New CRM Software Blog

CRM Software

Using CRM Software (Customer Relationship Management) companies can accelerate the sales process. This means that they can generate more leads, work those leads through a pipeline and convert them to buying customers in a more efficient manner.

The key components of a good CRM Software are:

1. Marketing Automation
2. Lead Management
3. Customer and Contact Management
4. Sales Opportunity Management
5. Customer Service Management
6. Analytics and Reporting

All of these together create a solution that helps a business manage the customer life-cycle from a lead, through a repeat buying customer, to an ongoing relationship with world-class support tools. A CRM software that is well suited for a company can enable the company to increase sales and build more enduring customer relationships.

CRM Software Blog

We are happy to announce that our Sister CRM site is now live http://www.crmsoftwareblog.net This site will explore all aspects of Customer Relationship Management.
CRM Software Blog
The new site explores the various CRM Software offerings, their use, provides tips and best practices, and other resources to help make better decisions around the selection, implementation and use of CRM Software. Find out what market leading CRM Solutions such as Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Oracle CRM, Saleslogix, and others are doing and how customers are using these solutions.

Visit the CRM Software Blog to learn more.

ERP Software automates renewal management.

ERP Software automates renewal management.
NetSuite Software Company Edition serves software companies that need to manage array of varying revenue models, including complex processes for supporting recurring revenue management streams. It brings automation and real-time visibility to management of renewals, billing, and contract management. In addition to unifying these processes, software delivers uplift and discount management as well …

Read more on ThomasNet

How not to implement and use ERP software

ERP Software done correctly can be a great tool for improving a business.  Done badly, it can demoralize employees and drive down business results.

Case-in-point:

How not to implement and use ERP software
ERP Software should enable business processes, not torture the employees.

“My experience with SAP was of an all-purpose integrated business solution. At the beginning of the day, I clocked in using an SAP applet. Next, I would go through a set of SAP generated planned-production orders, direct work orders, or reported directly to my supervisor. After looking through the routing information (generated through SAP), I would complete the specified task. When the task was complete, I would “clock-off” on the job, which entailed bringing the PPO to a computer, scanning it into an SAP applet, and entering my badge number (employee ID). Another thing I found interesting was the request to clock off on all activities. Even if I had only swept or scraped tape off the floors (it was a slow summer), I was asked to clock off on something called “lean labor.” I found this curious, though I suppose from an efficiency standpoint it was very important. To refer back to these “value-chains,” it is important to know exactly what every employee, piece of inventory, and work order are doing at any given time. Whether it is benig worked on, working on something, or finished, this real-time updating system allows everyone company-wide to see which projects are in progress, which are complete, and which have not been touched. Also from a managerial standpoint, it is important to see how much work each individual employee is doing and how well they are performing, not to mention that employee’s ID will always be attached to that job if future concerns arise.

Now from a business standpoint this is all well and good. But what about the employee? A lot of days, clocking and clocking out I felt as though it did not matter whether or not I was even there. There were simply no jobs to be done for entire weeks at a time, but that did not change that I had to “clock out” for certain jobs. Of course, a business wants to make sure that all of its employees are being as productive as possible, but clocking out on cleaning out the same area 3 times during a week seemed redundant and absurd. Not to mention clocking out on an activity such as “material handling” or “lean labor” is fairly arbitrary. This of course necessitated a manager to scold me when my productivity levels fell (ie playing Frisbee with a cardboard box in the back). It is important to note that I was simply summer-hired as well. Working full time at a job as a number would eventually get fairly tedious. As one of my co-workers noted to me, they had simply clocked in and clocked out for a couple of weeks and clocked off on none of the jobs they were doing. No one said anything to him. So who’s checking these jobs?”  – Andrew Mellino

Implementing technology to collect data is one thing, but ERP should not be just about the numbers. ERP ideally should be “process improvement enabled by technology.” It should not be a tool to harass the employees. This is a key concept to understand when implementing and going through the design phase. Which processes are broken and which processes are working fine. Once you have defined that, then see where the ERP software can enable best business practices. It is essential that the employees have a buy in and provide feedback to this step.

If you get the employees to buy into the implementation and how it will change their jobs, you will gain the benefits of higher utilization of the system and overall better adoption. If you fail this step, you will have a failed ERP implementation. There is a saying that you should “drive data collection to the source.” This means that you should have the person who is directly responsible for the source of that data be the one who is entering it. When the ERP system is not implemented with the employees in mind, the employees will be unmotivated to use the system, ensure that the data is accurate, or even bother to put in correct information.

With the help of your line employees, design in best practices and work with them to build a system that they will use and will benefit not only them by making their jobs easier, but also benefit the whole company by driving positive results.

Hardware And Software

Computer slowness can be caused by the variety of points among which can be 2 categories: hardware or the software. The computer hardware is physical part of computer system, for example, a parent payment, the processor, memory etc. The computer software is all programs and the appendices established on the personal computer. The software includes operating systems, as Microsoft Windows XP or Vista and all appendices, such as Microsoft Office, Photoshop etc.

It is necessary to check up:
* Start of programs
* Protection against viruses and espionage scanning
* Hard Drive Out Of Space
* Fragmentation of a hard disk
* Bad sectors or the damaged files
* The Overheat because of a dust

The most widespread reason of the slow computer is not necessary appendices in a background mode. When new program appendices are established many times over they will be adjusted on the beginning automatically at computer loading.

These appendices are not always necessary, and will occupy a part of operative memory of the computer (RAM) which in turn, will slow down computer work downwards. To check up that the appendix will be started automatically, presses button “Start-up”, then press the button to Execute, and then press the button APPRX. After system Configuration Utility is opened, press the insert Automatic loading.

Cancelling of any programs on the insert will not delete them from the computer; it will be simple to hold them from automatic start each time. I recommend cancelling all appendices, which you do not need. If you see the software which does not recognize it there can be instructions from virus espionage programs.

If your computer works slowly, it, most likely, is infected by a virus and / or espionage programs. Everyone should have the anti-virus software established, updated and works for all times.

You should hold it always updated, and regularly scan system on presence of viruses. The majority of anti-virus programs do not check on presence of espionage programs so if your computer is infected by espionage, you should download specialized removals of the espionage software. There are 2 programs, which I use all the time, Spybot and Adware; they are absolutely freely to use. After loading and installation of these programs, make necessarily execute updating and scanning of all computers.

If files are stored on your computer on the rigid disk they are not always stored in the most effective way and can become fragmentary character.

For start of the utility of a defragmentation press button “Start-up” choose Programs-> Standard-> system tools-> Disk Defragmentation. Defragmentation process can occupy from 5 minutes till several hours. I recommend to make defragmentation of a hard disk of the computer once in a month.

One more reason of the slow computer can be damaged file system or bad sectors on a hard disk. Bad sectors can damage the file system which can slow down work of the personal computer or even keep its display.

Now they are all over the world – the diverse and versatile computers. No matter if you need them for game or work or for serious industrial processes, in any case the computer hardware must be top quality.

But this computer hardware is flooded with all sorts of offers. That is why it’s vitally important to visit this blog and read computer hardware tips that will help you to choose great stuff for your computer.

Today we are living in the world where information makes life easier.

That is why if you are properly armed with the information in your sphere of interest you can be sure that you will always find the solution to any bad situation. So, please make sure to get back to this web site on a regular basis or – the least time consuming way of doing it – sign up to its RSS. In such an easy way you will have your hand on the pulse of the latest info updates here. Blogs can be helpful, you just need to understand how to use them.

The Future of Enterprise Software

The software industry seems to be confronting large-scale challenges as new models, including on-demand software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS), are having an increasingly disruptive impact on the traditional, licensed software models. Use of SaaS is gaining ground with business process and applications professionals to outsource their key processes. According to Gartner, 25% of all software will be deployed with the SaaS model by 2011. Deutsche Bank predicts 50% by 2013. Does the SaaS model spell the end for the traditional perpetual license model in software? If so, will the established software vendors weather the transition? What are the implications for software innovation, the VC community and the entrepreneurs? Will the end customers have more bargaining power over the vendors or less going forward? What can the IT organization expect in quality and service of software? Join Marc Benioff, founder, chairman & CEO of salesforce.com, the world’s leading independent SaaS provider, and Hasso Plattner, co-founder, ex-CEO and chairman of SAP, the world’s largest business software company, as they face off on the future of enterprise software. Moderated by Quentin Hardy of Forbes. Churchill Club Great Debate on The Future of Enterprise Software ()04/03/08) with Marc Benioff, Hasso Plattner, Quentin Hardy

Watch more Enterprise Software Videos here

Finding the right enterprise software

One of the main struggles that many companies go through is finding the right software for their business. Often, the owner simply picks one because he knows a vendor, or met someone at a trade show. This is simply not the way to choose software.

More often than not, the manager responsible does not know where to even begin to look for the right software, be it Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), or even Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). Sure you can Google it, but there are simply too many options and they are not focused.

ERPandMore.com has released their Enterprise Software Directory to help people begin the search for a software provider. Organized by category of system, such as ERP or CRM, someone seeking a starting point for their business software search can begin looking for the ideal solution to meet the needs of their business.

Additionally, people can read the reviews of different software. And, if a software is not listed, readers can submit their favorite business software.

We hope that this directory will continue to grow and become an essential tool for anyone doing research into the varying software systems on the market today. You can find it at:

http://www.erpandmore.com/directory/

ERP Software Reviews now available

When selecting a software, one criteria is finding out what others think of the prospective system. This can include phone calls, site surveys and other data gathering. To make this easier, ERPandmore.com has opened up a new section for ERP Software Reviews. This new section isn’t only for ERP though, it includes CRM, Business Intelligence, and even Warehouse Management software.

We are in the early days though and not all potential software systems are there. That is why we need your assistance. If you have an ERP, CRM, BI, or WMS system and would like to share that knowledge with the world, please add it to the site and add your review! This is similar to Amazon.com or any other site, where you can rate the product. So please take a look and if you can contribute to this new site, please do so. Thank you!

Your One Stop Guide To Manufacturing Accounting Software

A good number of ERP software implementations are focused around manufacturing. Although Manufacturing ERP is one of the more complex implementations, a company stands to have significant ROI gains due to improved management of inventory and work-in-process.

The following article touches on some of the points to consider when implementing for a manufacturing firm. It points to one solution at the summary. This is not the best way to go (ie. looking at a specific target software), you need to focus on the software solutions that best satisfy your requirements. Requirements first, software second.

Your One Stop Guide To Manufacturing Accounting Software
Ashish Jain

Manufacturing in simple terms means changing of raw materials into final goods, ready for selling. Different processing methods and equipments are used in this transformation. So, how do you manage all these processes?

Definitely, you can take the help of a manufacturing accounting software. Manufacturing Accounting Software is developed with a view to achieve the various financial needs related to production. It is full of various functional modules assigned for different tasks. Accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger and much more are the essential modules of an efficient manufacturing software.

No matter what your business is, no matter whether it is big or small, you are bound to face some of the critical business challenges. Some of the basic challenges of a business related to manufacturing like constant optimization of inventories, processing and fulfilling of customer orders in a timely manner have to be tackled in an efficient way while keeping a firm grasp on the financial aspects of the company.

And here the great role of manufacturing accounting software comes into picture and enables you to face the challenges of your business set up. To define manufacturing software, it is an application used in the management and inventory field. Management and control of any organization has never been so easy.

A manufacturing software enables you to handle everything associated with production very easily. Management of manufacturing involves four main steps- estimating, producing, accounting and reviewing. And, with manufacturing software, all these become very easy. A manufacturing software is very helpful in entering different plans electronically and monitoring their process regularly. It also helps in tracking the assets of a company which is a crucial part.

Manufacturing software is great in the sense that it can easily link the product demand with the production ability of a company. It helps in the optimization of resource usage. It is great in forecasting future trends as well. Features such as sales forecasting, contact management, analysis and alike help in the effective management of the organization.

There are several manufacturing accounting software which you will find beneficial to your particular industry. Some of the manufacturing software solutions have developed manufacturing- specific solutions for different product lines. Manufacturing business requires that when the demand hits, it must be able to deliver. This software provides you the required tools to keep production running smoothly and efficiently, including powerful inventory management tools, job costing tools and much more.

One such excellent manufacturing accounting software is developed by Sage software to meet the unique accounting needs of the manufacturers. The name of the software is Peachtree Premium Accounting for Manufacturing. It encompasses key data and tools to assist you in fulfilling important jobs, quickly and easily. Other features of the software are manufacturing guide, pre-built reports, work tickets and quantity price breaks giving accurate inventory control and making you aware of the operational insight into your production and assembly processes. Above all, starting up and learning this software is very easy.

The software supports core accounting features and reporting options. It helps you in keeping track of:

a) Accounts Receivable
b) Time, Billing and Job Costing
c) General Ledger
d) Inventory
e) Accounts Payable
f) Payroll Solutions
g) Fixed Assets

Peachtree Premium Accounting software thus makes it possible for you to conquer the challenges of operating a profitable manufacturing business. It gives you a powerful yet flexible tool, designed specifically to help you meet challenges of your manufacturing operations. This software is known for its sound inventory and assembly management features. All these make this software, the choice of millions of small businesses. I strongly recommend you this software for at least once in your business. And I’m sure that you will be hooked.
Ashish Jain
To get more information about accounting, accounting software and types of acconting software visit http://www.managemyaccounting.com/