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

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Continues to Receive Strong Ratings from Independent Analysts

So far this year, Microsoft Dynamics CRM has received a variety of accolades from independent research firms and analysts.

Back in April, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Dynamics CRM had been positioned in the Leaders quadrant of the 2010 Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Service Contact Centres by the independent research firm Gartner Inc. In this research report, Gartner Inc. looked primarily at CRM business applications for customer service interactions.

Earlier this week, (on 22nd June) Microsoft said that Microsoft Dynamics CRM had achieved recognition from another leading independent research firm, Forrester Research Inc. Forrester rated Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a Leader in The Forrester Wave^(TM): CRM Suites for Midsized, Q2 2010 (June 2010) and The Forrester Wave^(TM)_: CRM Suites for Large Organizations, Q2 2010 (June 2010) reports. According to Forrester, software vendors in these Leaders categoroies have both a strong product and a strong strategy.

The independent research reports support opinions and feedback from a number of Concentrix customers, as well as from our own technical, development and business consultancy staff that Microsoft Dynamics CRM is one of the strongest CRM software products on the market. It’s also not restricted to any particular vertical or size of organisation. On the Microsoft news centre, a statement from Microsoft about the research goes on to explain how, that for the mid-market, the Forrester Wave reports looked at the strengths and weaknesses of nineteen CRM software solutions. Forrester compared each one to over five hundred criteria, which they had chosen to reflect the needs of mid-market organizations. Similarly they also looked at eighteen CRM solutions for larger organizations, and again evaluated these against over five hundred criteria selected to reflect the requirements of businesses such as these.

Obviously this number of criteria means a pretty thorough evaluation of each CRM software product. They included, among other points, offering a multifunctional CRM application suite, a solution targeted to multiple industries, and a product now in general release and in wide use by customers.

Forrester found that large, as well as midsized organisations have many technology options they can consider. In Forrester's evaluation of multiple CRM solutions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM was one of the solutions to which the company gave high marks to for ease of use and relatively quick deployment times.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is available as a hosted or on-premise option, and Concentrix has deployed the product in a wide variety of small, medium and large organisations throughout the UK. A common theme we’re identifying, in small businesses in particular, and to a lesser extent medium sized organisations, is that they start off with hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM. They effectively use this as a trial and then, having established a CRM culture and proven the benefits of the product within their business, then choose to move to on-premise deployment.

However it’s deployed, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is one of the key products among the CRM solutions we offer. As independent CRM specialists, we’ll help you choose the right CRM software for your business – right for your business requirements, processes, your people and your budget.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM or any of the other CRM solutions provided by Concentrix, please contact us.

Sage 200 2010 Launch a great success!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Sage 200 2010 launch at the Hilton Hotel yesterday! The event was a great success with a record number of attendees, proving there is a great deal of interest in the latest release of Sage 200 2010.

Topics covered included:

Sage 200 2010 new features:

New Features/Wish List

» Analysis Codes

» Wish list items

» New Bill of Material Module

Accessibility

» Purchase Order Authorisation & Remote Alerts

» Sage 200 Mobile

Information Management

» BI Commercials

» New Report Designer

» Workspaces

Sage CRM V7

» Introduction to CRM

» How CRM can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your business

» The integration between Sage 200 and CRM and the benefits this delivers

» A demonstration of Sage CRM

Concentrix Customer Service Update

» New online survey to measure customer feedback

» Information about how the scores are calculated

» An update on how we are doing so far

 
 
The winner of the bottle of champagne was Louise Mason from East Midlands Business, Congratulations!!

If you require any additional information about any of the topics discussed, please contact us on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]

Latest Developments in Concentrix's IT Infrastructure Business

Since the company was founded in 1999, Concentrix has provided hundreds of organisations throughout the UK with highly successful CRM software solutions, as well as accounts and ERP systems. And for many of these clients, we’ve also provided supporting IT hardware to make sure they get the very best from their systems.

As well as hardware, Concentrix has also provided businesses with network security, data recovery, business continuity, virtualisation, software-as-a-service (SaaS), data recovery, back-up and storage, maintenance, and a wide range of other IT infrastructure and networking solutions. Over the past couple of years however, the IT Infrastructure side of our business has really started to take off in its own right.

Many UK companies still perceive IT as necessary evil rather than an enabler. But just like our CRM, accounts and ERP systems, Concentrix is ‘product agnostic’ and delivers IT infrastructure solutions that best fit our clients’ requirements and budget. Using the latest technology, high levels of technical knowledge and extensive experience, Concentrix will help you realise the true benefits of using IT to drive productivity and business growth.

As part of our strategy to increase our IT infrastructure provision, we've appointed a new senior member of staff: John Hurst. John brings with him 11 years of Enterprise IT Solutions experience, and has worked for some of the world’s largest IT solutions providers. Moving forward, John will be the driving force in ensuring that Concentrix not only continues to deliver quality IT infrastructure solutions to our clients, but builds on this success to make us the provider of choice in businesses throughout the UK.

John has vast knowledge of the IT sector and has dealt with many of the FT top 100 UK organisations. He’s already begun working with Concentrix clients to advise them on the best roadmap for their infrastructure solutions.

It’s a key objective within Concentrix to be a Trusted Advisor for IT infrastructure to all our clients, large and small. So, if you need help or advice on getting the very best from your current and future IT Infrastructure, or would like to book a free IT health check, please contact Concentrix.

Sage 200 2010 Launch – Bristol

Due to be released at the end of June, Sage 200 2010 is specifically designed for mid-market businesses and it packed with a wide range of new features which will make a real difference to the way your business operates.

As a result of the overwhelming interest we’ve received in our Sage 200 2010 Launch being held in Leicester next week, we have decided to host a similar event at our Bristol office. This is the first time we have been oversubscribed for any event in the last few years and a show there’s a great deal of interest in the new version of Sage 200.

Open to both existing customers and selected other companies, our Sage 200 2010 Launch event will give you the opportunity to:

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

- Talk directly to software experts from Sage and Concentrix

- Ask questions about any aspect of Sage 200

- Meet and network with other Sage users and Concentrix customers

Date: 13^th July 2010

Time : 10.00am – 12.00pm

Location: 130 Aztec West Bristol BS32 4UB

To register* or for more information, please contact us on 01509 410500 or email [email protected].

*Please note for free entry, parking and refreshments you need to register before 1^st July

Simplify Backup and Disaster Recovery

Concentrix is now supplying Acronis Backup and Recovery 10, a simple cost effective solution for managing backup and restore activities.

The software can be used with windows workstations, windows servers and advanced server SBS edition and has a number of key features including :

- Fast and easy recovery

- Entire system, single file or folder recovery

- Live disk snapshots with support for databases and server applications

- Graphical user interface

- Data de-duplication

- Policy-based management

- Monitoring

- High level security

Essentially Acronis Backup and Recovery 10 minimises downtime, increases user productivity and therefore the profitability of the organisation.

For more information about Acronis Backup and Disaster Recovery 10, please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]

Disaster Recovery for Microsoft Exchange

Emails have become an essential form of communication to ensure the success of an organisation. As a result, businesses often suffer severe losses when emails are down or when data is lost. In fact, alarmingly 93% of businesses which experience a data loss are out of business within 5 years of the event occurring.

Acronis Disaster Recovery for Microsoft Exchange uses a flexible, intuitive interface which means exchange administrators can back up the mail database ensuring users can always access their emails without the loss of productivity.

Acronis Disaster Recovery for Microsoft Exchange has the following key features:

- Easy administration

- A full range of recovery options

- High speed performance

- Guided disaster recovery

- Password protected archives

- Active restore

- Database and Brick level Backup

- Flexible storage options

- Centralised management

To find out more about Acronis Disaster Recovery for Microsoft Exchange, please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]

Sage 200 launch in Bristol

Due to popular demand and as a result of expansion into the South-West Concentrix is now also hosting a Sage 200 2010 launch event in Bristol.

Open to both existing Concentrix customers and selected non customers, the event will provide attendees with the opportunity to:

- See the latest features and developments in Sage 200 2010

- Talk directly to 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

So, if you’re looking for Sage software in Bristol, or the South-West , this could be well worth attending.

Event Title: Sage 200 2010 Launch

Date: Tuesday 13^th July

Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm (registration from 9.30am)

Venue: 130 Aztec West, Bristol, BS32 4UB

To register for the event or for more information please email [email protected], or call 01509 410500.

Please note for free parking registration and refreshments, you need to register before 1^st July 2010.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Integration

There’s been a lot of discussion about the new functions in the next release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision) due out later this year. The release is scheduled earlier than many people thought (the fourth quarter of 2010), and one of the most interesting developments is the new built-in integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

As CRM and ERP specialists that provide both products, integrating Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics NAV is something we’re particularly interested in at Concentrix. What’s more we are often asked about it by our customers and potential clients. In fact the relationship between the two products has actually caused some confusion in some of our clients before, and to clarify the functions for sales and marketing in Microsoft Dynamics NAV are not the same thing as Microsoft Dynamics CRM (despite them being in the same product family). Basically Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a specific application designed for CRM from the ground up, with a wide range of powerful CRM features, while Microsoft Dynamics NAV is an ERP application which has some CRM functionality.

Currently if a client asks us to integrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics NAV we will deploy a third-party application. The one we choose will depend on the precise business requirements of the customer, but as an example we may use one of the products by Scribe Software (Scribe software Ltd provides cost-effective data integration solutions for Microsoft Dynamics and other business applications).

We haven’t seen the technical details of how the built-in integration will work yet, but we’re sure it will bring a whole host of advantages to users of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM alike. It will provide many business process improvements, such as reducing duplicate data entry, increasing data accuracy and helping keep the information in both systems up to date. A significant benefit for sales staff is that they’ll be able to quickly access client and prospect information such as payment history, contracts, pricing, and product availability. What’s more, because it will no longer rely on a third party application, Microsoft will fully support the integration.

Another key feature of the built-in integration is that you’ll be able to integrate either on-premise Microsoft Dynamics CRM or hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM with Microsoft Dynamics NAV – (Concentrix offers both hosted and on-premise and the integration will work with both options). It will also allow you to migrate from hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM to on-premise (or the other way around) while keeping the integration with Microsoft Dynamics NAV. This is also a valuable benefit because historically we have had many customers begin their CRM journey with hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM and, once they’ve established that it works for them and decided they’ll make CRM a core part of their business strategy, will move to deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premise.

For more information about this topic, we recently posted a blog article which includes the original press release from Microsoft. 

There’s also more information on the news about Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration with Microsoft Dynamics NAV over at the crmsoftwareblog (along with lots of other interesting CRM related stuff!).

And of course if you’re looking for a Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Microsoft Dynamics CRM specialist in the UK, please contact Concentrix.

New functions in the next release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Here’s a recent press release from Microsoft about some of the new features and functions that will be available in the next release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, which is due in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Microsoft Unveils New Functionality for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 will deliver on software-plus-services vision and include CRM integration and online payment service.

PRAGUE — May 19, 2010 — As part of Microsoft Corp.’s commitment to providing leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to midrange organizations worldwide, the company today unveiled Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 at Directions EMEA 2010. Because of the investment in architecture for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, customers are able to take advantage of the benefits of the software-plus-services vision through the R2 release more quickly than scheduled, including built-in integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and online Payment Service. Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 customers will benefit from the following:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration.

Today’s fast-paced business environment demands instant access to customers and vendors. Microsoft is providing built-in integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Benefits of customer relationship management (CRM) integration include eliminating redundant data entries, keeping information up to date in both ERP and CRM solutions, and providing salespeople with the ability to quickly access detailed business information about contracts, pricing and product availability. Customers can choose between integration to on-premises Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with the option to migrate to either option over time.

Online Payment Service for Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

This enables customers to process payment transactions from the Microsoft Dynamics NAV interface across multiple channels, including e-commerce, point of sale and call center transactions. The Payment Service works with leading payment processing services and all major credit cards.

Role Tailored interface access for remote or roaming users.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 supports direct access from the Microsoft Dynamics RoleTailored experience over the Internet. This allows for remote or roaming users to take advantage of the richness and Microsoft Office integration of the RoleTailored interface and the many integration features connected to local resources, such as the operating system and Microsoft Office. This reduces the complexity and overhead compared with using other applications such as Citrix Systems and Terminal Services, especially for hosting partners offering cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics NAV deployments.

Microsoft Application Virtualization support.

The Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 RoleTailored interface can be deployed using Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) technology, which is relevant for both on-premise and hosted solutions. This provides a better experience for the end user as all integration with local applications is done on the desktop. It also cuts IT costs by centrally managing Microsoft Dynamics NAV client installations with automatic deployment to the desktop after an update.

Windows 7 user experience improvements.

Through Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2, jumplists can be used to open recently accessed customers and vendors for increased business productivity and efficiency, and the icon overlay functionality provides information on system events and status streamlined with the Windows 7 user experience.

Treemap visualization.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 showcases the possibilities around business data visualizations abilities in Microsoft Dynamics NAV through rich ad hoc data visualization. It provides treemap analysis that enables the comparison of any two values, for example sales and profits, which increases business productivity and business insight. The innovative client extensibility framework used allows partners to extend the user experience of Microsoft Dynamics NAV to integrate visualizations into any end-user scenario.

“We’re delivering this release in response to customer and partner feedback,” said Crispin Read, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics ERP at Microsoft. “Microsoft is committed to continuously bringing forth innovation in our ERP solutions, including the integration with cloud services. These latest enhancements to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 are an important step in delivering solutions that drive real business productivity.”

“The new features in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 improve our business opportunities and benefit our customers. The fact that Microsoft is able to deliver faster than planned reaffirms our decision to build our solutions on Microsoft Dynamics NAV,” said Christian Sega, managing director at agiles Informationssysteme GmbH, an industry solution provider and consulting company specializing in horizontal workflow solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010.

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.

Why Choose Concentrix?

When looking for a business partner it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the choice.  Each partner will give you varying information and will approach the process from different angles, so what makes Concentrix different?

Concentrix is an independent Business Solutions specialist. Formed in 1999, Concentrix provides best in breed CRM, ERP and IT Infrastructure solutions including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage CRM, Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Sage 200. What’s more, we take a product agnostic approach to supplying the software, this ensures you get a solution which specifically matches the needs of your organisation.

However, this isn’t the only reason to go with Concentrix; organisations choose to work with us for a wide variety of reasons. So, if you’re wondering “Why Choose Concentrix?” we’ve added some of the reasons given to us over the years to our website.

For more information please contact us on 01509 410500 or email [email protected]