Most companies have two main parts for their customer lifecycle; customer acquisition and service delivery. During the customer acquisition phase, the salesperson is very active in gaining the customer’s trust, after the customer decides to purchase the service/product, it’s your job to provide value, and trust that has been promised to them, this opportunity can be changed to won within your Microsoft Dynamics CRM system; however, if they didn’t follow through with the purchase they became a lost opportunity. During the service delivery phrase, the product/service is being delivered, and then there is no more interaction with the salesperson they trusted, but instead systems, automatic emails, and customer service.

The point here is that after the customer purchased the product/service, the salesperson has an opportunity to nurture their clients and turn them into long-term clients. They didn’t just buy the product or the service; they also bought the trust and bond that that was established through time, and this relationship should not be taken for granted. The moment a customer feels like their trust has been violated they’re going to look elsewhere for their products/services.

In Microsoft Dynamics for Sales once an opportunity has turned into a won-opportunity the company name can be added as an account. The actual client is added as a contact, and future interactions are quick and easy. Sending them personalized emails right from the system to check in on them, make sure the product/service is working out, and how you can help them in the future. When you use Microsoft Dynamics for Sales, there is no reason why any customers, new or old, ever feel like their left in the dark. If you wish to take a test drive of this system, please visit our free CRM demo http://www.websan.com/demo/dynamics-crm and see what this system can do.

Crystal Williams, Web Marketing Assistant, WebSan Solutions Inc.,a 2017 Microsoft Modern Marketing Innovation Award Winner

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Retrieving data and metadata for reports In Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be done using SQL views. In Dynamics CRM, users can run queries on SQL views that are automatically created. As the image below shows, names within the SQL views are easy to identify. A Microsoft tip sheet notes that SQL-based reports in Dynamics CRM use the filtered views provided for each entity to retrieve data for the reports. 

To obtain the query, users can download the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) online. 

Apart from being automatically created, Filtered Views offer the benefit of being updated for custom entities, having security embedded in the view, and being supported after patches, service releases and upgrades.

To learn more about how WebSan Solutions can support your Dynamics CRM projects and implementation, visit our Solutions page or contact us. 

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Apart from selecting the right ERP software, one of the key components to identify before purchasing is the ERP software’s integration with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and a Time and Expense system such as Moniroo.  

While a CRM system gives insight to help analyze different points of contact between the customer and the company, a time and expense system keeps track of how you utilize your resources and enables you to better leverage your employees’ time.

Below, we outline the top benefits of integrating your ERP software with a CRM and time and expense system.

1. Data synchronization

An integrated solution eliminates the duplication of data entry and streamlines order and customer data processing.  Data that can move seamlessly between systems include product and customer information, sales orders, inventory levels and shipping updates.

(SMB Group, 2014) 

Grow efficiently

•           Microsoft’s ERP products (GP, NAV) and Dynamics CRM can efficiently take your company to the next level as your needs change or your business grows.
•          Running your business in the Cloud means reduced upfront software cost and no servers to manage.
•          Plus, you have the ability to add more users as your business grows.
•          Microsoft’s business solutions are quick to implement and easy to maintain.
•          Implementing projects takes weeks, not months, with a familiar user experience.

Do business anywhere

•          Travel on-the-go with all your sales information available at your fingertips, using your mobile device.
•          Accessing  your financial data using a web browser gives you the freedom to work from anywhere.

Connect with customers

•          Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps you gain customer insights, grow sales, and maintain customer relationships.
•          Using Dynamics CRM gives you a 360-degree view of your customer, from previous communications, current cases, products sold, and where they are in the sales cycle.
•          Use Dynamics CRM’s interactive dashboards to help track your customers and discover new sales opportunities.

WebSan Solutions has incorporated simplicity into every aspect of your experience—from initial purchase and deployment,to ongoing maintenance and upgrades. Microsoft Dynamics GP & CRM can boost your daily productivity and deliver long-term value without complex and costly implementation.

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Being part of the help desk support team affords me the opportunity to learn about little idiosyncrasies in Dynamics CRM. And I like to pass along these sweet nuggets to our loyal blog readers in case you find yourself in a similar pinch.

Have you ever wanted to add ‘Company’ to an existing Lead view, and the field is nowhere to be found?

In order to see the field, you need to perform a bit of trickery…

ü  Choose any other entity from the ‘Record Type’ dropdown,

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Running a well-oiled support desk is not for the faint of heart. There are so many moving parts…Does the customer have a support agreement? Does the contacting party have authority to open a support ticket against the agreement? What is the issue? Is the issue covered under the support agreement? What is the expected turn-around time? How does this relate to its priority in the queue? Which support resource should be assigned the ticket? Is the support resource staying on top of the ticket? 

Did you know there is a whole area inside your Dynamics CRM environment that is fitted with tools to manage your support operations? It is neatly tucked away in Settings under Service Management and contains a slew of menu items to manage the many facets of the support process. 

Through the combined forces of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Entitlements you are armed with a pairing which allows for a flexible support model. SLAs offer variable levels of support, with varied turnaround times and price points, while Entitlements allow you to define the variable by which support is measured (time vs count), who can open support tickets against the agreement, the products/services covered under the agreement, and the channels by which a support ticket can be submitted.

Depending on how support tickets are received, Automatic Case Creation & Update Rules may prove to be a mighty ally. This feature automates the process of creating/updating records based upon predefined settings and conditions. One such condition is whether an Entitlement exists for the submitting customer. Take your automatically created cases, and make use of Routing Rule Sets, which read the properties of the Case and route the records to your various Support Queues to be picked up by your Support Resources to be worked on. It is worth noting that Routing Rule Sets can also be applied manually if your support tickets reside in a “bucket” for assignment.

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You can now brand your CRM! Themes allow you to apply your distinct logo and color scheme to your Dynamics CRM environment. Three simple clicks and you are well on your way to a CRM environment with a look of your own.

1. From the Main Menu button, select Settings

2. Select Customizations

3. Select Themes

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No programming knowledge? No problem!

Business Rules, which are delivered right out-of-the-box with Dynamics CRM, tackle client side logic in a user friendly way, allowing virtually anyone that is responsible for managing their company’s CRM to get off and running with this fantastic tool in no time. 

In a nutshell, this little gem allows you to create and add form design functions to the system and custom entities without a lick of development. Through “If…Then…Else” conditional statements, you too can create rules which monitor the behaviour of fields and subsequently define an action or actions to be taken upon the conditions being met.

Gone are the days of reaching out to developers for JavaScript and plug-ins each and every time a requirement rears its head. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not some sort of magic potion that will make all your wishes come true. But, you are bound to dazzle your users (and your boss), with fields that seamlessly appear just when they need them; field values which auto-complete right before their very eyes; field requirements changing on the fly, ensuring the most relevant data is always captured; and error messages, or what I prefer to call ‘reminder messages’ which prompt users to conform to best business practices. With a little creativity and some business logic in tow, Business Rules can do all that and so much more!

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WebSan Solutions’ Microsoft Dynamics GP and CRM interactive demos now enables users to leave feedback to unlock new resources that will offer additional information that can help in the ERP software selection process.

The Dynamics GP and CRM demos boast over 300 downloads and have been a trusted tool in helping give an overview of both systems’ capabilities and main modules. The demos give an inside look at what the systems can offer and show a preview of each system before users decide to purchase. Not only are the demos useful in the research process, they also prove valuable for their interactive functionality. The interactive functionality allows users to type in and click on specific fields; a feature that is not common to traditional software demos.

When users leave feedback for the demos after downloading, they are given links to valuable resources that offer additional information on the two systems. For the Dynamics GP demo, users can access an estimate of WebSan’s Dynamics GP implementation cost, while those who leave feedback for the Dynamics CRM demo can watch an exclusive webinar on maximizing Dynamics CRM’s out-of-the-box features.

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 Join us in part one of a free webinar series on customizing Dynamics CRM 2015! The webinar is tailored for those new to Dynamics CRM who are responsible for the customization and upkeep of their organization’s CRM environment.

The webinar will offer a behind the scenes look at the Customizations area and discuss the different components that make up an entity and how one can interact with each of them. The session will wrap up with a sneak peek of customizations in action.

This webinar will serve as a preview of part two, where attendees can submit questions specific to customizations that will be addressed by the webinar speaker.

Previously, our Dynamics CRM webinars have received extremely positive feedback and proved to have given valuable insights to help during CRM implementations.

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Microsoft has announced general availability of its first update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015. The update promises to offer intelligent customer engagement that delivers enhancements. These changes will enable employees to efficiently collaborate across sales, service, and marketing departments, to allow them to better engage with customers. Below, we outline the features which make this update noteworthy:

1. A makeover for Dynamics CRM’s User Interface enables the user to do more with less including ease of navigation through less scrolling and fewer clicks. The new User Interface and navigation bar gives the ability to find information easier and faster.

2. If you're working in a complex form with lots of fields, the new form navigation drop-down list makes it easy to get to just the data you need. Choose the drop-down list next to the form title, and then select the section of the form you want to go to.

3. The new navigation User Interface contains the Recently Viewed Items icon, allowing you to quickly get back to the record you were working with.

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Part 2 is a continuation of the series of blog posts that will profile different customer’s unique approach to using Dynamics CRM and provide real-life examples of how the software is used to help improve business processes.

An engineering, construction, service and maintenance company that provides services for infrastructure companies approached WebSan to implement Dynamics CRM and maximize the Dashboards feature of the software.

Using the Workload Reporting of Dashboards allowed the company to do the following:

• Break down by user the current status of Open Projects
• Access the number of projects that have been created in a specific timeframe by Users and the status of those projects
• Create a list view that depicts total number of created, cancelled and completed projects by user
• Create a pie chart to show the number of open projects and order them by status

To add, an active activities Dashboard breaks down the many activities (tasks, emails, appointments, etc.) that are being tackled “this month” by all users.

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On Thursday, May 28^th, WebSan will present a webinar that will feature fascinating Microsoft Dynamics CRM Tactics that can help your business grow. The webinar will highlight the sales area, data that will comprise charts, different types of dashboards and tips on how to use visual data to drive your sales process.

The free webinar will discuss valuable concepts and processes such as the business process flow, global search and goal setting. A rundown of timesaving tips to help users make the most efficient use of their resources when navigating through CRM will also be given in this webinar.

Our CRM webinars have been some of our most requested, so register below to reserve your spot and take part in this webinar!

Register for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Tactics Webinar on May 28, 11 AM EST

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Come July 14, Microsoft is set to end support for Microsoft Server 2003. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, fixes or online support for Windows Server 2003. Businesses across Canada who choose not to upgrade could leave themselves and their customers exposed to security risks, increased compliance, electronic data loss, hackers and may lose the ability to accept credit cards.

According to Microsoft Canada, big companies would take about 150 to 200 days to upgrade its servers. While migrating to an updated operating system comes with some challenges, the gains would ultimately outweigh the risks that not upgrading would pose to businesses and customers. Businesses should see this as an opportunity to modernize infrastructure or consider hosted options for securing data.

Microsoft Canada suggests that customers can either upgrade and migrate to a new server software (such as Windows Server 2012 R2) or use cloud services which would cost less than a migration, reduce hardware and still provide adequate protection.

For businesses considering hosted services on the cloud, WebSan Solutions offers Microsoft Dynamics GP and CRM which allows for rapid deployment, low total cost of ownership and a robust solution that scales and grows depending on a business’ needs. Reduce the number of days it would take for your business to upgrade by switching to one of WebSan Solutions’ Microsoft Dynamics GP and CRM offerings.

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 On Thursday, June 25^th, WebSan will present a free webinar to teach attendees how to jumpstart their Marketing efforts using Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The webinar will feature tactics to create and manage Marketing lists, differentiate Quick Campaigns from Campaigns, manage Campaigns from start to finish and use Dashboards to track performance.

The 30-minute webinar will discuss the key components of the Marketing area in CRM, give tips on how to use Marketing lists to create Quick Campaigns, how to manage responses and measure the performance of Marketing efforts.   

Register and don’t miss out on your chance to take part in this new CRM Marketing webinar!

Register for “Get the 4-1-1 on Dynamics Marketing Webinar” on June 25, 11 AM EST

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Find out more about WebSan University

WebSan Solutions’ Microsoft Dynamics GP and CRM interactive demos help evaluate the two software’s capabilities within minutes and gives an overview of each system’s look, features and functionality. The demos serve to give a preview of the software before deciding to purchase and insight into the additional functionality for those who have experience using the systems. With over 200 downloads, our demos have given businesses an inside look into what Dynamics GP and CRM can offer.

An updated version of our Dynamics GP and CRM demos are now available. The demos’ interactive functionality allow the user to click through and type in data, making for an engaging experience.

The Dynamics GP demo now features common business issues faced such as poor project management and limited project visibility and addresses how Dynamics GP’s modules and functionality can solve these issues.

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With over 4.4 million users working at 40,000 companies, Microsoft Dynamics CRM has long been used in a variety of sales, marketing and operational functions. For some, Dynamics CRM serves as an out-of-the-box tool to simplify operations, while others use the software to track client feedback, manage schedules and projects, and collect purchase information.

This series of blog posts will profile different customers’ unique approach to using Dynamics CRM and provide real-life examples of how the software is used to help improve business processes.

The first is a company that specializes in managing a loyalty card program and partnering with different retailers to offer students discounts and deals utilizes Dynamics CRM’s Inventory Management. This feature allows the company to use the newly released Rollup fields to create a running total for each product offering that has been sold.

Using the Business Management feature gives the company the ability to populate, change, show or hide a field based on the value of another field. Business Rules enabled the company to dynamically update Quantity on Hand for a product when a replenishment value is entered, while creating a workflow prompts members of the sales team of a reduced Quantity on Hand when a product is sold.

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With the recent release of Dynamics CRM 2015, Microsoft has introduced calculated fields in Dynamics CRM. Calculated fields allow you to define the value of a field using calculations operators or functions. You no longer need a developer on hand to write code, you can now create calculated fields using the CRM user interface. For example, a salesperson might want to automatically apply a discount based on an order greater than “X” dollars. The calculated field would be able to change the value using basic math operations or conditional operations.

Here is an example of a calculated field:

Order Total = ((quantity*unitprice) – ((quantity*unitprice) *Discount%/100)) + ((quantity*unitprice) – ((quantity*unitprice) *Discount%/100) *Tax%/100)

Here are some fields that are considered calculated fields:

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 was designed to address businesses’ needs to collaborate among different divisions and groups within the organization, and to meet the changing needs of their customers. In line with this release, WebSan will offer a “Top 5 Features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015” webinar on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 11 AM EST.

The free webinar aims to offer attendees insight into the key features introduced and understanding of the advantages of upgrading to Dynamics CRM 2015. Some of the features that will be discussed in the webinar include: global search, calculated and rollup fields, hierarchy visualization and nested quick create forms.

This webinar has been one of our most requested training sessions, so register below to reserve your spot and take part!

Register for “Top 5 Features in Dynamics CRM 2015 webinar” on Apr. 30, 11 AM EST

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a fast, flexible and reliable CRM solution that helps manage customer information across different functions such as Marketing, Sales and Service. Here are the top 5 ways Microsoft Dynamics CRM can benefit your business:

1.Integration with Microsoft Office and Office Outlook

Microsoft Dynamics CRM easily integrates with tools like Microsoft Word, Excel and Office Outlook. With the system’s familiar and user-friendly interface, employees can efficiently pull information and gain quick access to the data they need.

2. Adaptable Dashboards