CRM solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 allow businesses to obtain a greater understanding of customer demand and preferences through data analysis. When companies understand what motivates and influences customers, it can see that all communications can create a consistent brand narrative and build an ongoing relationship with consumers. This insightful dialogue often begins with introductions through marketing.

While the world of big data provides more customer information, employees and managers need solutions to simplify the collection and reporting of data. The latest Microsoft Dynamics 365  releases provide features that make data-driven marketing simpler through easy-to-use dashboards, data visualization and automated information gathering.

Easy design
First and foremost, companies need to be sure employees achieve the benefits from CRM solutions they expect and need. Microsoft Dynamics 365 puts users first by making features and layout simple and intuitive.

When creating marketing campaigns in the past, Microsoft Dynamics 365 used MarketingPilot features to provide templates and workflows to keep tasks moving along. The latest releases integrate the best parts of the previous system with a streamlined dashboard and user-friendly visual campaign designer, according to Microsoft.

Employees and managers can write individual content for each marketing campaign while referencing data about company expectations and audience preferences easily visible in the CRM system. This allows users to target each message at a particular audience and design materials to achieve certain goals.

Information visualization
As employees design individual campaigns, it’s essential that they utilize the data from previous marketing efforts and resulting consumer actions. Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers visualization features so results and activities can be displayed through graphs, charts or lists.

Entrepreneur said informed planning is essential to each marketing campaign. Companies must study internal data and set standards for success based on personally designed metrics. These numbers should be visible in a CRM solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and visualized data features allow users to see how actions match expectations in real-time. For example, Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides lead scoring functionality, so each person the business contacts receives a rating based on favorable interaction metrics.

When information is displayed in ways the user finds most effective, it is easier to spot trends or outliers that need to be communicated with immediately. Microsoft Dynamics 365 gives employees and managers the ability to put key information on their homepage, so they can be greeted with essential data before they begin any task.

Data capture
Internal data is one of the best sources of information that helps businesses differentiate which leads convert to sales. By studying visualized audience metrics, the CRM system can score leads and know when it is best to follow up with particular consumers. The data generated from sales, consumer communications and customer feedback should all be integrated into a CRM solution, and so should public activities monitored by the company.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers Social Listening capabilities so businesses can track public messages and measure audience response to marketing. Employees gain access to consumer opinions on specific pieces of content and managers can evaluate general impressions for each campaign released by the organization.

Sometimes it’s difficult to turn audience interactions into hard numbers. Offhand comments may not fit into metrics previously designed by the company. This is why Microsoft Dynamics 365 has adaptive sentiment, a feature that helps analyze social media user intent through custom built sentiment models.

Automation
The data collected through consumer engagement and marketing affects every part of a business’s operation. If managers want more time to share and analyze data from daily activities, they can automate back office marketing tasks. Clickdimensions shared information on how companies can increase traffic and simplify tasks by integrating their technology with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Companies should speak with their CRM partner to see what other add-ons and third party services could help businesses achieve the full benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for CRM capabilities.

The post Microsoft Dynamics 365 supports CRM and data-driven marketing appeared first on The TM Group.

Companies seek CRM solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 once they realize how valuable customer loyalty is in competitive industries. Small Business Trends shared the results of research conducted by Bain & Company and the Harvard Business School that found a 5 percent growth in customer retention could lead to a substantial increase in profits – anywhere between 25 percent and 95 percent. Customers who keep coming back are dependable sources of income and often spend more than first-time visitors.

This means customer service procedures need to foster relationships and demonstrate the business’s commitment to a consumer’s ongoing satisfaction. Microsoft Dynamics 365 (formerly Microsoft Dynamics CRM) won a 2016 CUSTOMER magazine CRM Excellence Award for providing this functionality while allowing businesses to expand the amount of services they provide for customers, according to MSPoweruser. The CRM features provided by Microsoft Dynamics 365 give users the simple data processes needed to track individual consumers and implement new communication platforms into daily routines.

Not only is it becoming increasingly obvious businesses need to promote loyalty, but modern consumers are more likely to reach out and share opinions about brands with the public. Working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 allows organizations to keep up with increased rates of feedback and provide care throughout a customer’s lifetime.

Increasing consumer interactions
Millennials – the generation born between the 1980s and early 2000s – should be a target market for most industries. According to the most recent census numbers, millennials outnumber baby boomers and make up one-fourth of the U.S. population. This generation is more diverse than previous ones in terms of culture and values, but as consumers they show some consistent trends.

A recent J.D. Power report studied millennial consumer habits and found this group was consistently more satisfied with businesses than other generations. Millennials are more likely to complain when something goes wrong, however, and will speak up when they have questions about service and financial options. Companies that can resolve issues in a practical and timely manner will see increased loyalty from millennials, as the group is more likely than baby boomers to reuse products and services after complaint resolutions.

Information is highly valued by millennials, so they will seek company information through websites, social media pages and peers. If they don’t receive the answers they want through company materials or private channels, they will take their questions public. The Guardian reported The Institute of Customer Service tracked an eightfold increase in social media complaints about brands between 2014 and 2015.

It should be noted that social media is not just a place to voice frustration. Social Media Today said consumers also post to Twitter and Facebook to ask for recommendations about products and voice praise for particularly great customer service. With the right tools, businesses can turn happy customers into brand advocates on public channels.

CRM solutions for new audiences
Microsoft Dynamics 365’s CRM components offer Social Engagement capabilities. Users can track communication across popular channels using Intelligent Social features to help businesses measure and capture data. This allows business users to add Facebook messages to a customer’s record or create audience profiles built on opinions and complaints submitted by members of target audiences.

This CRM solution provides traditional features for customer case management, but recent updates host options for self-service portals. Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers one central CRM data source that assists businesses as they provide information for consumers across websites, printed materials, social media and customer care center interactions. Thanks to mobile performance, in-person meetings can reference the same information.

When every business representative communicates consistent data, it creates a dependable relationship with consumers that continuously moves forward. Removing obstacles from interactions while providing service they expect and value shows consumers businesses care about their ongoing satisfaction.

The post Extend customer relationships with award-winning Microsoft Dynamics 365 appeared first on The TM Group.

With the announcement of Microsoft Dynamics 365, many are wondering what the new platform means in terms of the software giant’s existing stable of CRM and ERP solutions. Microsoft recently discussed the future of one especially popular solution, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, at the NAV Directions conference in late September. The company said it’s sticking to a goal to grow the total number of Dynamics NAV users from 100,000 to 200,000 over five years, a mark set in 2014, according to MS Dynamics World.

Information shared at the conference indicated Microsoft realized overall growth in user numbers between 2014 and 2016, but the rate of increase falls short of hitting the 200,000-user target by 2019. Perhaps more importantly to existing users of Dynamics NAV, the software developer made some key statements about the ERP solution’s future and associated updates, partnerships and advances.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV part of an ongoing strategy While Dynamics 365 received most of the recent attention around Microsoft’s assortment of platforms, the business made it clear that all of its offerings in the ERP and CRM categories are still in play and receiving attention from developers, partners, independent software vendors and others. Microsoft Dynamics 365 fills the needed role of a cloud-centric CRM/ERP solution for Microsoft, but other solutions like Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV and Dynamics SL still play critical parts as well. Paul White, Microsoft general manager, highlighted the difference in deployment between Dynamics 365 and other offerings, noting the complementary positions occupied by each.

“GP, SL, and NAV all go forward,” White said, according to MS Dynamics World. “This is an ‘and’ strategy. We only get our take of the market share if we do both on-premise and cloud.”

Microsoft’s Stable of CRM and ERP Solutions now include:

• Microsoft Dynamics GP (on-premise or partner hosted)
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV (on-premise or partner hosted)
• Microsoft Dynamics SL (on-premise or partner hosted)
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition (Dual License for on-premise or Microsoft Cloud optimized for 250+ Employees)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Operations (Formerly Dynamics AX. 20 User Minimum.)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Sales (Formerly component of Dynamics CRM)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Customer Service (Formerly component of Dynamics CRM)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Field Service (Formerly component of Dynamics CRM)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation (Formerly component of Dynamics CRM)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Marketing (New offering to be released 2017)
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition (Microsoft Cloud Solution Only optimized for 10 to 250 Employees. 300 User Maximum)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Financials (New, released 2016, Cloud ERP solution based on Dynamics NAV)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Sales (Formerly component of Dynamics CRM. To be released Q1 2017.)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Customer Service (Formerly component of Dynamics CRM. To be released Q1 2017.)
  • o Dynamics 365 for Marketing (New offering to be released 2017)

More choices good for users Microsoft said its efforts to expand the reach of Dynamics include working with new and different partners in addition to the many value-added resellers and independent software vendors who are already part of its network.

For current and future users of the Microsoft ERP solutions, Microsoft’s dedication to Dynamics 365/GP/NAV/SL and the desire to build its base of customers will pay off. Microsoft has already detailed some aspects of the extra attention the platform will receive, and it’s possible the company will prioritize the development of new features and functionality in the short-term future. With assurances that all the Dynamics solutions are here to stay, the potential for increased attention and more additions to the solutions than normal are both major positives.

The post Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP/NAV/SL appeared first on The TM Group.

CRM solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 help companies monitor the satisfaction of their consumers. From the moment an individual makes contact with an organization, a centralized business solution should aid in building an ongoing relationship with that customer. The data collection and management of each consumer record should extend long after the customer makes a purchase.

Customers expect continued satisfaction from the products they buy. After purchasing merchandise or service from a company, consumers either trust the business to provide goods that match marketed performance expectations or take extra measures – like obtaining a warranty – to ensure the brand will deal with any potential problems. When something goes wrong, businesses cannot hesitate to fix the issue and rebuild the customer’s trust.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help companies provide the service and support necessary to respond to problems as soon as they occur. The opportunities presented by this CRM solution are designed for a new generation of consumers that want their issues addressed as they happen and won’t hesitate to speak up when they need help.

Consumer communications
If business owners still consider millennials to be kids, they may want to check their math. The generation born between the late 1980s and early 2000s are now in their 30s and 20s and are a major consumer group. They make large purchases for homes and businesses, and need products to provide dependable performance.

Research conducted by J.D. Power and Associates found millennials are three times as likely to contact wireless carriers about service problems than baby boomers, according to Quartz. Millennial consumers also spoke to utility companies and major retail brands more often than older generations. This group expects companies to be customer-centric and information to be readily available.

Customer portals
Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers the communication features necessary to deal with increased customer service traffic. Last spring’s release added to the already popular system’s capabilities by including web portals consumers can use for self-service, according to CRM Buyer.

Businesses that implement Microsoft Dynamics 365’s CRM components can give customers access to information and support they can find themselves at their own convenience. Entrepreneur said the millennial generation often prefers self-service options and wants to contact companies on their preferred device. Cloud-deployed CRM solutions allow companies to offer customer-facing web portals that work with smartphones, tablets and laptops.

When business information and representatives are not readily available, consumers will go elsewhere for answers and to voice complaints. Microsoft Dynamics 365 also features social listening so companies can look out for issues and problems customers don’t directly communicate to organizations on public forums.

New field service solutions
When it comes time to address service or product problems, a properly implemented CRM solution helps companies manage resources to deal with issues. Microsoft Dynamics 365  users can see which field agents are available, talent profiles, consumer comments and any other data necessary to schedule quick and efficient repairs.

InfoWorld said Dynamics 365 (formerly Microsoft Dynamics CRM) offers cutting-edge technology for companies that perform field service calls on connected devices. The business software system allows smart devices purchased by consumers to report their own problems and make issues visible to businesses before customers have to make contact. This is another valuable data source for businesses that want to prioritize service and satisfaction.

By working with a CRM partner like The TM Group, companies can investigate which CRM features help businesses collect, manage and analyze the data they consider most important for consistent success. As new technology becomes available, one of our CRM consultants can help organizations recognize opportunities that will benefit a company and its consumers.  

The post Microsoft Dynamics 365 predicts consumer issues appeared first on The TM Group.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM has long helped many client-focused businesses more efficiently and effectively interact with customers, build relationships and encourage sales. The advantages of using a CRM solution developed by a giant in the industry and supported by a respected CRM partner are many, and plenty of companies have realized the value of this platform. With the announcement of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Financials – a new, cloud-deployed solution that offers an attractive mix of CRM and ERP features – companies interested in acquiring a new CRM solution or upgrading from a current system may be unsure of how to proceed. Let’s take a look at Microsoft’s current CRM landscape.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition offers exciting new options Dynamics 365 has a lot to offer companies that need a powerful solution to manage customers, track sales activities and encourage future purchases. As the CRM Software Blog said, the basis of Dynamics 365 for Financials – the small- and midsize-business version of the new platform – is Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

The same presentation and many of the features that exist in the most current version of Dynamics NAV are present in Dynamics 365 for Financials. While the system will run leaner in some respects – not every single feature will carry over from Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 for Financials – a strong base still exists and there is also some additional functionality unique to Dynamics 365 for Financials. Changes to the new platform will benefit users, with the development of an app store featuring add-on solutions on a buy-as-needed basis, a change that’s likely to benefit small and midsize businesses. It’s important to view Microsoft’s new offering not as a major disruption of Dynamics CRM, but an evolution of that platform. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition’s main components includes:

• Dynamics 365 For Financials
• Dynamics for Sales
• Dynamics for Customer Service
• Dynamics for Marketing
• Microsoft Power BI
• Microsoft PowerApps

Making the right decisions Many in the technology media and beyond, including Fortune, are pointing to Microsoft’s integration of CRM and ERP applications – and the introduction of artificial intelligence – as major steps for the development of business software. There are many other changes and improvements to consider, such as deployment through Microsoft’s Azure cloud. The mix of customizability in terms of the Dynamics 365 app store and options for purchasing licenses based on employee roles are also attractive. For businesses that are new to the CRM marketplace, or haven’t been involved since they last purchased a solution some years ago, all these developments may be confusing. What can these companies do to ensure they realize the best CRM solution possible and extract the most value from it?

Organizations need to find a qualified CRM partner to help them through the many stages that make up an implementation project. From the initial gathering of data to ongoing support after the CRM solution goes live, an experienced and active partner is an indispensable asset throughout the process. The guidance they provide steers businesses toward the right choices and away from costly or time-consuming options. With an industry shift in CRM and a major new development on the part of Microsoft, finding the right partner is even more important than ever.

The post What does Microsoft Dynamics 365 mean for CRM-focused companies? appeared first on The TM Group.

Every business owner has a lot to worry about including the need to improve employee engagement, but entrepreneurs have the added pressure of keeping an unestablished company afloat in a very competitive business world. 

Day in and out, these professionals likely notice many weaknesses within their business that could potentially compromise their company’s short- and long-term goals. One of these is how their employees are performing due to their high or low engagement levels.

What are engagement levels and why are they important?
Before we dive into Microsoft Dynamics 365, formally known as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and how it can improve employee engagement levels, let’s explain why it’s pivotal managers measure this metric. 

Gallup reported that only 32 percent of employees in the U.S. are engaged in their work. While that number is frightening, it’s actually just over double the rate worldwide, which sits at a mere 13 percent. Employees who aren’t engaged could be less motivated to produce high-quality work. In return, they may cost the company revenue if unhappy clients leave for competitors. 

While large corporations may be able to weather these effects, poor engagement levels may have an irreversible effect on an entrepreneur’s operations.

As you can see, high employee engagement levels can help solve many of the underlying issues that cost entrepreneurs profits. The question now is: How do you increase those levels? The answer is simple: Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Here are three ways Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help turn your office into a thriving place of innovation, creativity and collaboration:

1. Keeps employees from leaving
Think about the different reasons you’ve left former jobs. You might have abandoned your post because you disliked your manager or you didn’t enjoy the work you were performing. If that was the case, you’re not alone. A recent Paychex survey of 2,000 employees of different ages and in various industries revealed that nearly 45 percent of respondents left their jobs because they didn’t like their boss. Fifty-two percent moved on because they felt their employers didn’t care about them and around the same amount quit because they too didn’t enjoy their work.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 could help solve all of these issues by improving in-office communication.

How important is that? Very.

A survey of 2,058 U.S. adults conducted by Interact found that nearly 40 percent of managers felt uncomfortable about giving direct feedback to employees about their performance if they felt the employee wouldn’t take it well.

It’s safe to assume that at least some of these managers might also be uncomfortable communicating general policies and procedures, which means their employees aren’t receiving the type of information they need to perform at a high level and, as the theme of the article suggests, retain a high engagement level.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 can’t talk for managers – nor provide direct feedback – but it can give all employees a centralized view into information they otherwise wouldn’t have had. For example, they’ll have access to call logs, appointments, emails and other exchanged documents. 

This kind of transparency can help employees better enjoy their jobs by simplifying processes while also raising the approval ratings of managers. 

2. Improve communication
Employees want smooth, constant communication in the workplace. Gallup found that employees are most engaged when there is some type of daily, fast communication – face-to-face, phone or digitally – with their managers. 

While Gallup’s research didn’t focus on CRM tools, it’s safe to assume that these types of solutions are great ways to meet employees’ communication and transparency demands. Microsoft Dynamics 365 can eliminate office silos, which disrupt the flow of information, synchronize departments and streamline communication processes. So not only can Microsoft Dynamics 365 improve how information is exchanged, it can eliminate sluggish processes.

3. Increase flexibility to adjust quickly
Businesses today move fast, and employees are constantly under pressure to adjust quickly to meet operational requirements and business goals. They can’t do this if they’re consistently struggling to find the right information, whether that’s in sales, operations or marketing.

In general, Microsoft Dynamics 365 gives employees greater insight into what their department is doing and, if they have access, to how other areas of the company are performing as well. 

By increasing transparency, employees are less likely to be waiting around for data to make high-level business decisions and therefore more likely to be engaged in their work. 

Entrepreneurs can’t waste time and resources trying to put out brush fires because their staff is disengaged from their work and therefore not meeting company expectations. They can tackle this problem head on by integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 into their companies.

The post Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help entrepreneurs improve engagement levels appeared first on The TM Group.

If you feel like your business is stuck in a rut, it’s time to transform your business. We believe you can start by integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 into your current business model. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 includes powerful customer relationship management software that can improve everything from marketing and sales to customer satisfaction. 

Here are three ways this awesome system can transform your company this year:

1. Enhance workflow
CRMs act as a single point of contact for employees who need information pertaining to their customers. Companies that rely on – whether they have to or choose to – archaic manual data processing are more likely to record incorrect data and isolate portions of their employee-base from accessing key information. The end result: These workers can’t easily or readily exchange information, collaborate with their employees and make accurate, high-level decisions.

CRMs enhance workflow by streamlining communication and improving data flow. In turn, this can increase productivity and improve workplace efficiency. 

2. Improve data organization
There are plenty of systems companies can use to record data. One popular cloud platform is Google documents, which allows people to write and record data in the cloud. While a system like this is useful for smaller, growing companies, it can become difficult to manage this growing data as the business scales. A CRM such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 stores all of this data in one easy-to-use portal and grows with the company. 

Ken Jacobsen, vice president of The TM Group, said that one of Microsoft Dynamics 365’s great features is its ability to adapt to any business or setting. Companies shouldn’t have to “get used to their CRM” because this inhibits their employees. Instead it should afford employees an easier route to gathering and analyze the business data they need quickly service customers and make decisions.

“One of the strengths of Microsoft Dynamics 365 is that it can be custom tailored to a client’s specific needs,” said Jacobsen. “And this doesn’t have to be done by a developer. It’s actually very easy for a business analysis type of person to actually open the application and customize the views and the screens without actually having to know how to do any coding.” 

3. Increase employee engagement and happiness
Employees who aren’t engaged is a problem because it inhibits a company’s ability to turn a profit. Gallup recently reported that only 32 percent of employees in the U.S. are engaged in their jobs. This means they aren’t very devoted or excited about where they work or what they do. 

While CRMs don’t directly increase employee engagement – they can’t throw a party or provide rewards and benefits – they can indirectly give workers greater incentive to perform more meaningful work. 

How does this happen?

Employees who have more data in front of them can make more accurate, better decisions which can have a greater impact on their organizations. And for younger generations this is pivotal. Gallup reported that millennials feel “unconstrained,” and are always wanting to make changes to the world. They’re also a very optimistic group and therefore want their work to be meaningful. 

When you adopt Microsoft Dynamics 365, you give your employees greater insights into the data they need to effectively do their jobs all while using a simple dashboard. 

Stop wasting time this year. Transformation doesn’t happen on its own. It takes place when you use Microsoft Dynamics 365.

The post 3 ways a CRM can transform your business appeared first on The TM Group.

CRM solutions that help businesses better understand their customers, like Microsoft Dynamics 365, are vital in a wide variety of industries that rely on positive, ongoing consumer relationships. The analytical power provided by Dynamics 365 allows companies to see the connections between many areas of operation and make changes that can increase efficiency, reduce waste and lead to better outcomes.

While college and professional sports teams have some of the most enduringly loyal customers in any sort of business-to-consumer relationship – there’s a reason they’re called fans, after all – these organizations can derive serious benefits from the right implementation and use of CRM solutions. One such team, the National Basketball League’s Portland Trail Blazers, has realized some major improvements in terms of maximizing arena capacity, forming positive, lasting relationships with season-ticket holders and gaining a stronger understanding of fan preferences.

Trail Blazers combat growing effectiveness of in-home technology
A post on Microsoft’s partner network blog detailed how sports teams in general are facing off against the development of consumer technology that takes fans closer to games than ever before, without buying a ticket and taking a trip to the stadium or arena. Mobile devices, large-screen, high-definition TVs, highly efficient digital distribution of game information and more all combine to create an increasingly attractive at-home atmosphere for fans.

There are certainly differences, but in some significant ways, this shift in sports fans’ spending and decision-making habits mirrors an issue common in many areas of B2B and B2C sales: growing consumer ability and desire to shop from home, leading to more choices and price comparisons through eCommerce channels. In both situations, this leads to a more competitive marketplace and requires companies to adapt if they want to maintain relevance and build connections with customers. For the Trail Blazers, this meant using a variety of customer data dimensions to create a more attractive environment inside the confines of their home court at Portland’s Moda Center.

The Trail Blazers had an issue common to many companies still using legacy systems to try and gain insight into customer behavior and develop relationships. The organization could collect the data somewhat well, but it flowed into siloed systems that didn’t allow staff to gain insight into fan behavior or make decisions that have a major impact on operations. With data ranging from concession and merchandise sales to web search histories available to the team, it had the right incoming informational streams. It still needed the right CRM solution to make sense of that mountain of data.

Success with Microsoft Dynamics 365
Following a successful implementation, The Trail Blazers had a modern platform in place to manage, analyze and help the organization understand the many dimensions of consumer data it captured. With a unified system, there was no overlooking certain pieces of info. The team can now segment its fans into groups for more effective marketing and outreach, and can use similar processes to reach out to individual customers about promotions that they will be most interested in.

In terms of results, it’s easy to see how the Trail Blazers have improved. Here are just a few statistics demonstrating their growth using Dynamics CRM:

• An average 100.5 percent arena seating capacity, indicating high and consistent ticket sales.
• Selling out 37 of 41 home games.
• Retention of 95 percent of season-ticket holders, ranking third-highest in the NBA.

While college and professional sports teams are definitely unique organizations, they face many of the same issues as many other businesses in terms of customer relationships and related information management. Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides the advantages customer-oriented organizations need to stay connected with and engaged with their consumer base.

The post CRM solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 helps businesses gain deeper customer understanding appeared first on The TM Group.

Are your employees struggling to hit their goals? Do they look uninspired or depressed? If this is the case, think about adopting a CRM (customer relationship management) tool such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales. It’s the perfect way to solve these two common problems. It can also do the following:

Strengthen communication
Employees want to receive feedback on how well they’re performing and if their team or department is hitting benchmarks. Managers, however, will struggle to accomplish this if they don’t have accurate information in front of them.

A CRM solution allows managers to:

• Access accurate data: If managers provide employees with false information, the latter will make wrong decisions, which could ultimately impact their company’s bottom line.
• Respond quicker: Managers are constantly bombarded with questions and requests. A fully integrated CRM solution enables managers to quickly respond because they’re able to access information pertaining to sales, marketing, financials, inventory and more all from a single portal.
• Communicate regularly: Gallup reported that when companies always talk about their strong points, employees follow suit and use their strengths too. Managers that can quickly extract critical data can meet with employees more regularly to discuss not only their strengths, but the company’s and employee’s too.
• Eliminate data silos: Data silos are repositories of data in a company that are cut off from other departments. This could happen because employees refuse to share the information with others or because they don’t have an easy, efficient way to do so. A CRM solution can be used as a single source of truth and completely eliminates data silos because all pertinent data can be stored in one system that can be accessed by anyone.
• Field a mobile staff: Mobile staffs will find it difficult to operate if they’re not able to regularly communicate with colleagues in their office. As we’ll discuss in a bit more detail shortly, many CRMs can connect to mobile devices with cloud capabilities, allowing mobile teams to easily update the program.

Increased solution integration
Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales can sync with Microsoft Outlook, enabling employees to access their tasks, contacts, emails, calendars and appointments. Why is this important?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales lets you send an email to a client from one integrated CRM/Outlook solution. Prior to using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Outlook, this email sat in its own silo. No one could automatically access that information besides the sender and receiver. For other employees to read the email, they’d have to be copied or request access to it, and that takes time. Microsoft Dynamics 365 allows other employees to view that information, which reduces mistakes, and increases efficiency, accuracy and productivity.

Boosted flexibility 
More than ever before, companies are letting their employees bring their own devices to work. In a study conducted by TechPro Research, the latter found that roughly 44 percent of companies allowed BYOD, and close to 20 percent of them were going to allow the practice in the 12 months following their participation in the study.

BYOD often includes wearable solutions, such as watches or headsets, and TechPro Research found in a separate study that although most companies have yet to integrate these into their operations, 50 percent of them are aware of wearables in the workplace.

Typically, companies can link CRMs to BYOD and mobile devices. In fact, this is what makes CRMs unique – they can usually be updated in real time, allowing field employees to more accurately record data. In turn, managers can easily extract and evaluate these analytics to make high-level business decisions.

Enhanced intranet and internal marketing
Companies need to understand that internal branding is often the foundation upon which external branding is built. When employees love their jobs, they’re more likely to feel inspired and produce better work.

It’s difficult, however, to internally brand when – as we mentioned before – silos exist. Because a CRM allows for a more natural flow of information from one side of the office to the other, companies can build up their intranet, regularly distribute business newsletters and even put on more informative presentations that excite employees.

Improved accountability
Companies shouldn’t spy on their employees, but they should evaluate their performance based on accurate data. And, as you’ve probably guessed already, a CRM solution is the perfect way to improve employee accountability.

Employees are more likely to send professional, friendly and quality emails to clients if they know management has access to them. Further, management can keep a better eye on other data, such as that pertaining to sales leads and opportunities. This can help them better evaluate sales and marketing employees.

Conclusion
Employees are the life blood of every company. That’s why management needs to do everything in their power to help their workers improve. They can start by letting them use a robust CRM system like Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales.

The post 5 ways CRM can help companies increase employee performance appeared first on The TM Group.

Small business owners need all the help they can get. And that’s not because they’re incapable of running a successful business. Anything but! The issue is they often have their hands in a number of different projects, which can hinder their ability to streamline processes and grow their company quickly.

A customer relationship management tool (CRM), such as NetSuite or Microsoft Dynamics 365, can act as a personal assistant because it allows them to focus on obtaining and converting more leads. 

1. Easier marketing
Is marketing supposed to be easy? Is “easy” even the right term to use? We think so, and here’s why: The more businesses make complex and time-consuming marketing processes simple, the more efficient their employees will be. 

A CRM solution allows marketing employees to better organize their data so they can access a wealth of important metrics with a few clicks of a button. Imagine trying to manually shift through old records and invoices just to gather customer behavioral statistics? This would take too long, and considering business landscapes change constantly, a company’s marketing campaign could be obsolete before they even run it.

2. Improves communication
While office silos may be more common in big businesses that have a number of departments, they can still exist in smaller companies. Organizational silos are basically groups of employees that – for some reason – develop their own systems which are cut off from their peers. Information fails to flow evenly from one department to another, which hinders collaboration and growth. 

A fully integrated business resource management solution that includes CRM like NetSuite or Dynamics 365 Business Edition can completely eliminates silos, allowing employees from multiple departments to access the same type of information. By essentially opening up the information dams, data flows freely from one end of the company to another, allowing managers and owners to make more informed decisions about how to complete goals. 

3. Gain insights immediately
Small business owners have a lot to think about. Between client relations, sales, marketing, employee management and financials, there’s often little time to manually extract and evaluate data. 

A CRM solution removes the manual part from the extraction process, allowing SMB owners to quickly gather important customer data from one user-friendly platform. This enables them to make key decisions about how to approach their existing customer base and reach out to new ones. 

Take for example NetSuite. This powerful cloud solution allows a company’s sales team to pull real-time records of each lead so they can quickly pull up prospect information and close sales quicker.

4. Expand quickly
One reason small businesses struggle to expand is simply because the key decision makers can’t focus on what they do best. CRMs allow employees to focus on their jobs instead of laborious activities such as data collection, storage and extraction. 

Take for example, a small business owner that leads a team of sales people. A sales person’s job often goes beyond just selling a product. They have to record relevant information about the customer. If they use a CRM solution, they can typically record this information in real time, which is then available corporate wide. 

The post 4 reasons your small business needs to immediately adopt a CRM solution appeared first on The TM Group.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a unique platform that gives you the power of business intelligence from Cortana Intelligence across combined customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning solutions platforms. This powerful system allows managers to better streamline their processes, forecast business situations and cut operational costs.

Microsoft has taken this solution one step further by allowing professionals to add a key social selling feature called Social Engagement to Microsoft Dynamics 365. Salespeople can download the dashboard directly into their Dynamics 365 for Sales application. They can then access this dashboard for tablets and from the Dynamics 365 web client, but it doesn’t yet support Dynamics 365 for phones.

Why is this such an important feature for salespeople? Simple: Social media platforms have become a pivotal resource to generate sales based on referrals.

“84 percent of B2B buyers are beginning their purchasing process with a referral.”

Salespeople are using social media like never before
A Heniz Marketing survey of 600 North American B2B professionals, according to Small Business Trends, found that more and more B2B buyers (84 percent) are beginning their purchasing process with a referral. And 71 percent of companies that have a referral program see a higher rate of buyer conversions.

What does this say about B2B buyers? They’re increasingly vigilant about who they purchase their products and services from, and they’re much more diligent about working with companies that have high approval ratings.

That’s where social media comes into play.
Salespeople are quickly picking up on how great a tool social media is for companies to increase their brand awareness, engagement and approval ratings. A LinkedIn report found that 90 percent of sales professional leaders use social selling tools to convert sales. It’s easy to see why Microsoft decided to integrate a social selling feature to its Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform.

What is included in the latest Social Engagement update?
The new release enables professionals to publish posts directly from Microsoft Social Engagement to their personal LinkedIn accounts. They can also toggle on and off privacy settings, which allow users to share the post with everyone or just their networks.

The update has also added two languages to the user interface – Chinese and Japanese.

Finally, the update has resolved a number of problems regarding post readability, RSS feeds and other display problems.

Make sure your salespeople are well equipped to sell your company’s products efficiently by using Microsoft Dynamics 365.

The post What is Microsoft Social Engagement? appeared first on The TM Group.

Are you using an enterprise resource planning solution and a customer relationship management tool? Separately, these can be great systems to help drive business processes. But what if we told you they’d become even more powerful if you combined them and put them in the cloud?

Yes, it’s possible. And yes, doing so would create a robust system that would give your employees access to all of your company’s information in real time from a single dashboard. Here’s how one of these systems, Microsoft Dynamics 365, can help your employees:

“Microsoft Dynamics 365 seamlessly integrates with the tools you already use daily.”

1. Seamless Integration
Do your employees use Skype instead of an analog landline to make outgoing calls? Many companies employ this type of cloud-based phone system. Do they also use Microsoft Office 365, and store all of their pertinent information in OneDrive, a cloud storage system? It can be difficult for employees to manage all of these solutions. And, even if they can accomplish this arduous, time-consuming task, it doesn’t mean they should. Doing so can cause employees to easily (and accidently) misplace, lose or delete data, especially if they’re transferring it through multiple applications, such as email, the cloud or by hand.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 seamlessly integrates with the tools your employees use daily.

2. A smarter Office
Let’s assume all of your employees are the best in their respective fields. They’re the top professionals in the industry, and you’re happy to have them as part of your team. However, have you ever thought that the tools they use could hinder their ability to function at their highest level?

That’s where Microsoft Dynamics 365 comes into play. Not only does this system assimilate all of your separate systems under one roof, but it has business intelligence capabilities powered by Cortana Intelligence.

This feature can help your employees work smarter because they’re able to make more informative decisions regarding forecasting, cost cutting and streamlining poorly run operations.

3. Improve Communication
One of the major problems in companies today is the sheer amount of information streaming into their awareness. Despite the vast amount of data companies can use to improve their offerings, not all of this information makes its way from one side of the office to the other. These data silos can be particularly damaging because they prevent employees from making accurate decisions.

There are plenty of ways Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help your company evolve and take the next step. It’ll help you do what is best for your business, which is serving your customers, turning a profit, treating your employees fairly and beating out competition.

The post How Microsoft Dynamics 365 can take your company to the next level appeared first on The TM Group.

In April last year, Microsoft introduced a new product designed to facilitate automated workflow development in the age of the digital enterprise. The Software-as-a-Service offering, called Microsoft Flow, allows businesses to create complex workflows using data from more than 160 applications, including Dynamics 365, Office 365 and Outlook. With Flow you can add Twitter leads to your CRM or contacts to MailChimp.

The benefits are obvious here. Automated processes lead to increased efficiency, higher productivity and, eventually, larger revenues. They also reduce employee administrative burdens, allowing workers to spend their time on bottom line-building initiatives that promote growth rather than meager data entry tasks.

Configuring the solution takes little time, as Flow comes equipped with workflow templates made for linchpin Microsoft products. Firms with mobile-ready processes can also take advantage of the product. Microsoft debuted the Flow mobile application with the desktop version and this past June released an iOS iteration, according to TechCrunch. Both of these mobile applications allow users to pull text messages into automated workflows, facilitating even more cohesive backend processes.

Flow is based on Microsoft’s Logic App Service, which gives in-house developers the power to hard-code custom automated systems incorporating multiple mission-critical applications, ZDNet reported. With Flow, non-technically inclined users can achieve similar results in less time.

This solution is ideal for modern organizations juggling numerous platforms with little cohesion between them. Is your business in this tough operational position? Connect with The TM Group today. We empower organizations and people with technology such as the Microsoft Dynamics products, Office 365, Flow and Power BI. Contact us today to learn more about how the TM Group can help your enterprise move forward with cutting-edge technology.

The post Bolstering internal processes with Microsoft Flow appeared first on The TM Group.

Microsoft announced in September that they planned to eliminate the Dynamics 365 Business and Enterprise editions in an effort to simplify the much-lauded combined CRM and ERP management suite, according to an internal blog post. Alysa Taylor, general manager for business applications and strategy at Microsoft, explained that the decision was made following the Inner Circle Summit in Quebec and the Directions North America conference in San Diego, where solutions partners expressed some frustration with the existing software model. With this feedback in mind, Taylor and her colleagues elected to do away with the business and enterprise editions and move toward an application ecosystem featuring modules for finance, marketing, operations, sales, service and talent departments.

“Instead of offering separate editions, we will focus on enabling any organization to choose from different price points for each line of business application, based on the level of capabilities and capacity they need to meet their specific needs,” Taylor explained.

A new option for SMBs

In addition to rolling out this new overarching business model for Dynamics 365, Microsoft publicized new packaging for small and medium-sized business, MSDynamicsWorld.com reported. This package, a product of the company’s semi-secretive project codenamed “c,” combines Dynamics NAV and the Dynamics 365 Business Edition Finance and Operations applications. Since this newer Dynamics 365 ERP was actually a cloud enhance version of Dynamics NAV, this shouldn’t be too difficult a task to merge these applications into one unified code base which will be available as both a cloud and on-premise solution. Microsoft Dynamics SMB General Manager Marko Perisic told the publication that the combined solution will work well for businesses at all stages of the cloud adoption journey, an information technology an estimated 95 percent of businesses are currently navigating, according to research from RightScale. Even firms currently avoiding cloud computing will be able to take advantage of this new package.

“We will do everything we can to make cloud the more attractive and more profitable option for you but we give you the on-premises option for those who cannot go to the cloud,” Perisic said in an interview with MSDynamicsWorld.com.

Partners react

Implementation partners have long awaited these developments, both of which Microsoft previewed in July 2016, according to ZDNet. How did these individuals and organizations react to the formalized release of the new Dynamics 365 ecosystem? Respected Dynamics NAV consultant and trainer Arend-Jan Kauffmann praised the combined package for SMBs, highlighting the smaller implementation features that will reportedly accompany the platform and ease the configuration process – a boon for both partners and internal IT teams handling installation on their own.

Partners have had little to say about the new elimination of the Dynamics 365 Business and Enterprise editions. However, on the surface, this approach would seem to benefit enterprises, as they would be able to pick and choose which modules they believe would most meaningfully bolster business productivity. However, since there are currently two solutions called Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (Business Edition which is NAV based and Enterprise Edition which was Dynamics AX), Microsoft is going to have to again rebrand or rename some solutions.

Microsoft plans to roll out the new, unified Microsoft Dynamics 365 SMB solution (NAV/Tenefrie) application in Spring 2018. However, the SMB Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition for Finance and Operations is available and we have several happy clients already utilizing the system. Firms interested in adopting the Dynamics 365 applications should collaborate with proven implementation partners to see the best results. Here at The TM Group, we have been managing Dynamics implementations for decades, providing businesses of all sizes with business specific, tailored services designed to generate optimal return on investment. Connect with us today to learn more.

The post One edition for all: Microsoft to eliminate Dynamics 365 business and enterprise editions appeared first on The TM Group.

Unpacking the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing Equation eBook is extremely helpful for small to medium sized organizations trying to figure out the cost associated Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement. Microsoft recently rolled out a redesigned version of their accounting, ERP and CRM software centered on the cloud-based Office 365 […]

The post Download Free Microsoft Dynamics 365 Pricing Guide for Small to Medium Sized Organizations appeared first on The TM Group, Inc..

The word “transformation” may be used a bit too loosely when it comes to the manner in which cutting-edge digital technology has affected life as we know it, but it’s an apt term for many industries. Field service is most certainly no exception. When a bank branch or credit union’s ATM stops dispensing cash or […]

The post How Dynamics 365 can help your field service team thrive appeared first on The TM Group, Inc..

It’s that time of year again. Summer, the season that yields peaches, picnics and picture-perfect sunsets, is nearing its conclusion. You knew it was coming and it still doesn’t make it any easier to see it go. However, fall – filled with fairs, foliage and football – brings its own set of perks. Here’s the […]

The post What You Can Expect From Wave 2 of Microsoft Dynamics 365 appeared first on The TM Group, Inc..

Did you ever read “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley in high school? If you did, you know the legendary tale has a multidimensional plot about a complex creature – who was largely misunderstood. In many ways, the conclusions drawn by those who initially interacted with Victor Frankenstein’s monster are similar to what can happen when you […]

The post Don’t Be Afraid: How Microsoft Dynamics Can Improve Your Business appeared first on The TM Group, Inc..

It is said that if you come into any experience with low expectations, you’ll never be disappointed. But in an era of instant gratification, such a stance is unrealistic. If customers don’t receive the kind of service to which they’re entitled, many have no compunction about taking their business elsewhere. Whether in retail, hospitality, banking […]

The post How Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help with high expectation customers appeared first on The TM Group, Inc..

Christmas time is here once again – the season of perpetual hope, merriment, good tidings of great joy and gifts galore. What do you hope to find waiting for you under the tree this year? As a business owner, one of the very best presents you could possibly receive is Microsoft Power. Business Intelligence. Why? […]

The post Why Microsoft Power BI is the gift that keeps on giving appeared first on The TM Group, Inc..