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.
Product Description The purpose of Best Practices in ERP Software Applications is to disseminate knowledge about the state-of-the-art in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems and the business best practices embedded in the systems.It is written for business professionals, project managers, consultants, team leaders, programmers, technicians, vendors, service providers, executives, teachers and students who are working, managing or studying in the field of software application deve… More >>
Total ERP have a demo video which can be downloaded from their web site, but it is 35Mb and is an executable file which may can concern untrusting users. The codec used is also not conventional, so really they’ve not done themselves any favours if they want people to watch it.
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: 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.
Many times companies try to select and implement ERP software on their own. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. So the question is, when should a company use an ERP Software Consultant to guide them in their ERP Selection or ERP Implementation?
The answer is not so simple. If a company is mature and has the resources that can look independently at the business processes, then it may make sense to embark on a selection on their own. Most of the time in mid-market sized or even smaller clients, then it is difficult for them to 1. Spare the resources and 2. Look at the business processes objectively.
Any good ERP Selection begins with a company evaluating their business processes. Borrowing from the Toyota Production system (aka Lean Manufacturing), a company should first eliminate waste and then consider automating. Automating bad processes will only make things worse faster. However, automating good processes will help grow the business and promote better communication.
The real question becomes how much is the company willing to flex their processes to adapt to “best practices” that are usually built into a commercial software system. If the company is flexible (and this takes a lot of leadership to make happen), they can select a system and model their business around that system. The larger commercial systems, such as those from Microsoft, Infor, SAP, Oracle, and others have all grown up from thousands of implementations from all sorts of companies. They have developed efficiencies that many companies who adopt the software’s methodology can benefit from.
The real key is understanding the fit of a software package to the business. If the company does some niche processing, then a mainstream commercial package may not fit. However it the company is a distributor or a manufacturer of discrete products as an example, then a standard mid-market product would likely work for them.
So how do you choose the software, it is back to the business processes and the key requirements. “Key Requirements,” not just all requirements. The things that the old system does not do well and those things that it does very well are good places to start. Additionally, discover those requirements or processes that set your company apart from others in your industry. Usually processes around your competitive advantage are part of the key requirements.
Going back to the original question, should you use independent ERP Software Consultants? If you have a clear and objective understanding, you can afford the time to really research the vendors and you have a strong will with salespeople, then going it on your own might be reasonable.
If you do not have the time, the understanding of the ERP Software market, or the will power to manage at an arm’s length the software vendor’s salespeople, then an ERP Software Consultant would be a wise choice.
From a financial perspective, a software licence is responsible for a large proportion of a company’s IT outgoings – there are steps that can be taken to reduce these costs, however. To accomplish reduced costs with software licensing, many businesses seek out technology such as application virtualization.
Essentially, a software licence is an agreement between a publisher of software and the end user – such as businesses. It can be very costly for businesses to install separate pieces of software onto numerous different computers of their employees and it is apparent that software licence fees will soon add up. As such, the use of technology software like application virtualization will become ever more sought after in the business world – for various reasons, such as the reduction of software licensing fees.
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The importance of having up to date software in an office environment is plain to see and for companies with a large number of employees, rolling this software out to each computer or laptop within the office can often prove to be a highly expensive endeavour. Many companies will turn to software like application virtualization when it comes to reducing the costs which can be associated with installing a software licence onto various different computers.
Software Licence Concerns
How a company uses the applications they have purchased is something which will typically be determined by the Software Licence – the restrictions it has will ordinarily become clear during the installation of the software. Application virtualization is invariably where many companies turn to when it comes to installing software onto a number of different computers, including those employees working remotely.
Understanding the underlying principles of a software licence is fairly straightforward but the key element to remember is to adhere to any stipulations which are held within the licence itself.
Getting the Right Software
Overspending on software is common problem for businesses today but this is something which can be avoided with a few simple provisions. Getting to grips with compliance issues is one of the most important things that a business can do when it comes to a software licence – and once this is achieved, businesses are likely to be much more efficient with regard to their software licensing endeavours.
