Business Process Optimization Using ERP And CRM

For 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

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.

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.

Video: Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the Current Trend in CRM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the Current Trend in CRM

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. Over the next two weeks, we are publishing 7 videos, each centered on one question about the Microsoft offerings.

Brad makes some interesting observations about the Customer Relationship Management software marketplace. Including the fact that customer relationships are what drive the value of a business. He remarks that the drive for multi-channel customer relationships are quickly becoming part of the customer demand for CRM software. He goes on to talk about the four things that are required for a CRM to be successful.

After watching the video, we would be interested in your feedback on what you think. Do you concur with Brad?

This is the second of a series of 7 videos that we will be posting.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Video 2

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Getting More Microsoft Dynamics CRM Information

If you are interested in exploring Microsoft Dynamics CRM 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 CRM

Plex Online Cloud ERP now integrates with Salesforce.com

We normally do not publish press releases directly, but this is an exciting announcement. It is a step in the right direction, however, according to the article, it is only the Lead Management system that is integrated. We would have liked to have seen the whole Sales Force Automation process linked over to Plex, including Opportunity Management, but this is a good start.

Plex Online Cloud ERP Offers Customers Expanded Integration

Plex Systems partners with Revolution Group to offer seamless ERP, CRM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 4, 2011 — Plex Systems, Inc., provider of the No. 1 rated manufacturing ERP software, today announced additional functionality options for its Plex Online customers who use Salesforce.com.

With a range of ERP features in its comprehensive system, Plex Online is already one of the top SaaS / cloud computing manufacturing solutions. Manufacturers that use bothSalesforce.com and Plex Online in their business operations will benefit from the seamless integration of the two applications.

Together with implementation partner Revolution Group, Plex Systems researched how Plex Online and Salesforce.com could interface and created a fully cloud-based integration of the lead management process.

“Plex Online provides a complete suite of CRM tools for managing the total sales process, from powerful quote tracking and order entry modules, to release accounting and shipment tracking, to revenue reporting,” noted Patrick Fetterman, Plex Systems vice president. “Yet, for customers that must keep their Salesforce.com deployment, Plex Online will now be able to integrate with it. Teaming with Revolution Group, the integration with Salesforce.com is an opportunity to provide manufacturers with even more functionality.”

Launched as one of the original cloud computing companies in 1999, Salesforce.com reported annual earnings exceeded $1.3b in the fiscal year ending on January 31, 2010. Based on Salesforce.com’s real-time, multitenant architecture, the company’s platform and CRM applications have revolutionized the way companies collaborate and communicate with their customer.

About Revolution Group
Revolution Group, a Premier Plex Systems Implementation Partner and Registered Salesforce.com Partner, has been delivering solid, business-driven IT solutions and services to manufacturers since 1995. Revolution Group combines technology, a broad understanding of business best practices, and the best hardware and software alternatives to help bring clients cost-effective, reliable and scalable solutions. Their expertise in Plex Online implementation ensures clients the competitive advantage that technology promises. For more information, visit www.revolutiongroup.com.

About Plex Systems, Inc.
Plex Systems, Inc. is the developer of Plex Online, a SaaS ERP (software as a service) cloud ERP solution for the manufacturing enterprise. Plex Online offers industry-leading features for virtually every department within a manufacturer, including Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Quality Management Systems (QMS) for the shop floor, Supply Chain Management (SCM) for procurement, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for finance and management. Plex Online’s comprehensive functional coverage delivers a “shop floor to top floor” view of a manufacturer’s operations, enabling management to run its business at maximum efficiency. Founded in 1995, Plex Systems is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with customers around the globe. Follow Plex Systems at twitter.com/PlexSystems. More information is available at www.plex.com.

Plex Systems and Plex Online are trademarks of Plex Systems, Inc.
Prathima Ramesh
Markit Strategies and PR, LLC

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Social Networking and ERP?

Social Networking and ERP

Social Networking has become the mainstay of the internet now. Facebook, Twitter, and the like are all drawing people in and essentially training the next generation of computer users. These social media sites are like magnets that people have to go to each and every day to keep up with their friends and share their updates. People are accessing these media sources from all types of devices. It is all absorbing.

One of the biggest problems in most business applications is user adoption. Getting the users to use the Social Networking and ERP together is a key challenge in many applications. So how does the business applications market combine the social media attraction to a financial or manufacturing system? Combining a social media approach to a business management system would seem to be a logical conclusion. But there are obstacles. You have two different elements playing here. The cold hard facts of transactional data and the emotional connectedness of the social media. How can these gel together?

Salesforce.com has begun a trend in combining social media with a business application through their Chatter application. Essentially, Chatter is a Twitter for Salesforce.com. It is an embedded part of Salesforce.com. Users can post status updates and see all of the updates from their chosen connections (friends). But the power of this application is that you can follow business objects within Salesforce.com such as Accounts, Opportunities, Contracts, etc. So anytime an update occurs on these objects, you get a status update, not from a friend, but rather from an application.

Social Networking and ERP in Action

So how would this likely work in an ERP solution? First you could enhance any alerts to post to a status page. Next you could potentially use it to notify you on any changes to any master record, such as customer, supplier, inventory, or BOMs. The next thing you might consider is to have criteria based alerts be in the form of status updates. Post an update when a customer exceeds their credit limit, or post an alert when a critical inventory part is below its optimal stocking level. Together Social Networking and ERP can have an amazing integration of functionality.

The next logical extension of this would be to extend the ERP to the social web. Imagine getting private posts on Facebook when your major customer falls past due or when your shipment that absolutely must go out notifies you that it shipped on time. When Social Networking and ERP converge, you will have seamless integration between your networks, including Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Social Networking and ERP in the future

The problem with this whole concept is the ability for traditional client server based ERP solutions to move in this direction. Some of the new systems (or recently re-written) solutions may be able to implement this type of functionality quickly, but some of the older technology solutions may have difficulty bringing a social media function quickly to bear. Social Networking and ERP may only be a thing of dreams, but it can very well be reality faster than you might expect. This integration is clearly something that anyone looking for software should watch for and something we should add to our post on What to look out for when selecting software.

As this is a topic with no clear solution yet, what do you our readers think? Where is this going? When will we see it? Please post your comments and thoughts.
Social Networking and ERP

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

Advantages of Online CRM solution

Author: Antje Wilmer

Customer relationship management or CRM is defined as the process of tracking and organizing contacts with your current and prospective customers. An effective CRM practice revolves around different departments of your business process, enhances its productivity and service to match expectations of your customers. According a recent survey conducted by â€œBenchmarkâ€ CRM applications can increase revenue per sales person by 41% and improve lead conversion over 300%. Other advantages of CRM applications are customer retention, better profit margin and decreased marketing and sales cost. That is the reason Claudio Marcus, research director at Gartner commented “CRM is not part of a business strategy; CRM is the business strategy.”

Advent of internet has caused a paradigm shift to age old dynamics of customer relationship management. Web based CRM or online CRM comprises s et of software applications hosted by an Application Service Provider (ASP). These applications enable you to deliver services through internet. From free of cost Google Calendar to Customized and business specific online CRM solutions are available in the market. Their installation in your business process offer manifold advantages. They lower down the cost of entry and ownership. You can implement changes according to demands of customers in a faster manner. It helps in faster transmission of information among the line of organizational hierarchy and your customers.

Accessibility is another advantage of online CRM applications. Though these application you can access your customers from any part of the globe. Implementation of online CRM solutions is easy as they do not need any costly hardware server infrastructure and deployment of backend operations. If you are going for a customized Online CRM solution, it can adopt to growing demands of your business.

In a nutshell, Online CRM solutions and applications will lead you towards smoother operation, expanded customer base and better profit.

Antje Wilmer is a freelance writer on eCommerce. He has written the articles and blogs on eCommerce Software and online CRM Solution.

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