Business Process Optimization Using ERP And CRM

ERP Business Process OptimizationFor any business to be successful, it has to manage its operations deftly, both within its organizational framework as well as with the outside world. Today, a lot of innovative solutions and software are available in the market to address to both these needs and make management easier. These are Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management or CRM.

ERP utilizes ERP software applications to improve the performance of organizations’ resource planning, management and operational control. ERP software is multi-module application software that integrates activities across functional departments like product planning, purchasing, inventory control, product distribution, order tracking, finance, accounting and human resources aspects of an organization. The goal of ERP is to improve and streamline internal business processes, which typically requires reengineering of current business processes. The users of ERP systems are employees of the organization at all levels, from workers, supervisors, mid-level managers to executives.

Whether a small or home-based business venture or a large corporate, the customers shape future potential of any business venture. Hence keeping the customer happy is one of the baselines of a successful business. Achieving customer satisfaction involves various things like understanding their problems and solving them quickly, and serving them in a better manner thenceforth. And so to simplify things, we have Customer Relationship Management or CRM.

CRM is a term for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way. For example, an enterprise might build a database about its customers that describes relationships in detail so that management, salespeople and perhaps the customs themselves can directly access information. Most online shopping portals can be cited as an example. Effective CRM application involves customizing the CRM software to match your own business type, whether it is B2B or B2C, and making sure that the customer care executives understand the basic premise and technicalities of operating the software.

About Author
CRM software is easy to use and very dominant. Small business software always helps improve sales and conversions. If you need to manage bulky databases crm application and erp software visit for more decent detail on http://www.interprise.co.uk

Video: How does Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Automation and CRM fit together?

Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Automation

Don Fornes, CEO of our partner Software Advice, sat down with Brad Wilson, General Manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, to discuss the state of the CRM software market and specifically in this video the Microsoft Dynami. This is the sixth in a series of 7 videos we are publishing, each centered on one question about the Microsoft offerings.

Marketing automation is a hot market right now. Marketo, Eloqua and Pardot are getting a lot of buzz. How important is this market to Microsoft?

Brad discusses the role of Customer Relationship Management and Marketing Automation. He distinguishes where partner products fit into a client’s roll-out planning vs. Microsoft’s marketing component of the Dynamics CRM product. Further he makes an interesting observation about how marketing, sales, and service all fit together, especially within their pricing model. He goes on to discuss when partner products play a part in a customer’s CRM purchase.

After watching the video, we would be interested in your feedback on what you think with regards to Microsoft Dynamics marketing automation strategy. Do you concur with Brad?

Where does Microsoft Dynamics marketing automation fit?

Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Automation

Getting More Microsoft Dynamics CRM Information

If you are interested in exploring Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Automation for your company, please select one of the two links below:

For information on other CRM or ERP software products, please see our ERP Software Directory for many more vendors.

Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Automation

ERP Software UK And CRM Software UK For an Industry’s Betterment

ERP stands for enterprise resource planning and it deals with the proper utilization of the available resources for the development of an industry. For a better functioning of ERP, it was linked with the computer systems in the form of ERP software. It is widely used computer software that manages and coordinates all the information, functions and resources of a firm from the shared data stores.

The use of ERP software in UK is the most as it was UK where the ERP software was started to be used. As a result the software became popular throughout UK and now it crossed all boundaries and is being used throughout the world by the most leading industries.

An ERP software UK has a modular software and hardware services that basically communicate through a local area network. This modular design allows an organization to configure or reconfigure modules from different vendors during preserving data integrity in a shared database which may be centralized as well as distributed.

Talking about CRM software UK, as the name suggests, Customer Relationship Management, it can be said to be a computer based CRM software that manages a company’s relationships with its customers. It helps to keep a track of the contacts of the customers, marketing and sales of the products and provides proper pre-sales and post-sales reports. With the help of CRM software UK, the concerned employees of a company can generate a detailed invoice of the sales, quotations, and thus they get a great deal of help regarding their projects. The software also provides a helpdesk where solutions to different situations are recommended.

About Author
Antje Wilmer is a freelance writer on eCommerce. He has written the articles and blogs on eCommerce and erp software. Interprise.co.uk offers Customer Relationship Management that manages a company’s relationships with its customers.

What is Your CRM Goal?



What is Your CRM Goal?
Hendra Lim

Are you thinking to start using a CRM application or software for your company? Before you talk to your CRM vendors, do you know what CRM goals or impacts you want to achieve?

In my own experiences talking to many business managers, oftentimes the real reason why they want to utilize a CRM program is because other companies have used it, or because it is a trend now. For me it’s not a firm enough reason.

CRM application usually requires a lot of money invested, time, and energy. Without knowing where you will go and how, it’s useless and will most likely become a failure.

Here are four main goals of any CRM; whatever results you expect from a CRM application, it will fall onto one of the these four goals. Here they are:

1. Increasing sales effectiveness

2. Increasing customer loyalty

3. Increasing better customer service

4. Having deep customer information

Which one of those goals is your primary reason to implement CRM software? Which one is your priority? Do you need them all?

If you say that you want to maximize the work of your sales force, that means you want the goal of number one. If you say that you want your customer service staffs answer the complaints faster, that means your priority is the goal number three.

It’s very common that CRM software is usually consisted of 3 main modules, which are Sales Force Automation, Marketing Automation, and Help Desk. Knowing what goal you want to reach in your CRM strategy will help you choose which modules are best and suit your needs, thus saves unnecessary cost of purchasing the modules you don’t need. Furthermore, firmly deciding the goal will keep the team on the right track to complete the CRM implementation.
Hendra Lim works for a software-based company that specialized in CRM software and Sales Force Automation application. He lives in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Creating Customers for Life – Relationship Management and Sales Training DVD Video

CRM: Cost Deflection Out – “ Customer Experience In

Cost Deflection Out“ Customer Experience In!
David Barrow
Expert Author
Published: 2006-05-09

Cost deflection strategies deteriorate customer loyalty.

“Your call is important to us. please hold”

“We’ve automated our phone system for your convenience.”

“Our agents are busy helping other customers.”

As consumers, we are all too familiar with these rote statements that are somehow supposed to make us feel all warm and fuzzy while we cool our heels wishing we could talk to a real live human being. Whether you have a question about your mortgage rate, problems with your printer, or simply want to find out when a movie is playing, chances are you’ll have to run through a maze of options before you get the answer you want. With companies seeking to squeeze every penny out of operating costs, by deflecting customers to use less expensive means of communication (the Web versus the phone) it seems we’re stuck in self-service purgatory. In reality, this drive for cost deflection is alienating customers and eroding profits.

Cost Deflection Out, Customer Experience In

What You Need to Know About CRM

Frank Dazerton

Customer Relationship Management (abbreviated CRM) is a very hot topic among businesses. CRM is such a hot topic because it is a way for businesses to connect with their customers, increase profits, and have better customer service. There are several things that you need to know about CRM.

1. It’s all about the customer. Some companies focus too much on expensive CRM programs and elaborate IT departments and not enough on what is at the core of CRM. CRM programs need to be designed to appeal to the business’ customers. The best Call Centers are the ones which customers find easy to navigate. The best CRM vendors have the customer satisfaction in mind when designing their CRM applications.

2. On-demand is the way to go. Many vendors offer traditional CRM programs and service. I believe, however, that On-demand CRM is the way to go. On-demand CRM is different from traditional methods in that instead of requiring companies to hire new IT people, and use extensive resources to implement elaborate CRM programs, the software comes with support. On-demand CRM is no longer the “bring your own IT department” approach. Many vendors like Salesforce.com, Siebel, and NetSuite offer On-demand solutions that are great for businesses just getting into the CRM market.

3. Customer Relationship Management is not just software. Some businesses would like it to be simply software, but it will never be as simple as that. Customer Relationship Management is an ongoing learning process. The business must learn from the customer and change accordingly. The closer a business gets to its customer, the better. CRM applications and strategies are the methods through which the business can access, analyze, and learn from customer Data. Knowing what CRM applications are actually for is a very important step in understanding how to be successful when implementing CRM practices.

4. It is important to understand that there are hundreds of CRM vendors out there. Many of the vendors claim to be number one, but if you look closely, they may be number one in only one category. Other companies say that they are number one in CRM, but there is no basis for their statement. It is important for companies to choose the right vendor that will attend to all of their CRM needs. This may not always be the most expensive, “number one” company. On the contrary, some simple companies offer CRM solutions that are highly effective. Some of the major CRM providers are Siebel, Salesforce.com, NetSuite, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP.

5. The best CRM technology can be very helpful for any business. Some CRM applications can now be accessed via BlackBerry devices. Major vendors are constantly updating their software and improving their service. It is a good idea to stay as current as possible in terms of CRM technology. However, always remember to balance technology with customer service. There is no substitute for old-fashioned customer service, the most basic of all CRM ideals.
Customer Relationship Management can be very beneficial for a business if it is carried out properly. It is important to keep the customer in mind at all times when you are implementing CRM practices into your business. Remember that there are quite a few CRM vendors out there, and it is important to choose the vendor that is best for your company. Customer Relationship Management seems like a very daunting idea for someone who has never used it before, but if you follow these steps, you will surely see the benefits of successful CRM.

Frank Dazerton enjoys writing about a variety of Custromer Relationship Management topics. In addition to writing CRM articles, he writes for CRM Lowdown ( www.crmlowdown.com ).

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CRM to the Rescue: CRM End All Be All?

by Jeffrey Hahn

I love a challenge. And that is what I got when I was asked to lead a project to put together a CRM. How do you put together a CRM? Given my educational background is in Philosophy, I started thinking, “what is CRM?”, “What is the essence of CRM?”, and “What provoked the need for someone to create CRM?” After going back and reading about CRM, the many failures and few successes, I found whole experience enlightening. One might gather from reading up on CRM that there might be semantics issue, but I believe it goes deeper. Is CRM a business process? Is it a software application? Or is it a goal that you hope to achieve? In each of these three questions would unfold another layer of questioning in order for you (your company) to define what you/they mean by Customer Relationship Management. If it is a goal, how do you know when you have achieved CRM? If it is a business process how to you know you are following CRM? These are questions that a company must address before assembling a team to create a “CRM”. Read the entire post at: CRM to the Rescue: CRM End All Be All?