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

Sage CRM v6.1 System Requirements

The system requirements for Sage CRM v 6.1 (the latest version of Sage CRM) are now on the Concentrix website here (as a pdf document). More information about Sage CRM 6.1 is in a previous post here.

SalesLogix version 7.2 - the latest update of Sage SalesLogix

Sage SalesLogix is one of the UK’s most popular CRM systems. Worldwide, according to Sage, SalesLogix is used by over 300 000 users in 8500 companies.

Sage SalesLogix is particularly suitable for organisations that have highly differentiated customer experiences, and is used throughout a wide variety of market segments. One of the key reasons for this is that SalesLogix offers straightforward customisation to suit the needs of different companies, different business processes and different workflows. It is also one of the most advanced CRM programmes for using via the web or accessing from mobile devices, and is compatible with all the common Office applications.

Sage released the latest version of SalesLogix (SalesLogix version 7.2) in June 2007. Sage SalesLogix 7.2 provides a variety of innovative features to help run businesses. As well as providing a highly functional stand-alone CRM system, SalesLogix 7.2 offers flexible integration options. These add to its ability to be adapted to suit the needs of individual companies.

The Sage SalesLogix 7.2 update offered the following new or improved features:

• A new Web Client and extended Mobile solutions. These enable true platform flexibility, with increased functionality and ease of use.
• An enhanced user interface which delivers a Windows-like experience on the Web.
• Straightforward integration with your existing IT infrastructure and applications.
• SalesLogix now reduces your administration costs through one-click deployment to multiple servers.
• Codeless customisation tools that enable rapid development of common customisations.
• A single development environment for Web and Mobile customisations.
• An expanded Mobile solution which supports Microsoft Windows Mobile for Smartphone devices.

Concentrix has found there has been significant and renewed interest in Sage SalesLogix since this latest update as offers a competitive, established and future-proof CRM solution.

More information about SalesLogix version 7.2, including a full product description, brochure and datasheets are available from the SalesLogix section of the Concentrix website.

Integrating Email Marketing and CRM Applications

Do you use the email marketing capabilities of your CRM software?

Every business needs to communicate with its customers, suppliers and prospects. Email has many obvious benefits, but in this world where a few spammers have given email marketing a dubious reputation, it’s important to get it right. Knowing who you are targeting, and targeting the right people is essential. The closer you can match a message to the preference of your target audience in terms of its content and delivery mechanism, the higher the probability of its success.

Many Concentrix customers use the marketing function within their CRM system to send out email campaigns. However, for our customers that need a really powerful email marketing tool we recommend Communigator’s email marketing software.

Communigator’s email marketing software integrates with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in order to provide effective and successful email marketing campaigns. It works with popular CRM solutions such as Sage CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and FrontRange GoldMine.

Some of the benefits of using an email marketing application which integrates with your CRM system are:

-          Provides clear campaign analysis which shows open and click-through rates

-          Enables you to manage your bounce backs and keep your data up-to-date

-          Manages unsubscribes and updates the contact record in CRM

-          Allows creation of predetermined campaigns collating an audience at a specified time or triggered event (i.e. every Tuesday morning)

-          Enables creation of both HTML and text email (Two part MIME) for greater delivery rates and to avoid SPAM filters

-          Allows you to see the likelihood of emails being rejected by SPAM filters, due to unsuitable choice of words or content

-          Provides ability to personalise through fields from your CRM system to increase open rates

If you use email campaigns as a significant part of your marketing, integrating Communigator’s email marketing software with your CRM system should be a consideration. The in-depth analysis can be a real eye-opener, especially when you watch a campaign run. Monitoring the statistics, finding out what message titles work, comparing campaign opening rates and responses can be an education in itself, and the success rates of your campaigns can improve dramatically.

Business process and business performance in the modern workplace – white papers on the Concentrix website.

We’ve put four more whitepapers in the downloads section of the Concentrix website. Published by Microsoft, the whitepapers discuss business performance and business processes in the modern workplace and are directly relevant to companies in the UK. Although developed on behalf of Microsoft, they contain some useful information and make interesting reading whatever business solution or software you use.

Here are extracts from each of the whitepapers (to access full versions please see the note at the end of this post):

The New World of Work - Evolution of the UK Workforce

Extract:

"Britain has always been at the forefront of economic change. First, it was the agricultural revolution, then the industrial boom of the 19th century. Now the world is changing radically again, and it is critical that UK's businesses, public institutions and people meet that change creatively.”

“Today’s workplace is all about the network – not just in a technology sense (although that is crucial, too), but in the context of people and organisations. The technology gives us the power to connect with each other wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, at any time of the day or night. It has fundamentally changed our ability to access and use information. But without considering the effects of this change holistically – and analysing how they interact with society – we are likely to get the management of change fundamentally wrong.”

Drive Business Processes: “Achieving the Last Mile of Business Productivity”

Extract:

Since the mid-1990s, businesses, governments and other large organizations have poured billions into implementing ERP, supply chain and CRM systems to help them “re-engineer” work processes, eliminate inefficiencies, increase productivity and drive business change. These efforts have met with varying degrees of success. 

Clearly, many of the promises to dramatically increase business success, rapidly, profitably, efficiently and with minimal negative impact on the business have proven overly optimistic for many, and flatout fantasy for some.

Why is this? Why has the diligent effort of so many resulted so often in such marginal underperformance? Are there intrinsic weaknesses in the approach we’ve taken? Are there important components of business process management our current approach fails to address? And, most importantly, is there another way of looking at business processes that retains the positive aspects of large-scale system change, while minimizing its weaknesses and addressing unmet objectives?

Drive Business Performance: “Inside your company is a powerful force”

Extract:
 Today, executives must define business strategy in an extremely challenging marketplace. The company must implement the strategy through plans and budgets that guide the activities of individual business units.

However, without the proper tools, strategy implementations can be very challenging.

Implementations fail for several reasons, including lack of focus on common goals by enterprise units, inefficient decision-making processes and lack of alignment between business-unit objectives and the corporate strategy.

An effective performance management programme helps achieve corporate strategies by breaking down high-level goals into objectives that drive the actions of employees at all levels of the organisation. When individual employees can measure their performance against objectives, it becomes easier to achieve

strategic goals.

Effective performance management ensures alignment with overall enterprise business goals by driving empowerment, accountability, focus and resolve from the executive team down to managers and information workers across the company.

The Next Wave of Innovation in Manufacturing: Insights from the New World of Work

Extract:
Globalization, connectivity, regulation and demographics are the trends shaping the landscape for manufacturers over the next 10 to 15 years. In this “new world of work,” the ability to create, share and act on information can help manufacturers compete more effectively and operate more efficiently amid rapid change and relentless pricing pressure.

People are the critical factor. Only people have the agility and resilience to identify and act on new information quickly to meet challenges or capitalize on new opportunities.

By surrounding people with powerful tools and a culture of learning, manufacturers can bring innovative new products to market more quickly and mobilize a network of suppliers in deeper, more collaborative relationships.

Empowered people can drive operational excellence by constantly improving products, streamlining practices and sharing knowledge. And they can work responsively with customers to build high-value relationships to drive business growth. Microsoft uniquely delivers software and solutions that empower people to take their manufacturing business further.

Accessing the whitepapers

If you want the full versions of these whitepapers, registered users can log-in, go to the downloads section of the Concentrix website and access them straight away. If you’re not registered, you can register here (it’s free, and once you’re registered you’ll be able to access lots more information in the Downloads section as well).

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (Titan) Release

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (code named ‘Titan’ during development) is the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM software, due for release in the UK in January 2008. Because Concentrix is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specialising in Business Solutions, staff have been able to see demonstrations of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, evaluate the product and receive comprehensive briefings and training, prior to the official release of the software.

As independent CRM specialists, staff at Concentrix have been keen to take a look at this new product in the CRM market. We know that Microsoft has invested a significant amount of resources (even by their standards) into this software, so expectations have been high. Also, the differences between previous releases of Microsoft CRM software, for example, between Microsoft Dynamics CRM 1.2 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 (there wasn’t a version 2!) were major. 

A number of Concentrix staff visited Microsoft in late October to see the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. So what did they think?

The opinion of our Dynamics CRM technical experts were, in a nutshell, that Microsoft Dynamics v4.0 is “mind-blowing” – more than just added features, fixes and changes. They consider it extremely well thought out, well developed and programmed, exceptionally well designed and with high levels of functionality. Concentrix sales engineers who saw the product were equally enthusiastic about the new version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, albeit coming from a different angle. To put this in perspective, they considered Microsoft Dynamics CRM versions 1.x as, well, mediocre – other CRM products on the market were way ahead at the time. Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 3.0 is a good product: much better than its predecessors. However, Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 4.0 has taken a massive step forward and will be a highly competitive product in the CRM market.

So what’s new in Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 4.0? The staff that saw the product came back from Microsoft with long lists of features written in their notes. Rather than list them all, here are some of the features that stood out. It is by no means a list of all the new features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, just some of the key ones, (in no particular order and taken more or less straight from staff notes):

§   No need to VPN –when using Dynamics CRM 4.0 it works as if you are in the office

§   Can synchronise all activity types to Outlook

§   Multi-track

§   Auto completes on drop-downs

§   Multi-currency (base currency and alternative currencies)

§   Web access to mail merge

§   Easy data export (choose fields) with reimport (very useful)

§   Device CALs (Client Access Licences)

§   Multi tenancy

§   Uses Windows Workflow Foundation (a very powerful workflow tool to map and automate business processes)

§   Reporting wizard, with scheduling, plus filtered views available offline)

§   Wizard-based imports

§   Better automation of email campaigns

§   Improved dynamic links with Excel

§   Smart stages can be added to any entity

§   Cross-entity views

§   Office client diagnostics (“Fix” button)

§   Scales up extremely well (better than Dynamics CRM v3.0)

§   Template store

§   Multi domain support

We’ll be able to demonstrate the product shortly, so to book a demonstration of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, for further information about the product or to discuss it, please contact Concentrix.

Note Concentrix is still offering free trials of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0, and aims to offer similar free trials of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 soon after it is released.

QuoteWerks Training at Concentrix Training Facilities

During November 2007, Link47, a leading distributor of CRM add-on applications, is running Quotewerks training at Concentrix Training Facilities in Mountsorrel, Loughborough.

QuoteWerks helps you create detailed quotes quickly and efficiently. It saves you time and money when quoting, selling, and ordering products and services.

QuoteWerks integrates seamlessly with FrontRange GoldMine, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Outlook, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and many other programmes, eliminating the need to re-type customer information. It also has its own built-in database.

The QuoteWerks Training includes introductory and advanced levels.

More information about QuoteWerks.   

More information about QuoteWerks Training.

Concentrix is now a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner!

Microsoft has awarded Concentrix Gold Certified Partner status. The Gold level of certification represents the highest level of competence and expertise with Microsoft technologies.

Each Gold Partner has a Microsoft Competency to help differentiate partner capabilities. Our Microsoft Competency is Business Solutions, specialising in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and related technologies. However, Concentrix achieved Gold Certified Partner status by demonstrating proficiency in a variety of areas. As well as high levels of skills and technical expertise, the award took into account customer satisfaction. A professional market research agency independently audited a cross-section of our customers on behalf of Microsoft. The feedback was excellent and it was great to find that a high percentage of our customers think we do an good job.

Of the three levels of partnership, Gold Certification is the highest. What’s more, Gold Certified Partners have the closest working relationship with Microsoft.

Gold Certification means that Concentrix has actively demonstrated, over time, that we have the dedication, business knowledge and technical ability improve businesses. We also have access to resources and support direct from Microsoft which is only available to Gold Certified Partners.

It’s taken us about seven months to achieve Gold Partner status from Certified Partner status. We gained Microsoft Certified Partner status in March 2007 and were awarded Gold Certified Partner status in October 2007.

For more information about our Gold Partner status, we've issued a press release here.

Top Ten Tips for Email Marketing

Email Marketing is a cost-effective, fast and easy-to-use marketing tool. However, email marketing really comes into its own when used within a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) environment.

Modern CRM software enables high levels of automation within email campaigns, plus detailed segmentation, targeting, tracking, response mechanisms, schedules and full coordination with other marketing activities. There are also email-marketing tools that integrate with CRM systems to enhance your email marketing even further. Carefully planning an email campaign using one of these applications and a CRM system can dramatically increase open rates, click-throughs and ultimately sales when compared to generally targeted email bursts.

Whether you use a CRM system, a specialist email-marketing tool, or send out emails using your usual email programme, we hope you’ll find these top ten tips for email marketing useful.

                                                                                                      

1)  Preview Pane

Did you know that 80% of your emails are viewed and often actioned in the preview pane? This is why it’s extremely important to consider how it will look in preview pane when creating your email. The average measurement for this area is 300 pixels, so make sure you use it wisely! Use meaningful text which informs the reader what the email is about and insert a call to action. Using a large image at the top of your emails will often mean that the recipient of your email will just see a large white box with a red cross in it, which isn’t likely to get their attention just deleted. This tip is especially important if you market business-to-consumer as Hotmail Live now automatically show the preview pane in someone’s inbox.

2) Personalisation

Emails get better response if you personalise them. And the more you personalise them the better (dear “Firstname” is ok, but there’s a lot more you can do). You can personalise emails through subject lines, offers, articles, products showcased and follow-up emails based on recipient activity. Make the reader feel as though you really know them and you’re not just sending them a standard email which has gone to your whole contact list. People only want to receive information that is relevant and of interest to them. Using your CRM system to record people’s preferences and interests can help significantly with this. Once you have this information your CRM system can also be used to segment and target the data with high precision. And sending relevant emails to the right target audience reduces unsubscribes and increases conversion rates.

3) Increase Deliverability

To increase deliverability you need to make sure that you have a Reverse DNS entry setup so that recipients can see where your email has come from (for more information about Reverse DNS entry setup see one of your technical team). A key objective to email marketing is to avoid SPAM filters and to not get Black Listed. There are various definitions of SPAM, but most people consider SPAM to be an email from an unknown sender. A way in which to overcome this is by requesting the recipient to add your email address to their contact list which will prevent your email being seen as SPAM. Also words such as, ‘free’, ‘click here’ and ‘obligation’ trigger SPAM filters so it’s worth researching SPAM filter scoring systems.

4) Subject Line

The subject line is the first piece of text that the recipient will read, and people focus mainly on the first two words of the subject line. So keep it short, relevant and straight to the point. And remember, personalisation is also very powerful in the subject line and will increase opening rates.

5) From Field

Ensure that the From Field is someone your target is familiar with. For example, if your customers are assigned to an Account Manager, use their name as they will be more likely to open the email as it’s coming from someone they know. Always maintain the same From Field to keep your emails consistent. NEVER try to disguise or conceal your identity as a sender.

6) Layout

Various eye tracking studies, which measure the activity and the areas of emails that people’s eyes are drawn to, have been undertaken to help develop effective layouts. For example, recipients read headings and not always the article. Therefore, make the heading the click through. This also works as the reader’s hand and mouse tends to follow where the eyes are most drawn to. Eye tracking also shows that readers are more likely to scan down the left-hand side of the email first so this would be an ideal place to put important links or headings. Large fonts and the use of bold text also work well to catch the reader’s attention.

7) Check, test, re-test and check again!

It is very important that you test your email before you send it out or it could be a recipe for disaster! Content needs to be checked, layout needs to look right and all links and images need to work. Check using different email clients as they may display your email differently. Things move and change rapidly in email marketing, therefore you need to find out what works best. For example, you could send a test email to see what subject line gets the most open rates or what links get clicked the most. A rating could be included on your emails so that you can see what recipients think about your content. Again, CRM systems and email marketing tools can really help with this.

8) Use HTML and Text

If you can, use an email marketing tool to deliver your messages as a two part MIME message. This means that if the HTML is blocked, the text format will be delivered in its place. This increases deliverability and means that your email is more likely to get through SPAM filters. 

9) Who you are and Opt-Out

In every email that you send out you MUST give the reader full details on your company and the option to opt-out of future emails. Display it clearly in your email. Make it quick and easy for the reader to find and opt out. When you receive an opt-out request, action it quickly. Some CRM software and email marketing tools can do this for you so you don’t have to worry about it. For example, when an opt-out request is sent, the CRM programme will automatically change a company or person’s record to ‘Mail Restriction’ so that future emails can’t be automatically or inadvertently sent out.

10) Contact Data

Good data is the key to email marketing. Build your contact data at every opportunity you can. Gather data yourself, provide opt-in options for useful information such as special offers or newsletters. Or purchase opt-in lists from respected data brokers. Enter it into your CRM system and use the functionality to dedupe, manage bounce backs and help you keep it clean.

Whatever tools you use for email marketing, we hope these top ten tips are useful. And remember, the combination of a CRM system with email marketing tool makes the email-marketers job a lot easier, and their campaigns a lot more effective!

How to approach your CRM project – Free Whitepaper

Whatever CRM system you choose, an effective CRM project methodology will dramatically improve the chances of your project’s success. One of the most frequent causes of CRM project failure is the lack of adoption of a Project Management Methodology.

From experience of a wide variety of CRM projects, Concentrix has developed a systematic approach to implementing CRM solutions. This minimises the risks and costs associated with CRM initiatives and achieves the highest return-on-investment by providing maximum user adoption.

The free whitepaper, “Project Methodology for Effective CRM Implementation” explains how to approach a CRM project and the steps you need to take to successfully manage it.

The white paper uses a best-practice approach and is suitable for CRM projects of all sizes: from small-scale companies requiring a solution for five users to large organisations with over 500 users.

Written by Concentrix, “Project Methodology for Effective CRM Implementation” describes the phases, activities and tasks you’ll need to undertake during a CRM project - from beginning-to-end.

For a copy of the whitepaper, go to the Downloads Section of the Concentrix website. Note you’ll have to register (if you haven’t already) and log-in to access this whitepaper.

GoldMine Premium Edition Questions and Answers

We’ve recently been asked some questions about GoldMine Premium Edition, and have posted some here as the answers may be of interest to GoldMine users generally.

To put the questions in perspective, they arose from an offer on GoldMine Premium Edition we’re currently making to customers using GoldMine Standard Edition or GoldMine Corporate Edition. Released earlier this year, GoldMine Premium Edition is establishing itself as a strong contender among leading mid-market CRM products. It has a greatly improved, intuitive interface with increased functionality to make it a real step up from previous versions of GoldMine.

Question: Is it a straight upgrade process from GoldMine Corporate Edition 7.0 with SQL 2000 to GoldMine Premium Edition?

Answer: Yes, it’s a straightforward process to move up to GoldMine Premium Edition from either GoldMine Standard Edition or GoldMine Corporate Edition. Note: GoldMine Premium Edition is a new product, so technically it’s not an upgrade. 

GoldMine Premium Edition can run on a SQL Server 2000 back end if this is your preferred option, although the media pack for GoldMine Premium Edition comes with SQL Server 2005.

Question: Is FrontRange going to release a new version of GoldMine Corporate Edition with enhancements similar to those available in GoldMine Premium Edition?

Answer: FrontRange Solutions is continuing to develop GoldMine Corporate Edition. However, GoldMine Premium Edition has some significant differences compared to previous versions. It’s Concentrix’s opinion that it is unlikely that FrontRange will incorporate the major developments made within GoldMine Premium Edition into GoldMine Corporate Edition, as they will want to maintain differentiation between the two products.

Question: What is the difference in the maintenance contract charges for GoldMine Corporate and GoldMine Premium editions?

Answer: The annual maintenance charges for GoldMine Premium Edition are lower than those for GoldMine Corporate Edition (we can’t publish the prices here, if you have a price query please contact us)

Question: Is GoldMine Premium Edition compatible with QuoteWerks 4.0?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Where can I see a demo of GoldMine Premium Edition?

Answer: We can give you a live demonstration of GoldMine Premium Edition over the web or maybe pay you a visit (or you could come and visit us, as long as you let us know beforehand!) Whichever you prefer, please contact Concentrix with your details so we can arrange a time and place. Alternatively, there’s a demo/tour of the software available on FrontRange’s GoldMine website: http://www.goldmine.com/micro.aspx?id=4390.

General details about GoldMine Premium Edition are here.