial is worth £370, and part of Microsoft’s initiative to help StartUp Britain. StartUp Britain has been set up by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs to help enterprises in the UK, and has the full support of the current UK Prime Minister and HM Government.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online or On-premise, and the full range of services available from Concentrix, please visit www.concentrix.co.uk or contact us.