Customizing Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Complex Field Service and Sales Organizations

Transcription

1 Micrsft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Custmizing Micrsft Dynamics CRM fr Cmplex Field Service and Sales Organizatins White Paper CRM in Health Sciences: Smagen Diagnstics Date: July

2 Abut the Authr Carls Wd is senir CRM cnsultant and Business Analyst at Ideaca Knwledge Services. He has wrked with custmer relatinship management (CRM) applicatins fr mre than five years and has extensive knwledge f Micrsft Dynamics CRM sftware. As a senir CRM cnsultant at Ideaca Knwledge Services, Carls has gained brad experience wrking with Micrsft CRM t prvide effective slutins t rganizatins acrss diverse industries. His experience includes capturing and analyzing requirements, cnducting applicatin design sessins, perfrming system cnfiguratin and custmizatin, and facilitating end user training. Carls attended the University f Oregn in the United States and Capilan Cllege in Nrth Vancuver, British Clumbia, where he cmpleted the Business Cmputing C-perative Prgram (BCOP). Abut Ideaca Ideaca Knwledge Services is a leading Canadian-based cnsulting firm with ver 120 emplyees that sells, develps, and implements business sftware slutins. As a trusted advisr, the Ideaca team has a prven knwledge, experience, and track recrd deplying the cmplete Micrsft slutin that empwers rganizatins t make better business decisins. With ffices in Trnt, Calgary, and Vancuver, Ideaca fcuses n prviding the fllwing services: Micrsft Dynamics CRM Micrsft Dynamics AX Business Intelligence Prtals and Cllabratin Custm Applicatin Develpment Ideaca Knwledge Services Trnt Suite 502, 36 Yrk Mills Rad Trnt, ON M2P 2E Calgary Suite 110, Avenue SE Calgary, AB T2G 0Y Vancuver Suite 200, 560 Beatty Street Vancuver, BC V6B 2L

3 Abstract Micrsft Dynamics CRM sftware is the fastest and easiest way t add custmer relatinship management (CRM) capabilities t any rganizatin that uses Micrsft Office prgrams r the Micrsft Outlk messaging and cllabratin client. Because it was designed t partner with Outlk, Micrsft CRM delivers lwer training csts, brader user adptin, less applicatin-switching, higher prductivity, and an incredibly rapid impact n investment. Smagen Diagnstics recently deplyed a Micrsft CRM slutin in an effrt t address business challenges and t establish a dependable, scalable platfrm that will supprt its business needs as it cntinues t grw. 3

4 Table f Cntents Intrductin...5 Business and Technical Challenges...5 Custmer Service Challenges...5 Sales Frce Autmatin Challenges...5 Technical Challenges...6 Slutin Overview...6 Design Cnsideratins...6 Custmer Service...6 Sales Frce Autmatin...6 Slutin Architecture...6 Utilizing Micrsft CRM System Entities...7 Micrsft CRM: Accunts...7 Micrsft CRM: Cntacts...8 Micrsft CRM: Opprtunities...9 Micrsft CRM: Cases Utilizing Micrsft CRM Custm Entities...11 The Lgical: Hw Custm Entities Meet Smagen s Business Needs Hw Instruments Impact Custmer Service...11 Hw Prfiles Assist Smagen s Accunt Penetratin Strategy...12 The Practical: Designing and Implementing Smagen s Custm Entities The Instrument Entity...12 The Prfile Entity...13 Slutin Benefits...14 Custmer Service Benefits Sales Benefits Technical Benefits

5 Intrductin Smagen Diagnstics is a leader in Canada s medical diagnstics technlgy industry. A rapidly grwing cmpany, Smagen resells medical diagnstic equipment t hspitals, clinics, and labratries natinwide. Smagen s revenue is generated primarily frm capital sales f medical diagnstic equipment, custmer service cntract renewals, and the replenishment f the cnsumables required by the equipment. As Smagen s business grew in size, it became apparent that an easy-t-use, centralized, cllabrative CRM applicatin wuld be necessary t advance sales and t supprt excellence in custmer service. Shrtly thereafter, a partnership was frmed with Ideaca Knwledge Services with the specific gal f deplying a cmplete and successful Micrsft Dynamics CRM 3.0 slutin fr Smagen s sales and custmer service divisins. This white paper will describe Smagen s Micrsft CRM slutin, the business challenges prir t the slutin, the critical elements f the slutin architecture, and the benefits fr Smagen after implementatin. Business and Technical Challenges Even the mst talented individuals and successful rganizatins can be hampered by ineffective tls and prcesses. Prir t deplying Micrsft CRM 3.0, Smagen Diagnstics managed practive and reactive supprt incidents as well as critical sales data using Micrsft Office prgrams in unstructured frmats and methds. Befre implementing Micrsft CRM, Smagen faced the fllwing challenges. Custmer Service Challenges Smagen s central philsphy is t prvide superir custmer service. Prir t the Micrsft CRM slutin, the verall feeling within the rganizatin was that in this respect it was falling behind its cmpetitrs. This was attributed t the fact that the existing tls and methds were ineffective and nt trusted. Smagen emplys highly skilled individuals, and prir t the Micrsft CRM slutin, the firm was able t prvide excellent custmer service. Hwever, emplyees had t deal with the fllwing majr custmer service challenges: 5 Decentralized field service mdel Minimal service call tracking capabilities Increasing dependency n mindware (knwledge and experience) Sales Frce Autmatin Challenges The greater prtin f Smagen business invlves wrking with a relatively static base f custmers ver a lng perid f time. Smagen wrks clsely with its custmer base t find ways t increase business vlume. The tls used prir t the Micrsft CRM slutin were nt prviding sufficient meaningful infrmatin r functinality t assist with the gal f increasing business. Specific challenges included: Cllabratin between lines f business, knwn as sales prduct grups (SPG) Limited sales pprtunity management

6 Lack f visibility int custmer accunts Technical Challenges The previus slutin at Smagen was unstable, decentralized, and difficult t use. There was little faith thrughut the rganizatin in the reliability r feasibility f the slutin fr its business. N ne trusted the slutin, s Smagen end-users relied primarily n their wn methds f wrk. Technical challenges included: Frequent applicatin crashes Critical data lcalized n end-user machines Sluggish perfrmance Limited accessibility ffline Slutin Overview Prir t custmizing and cnfiguring a Micrsft CRM slutin fr Smagen, Ideaca planned the slutin design based n the requirements f Smagen s business. This apprach resulted in a tight fit between applicatin functinality and the needs f the business. Ideaca implemented the full suite f Micrsft CRM 3.0 fr Smagen with a fcus n a fully featured custmer supprt and sales pprtunity management slutin. Design Cnsideratins Ideaca scrutinized Smagen s custmer service and sales peratins t uncver the specific business challenges detailed abve, with an verall gal f addressing these challenges and imprving upn existing prcesses. Because custmer service and sales are the mst imprtant aspects f Smagen s business, this was critical t the planning and design phases f the Micrsft CRM implementatin. Custmer Service The Micrsft CRM custmer service slutin fr Smagen includes key features such as field service dispatch crdinatin, telephne-based trubleshting, resurce scheduling capabilities, and knwledge management. Sales Frce Autmatin Frm the sales perspective, the Micrsft CRM slutin allws Smagen t better manage pprtunities, prfile custmers, frmulate effective business strategies, and accurately frecast revenue. Slutin Architecture Smagen s Micrsft CRM slutin was a result f first carefully analyzing business requirements and then cnfiguring a Micrsft CRM slutin t meet them. Hw did Ideaca design the slutin architecture t prvide such an immediate and psitive impact fr Smagen? 6

7 The easy-t-use custmizatin tl kit in Micrsft CRM was utilized t cnfigure a cmbinatin f system entities and newly created custm entities int a schema that supprted all aspects f Smagen s business. The Smagen entity relatinship diagram (ERD) belw illustrates the slutin architecture frm a high level. Figure 1. High-level entity relatinship diagram fr Smagen Utilizing Micrsft CRM System Entities Micrsft CRM prvides a large number f system entities that are cnfigurable at bth the schema level (such as new fields and entity relatinships) and at the frm level (such as field placement and sizing). Smagen s slutin required cnfiguratin t several essential system entities, such as Accunts, Cntacts, Opprtunities, and Cases. Micrsft CRM: Accunts The Accunt system entity acts as the anchr fr rganizatins such as Smagen that have relatinships with businesses. Fr the Micrsft CRM slutin, Accunts was cnfigured t prvide the ability t: 7 Further define a custmer by facility type (such as Private Lab r Veterinarian). Define the nature f the relatinship between Smagen and the Accunt (such as Supplier r Custmer).

8 Segment the custmer base using a rating system (A, B, C, r AA, BB, ). Assciate medical diagnstic instruments t each custmer (parental relatinship t Instruments). Assciate market prfiling t each custmer recrd (parental relatinship t Prfiles). Micrsft CRM: Cntacts Figure 2. Micrsft CRM Accunt Frm fr Smagen The Cntact system entity is the lcatin where individual business cntacts are created and managed. T Smagen, these individuals are essential t either sales r custmer service, r bth. In the Micrsft CRM slutin, the Cntact entity was mdified t prvide the ability t: Manage key custmer sales and service cntacts, including their rles. Track imprtant manufacturer and vendr cntacts. Define a cntact s relatinship t an Accunt, an Opprtunity, a Case, r an Instrument. Create a referential relatinship t the Instrument entity. 8

9 Figure 3. Micrsft CRM Cntact Frm fr Smagen Micrsft CRM: Opprtunities The Opprtunity system entity is the basis fr Smagen sales infrmatin. It is essential fr managing sales prcesses and frecasting revenue. The Opprtunity entity was cnfigured t include: Lcatins t recrd bth estimated Capital and Cnsumable revenue Fur majr lifecycle sales stages: Discvery Advcacy Clsing Supprting Lcatins t recrd sales prduct grup (SPG) and prduct line type Estimated clse percentages - 9

10 Figure 4. Micrsft CRM Opprtunity Frm fr Smagen Micrsft CRM: Cases The Case system entity is the starting pint fr custmer service incidents, whether they are practive, such as preventive maintenance, r reactive, such as field repairs. As a critical cmpnent f the custmer service slutin, the Case entity was cnfigured t include: Case Types: Fixes/Repairs Preventative Maintenance (PM) Demnstratins/Evaluatins/Laners (Placement) Sftware Upgrades, Internal Setup (can tie int PM) Training Scheduling Internal Activities Technical/Applicatin The ability t link respnsible Cntacts Referential relatinship t Instruments 10

11 Figure 5. Micrsft CRM Case Frm fr Smagen Utilizing Micrsft CRM Custm Entities Custm entities are a pwerful feature f Micrsft CRM. In essence, they allw the cnfiguratin f a slutin t meet virtually any business need. With prper planning and design, custm entities can becme integral t critical business prcesses. An imprtant cntributr t the success f Smagen s Micrsft CRM slutin was the design, creatin, and implementatin f custm entities. The Lgical: Hw Custm Entities Meet Smagen s Business Needs Micrsft CRM custm entities have played a majr rle in the success f the slutin fr Smagen Diagnstics. Using custm entities, Ideaca was able t tailr Micrsft CRM t fit the needs f the business, resulting in an immediate and tremendus psitive impact fr bth the custmer service and sales aspects f Smagen s business. Hw Instruments Impact Custmer Service The referential relatinship structure between the custm Instrument entity and standard system entities allws fr the display f the Instrument Lcatin (Accunt), the key custmer cntact (Cntact), and any custmer service events (Cases) assciated with it. Smagen nw has the ability t analyze supprt and service trends right dwn t unique instruments wned by each custmer Accunt. 11

12 Hw Prfiles Assist Smagen s Accunt Penetratin Strategy Smagen nw has the tls t prfile its custmers n an annual basis. These prfiles include an assessment f the sales prduct grups (SPG) that are currently being sld t each accunt. With this infrmatin, Smagen sales persnnel have cmplete visibility int their accunts. Furthermre, as time ges by and the number f prfiles per accunt accumulates, Smagen will be able t analyze accunt penetratin trends and identify new areas in which t expand its business. The Practical: Designing and Implementing Smagen s Custm Entities Ideaca used the Micrsft CRM custmizatin tl kit t create custm entities designed t supprt the slutin. Each custm entity is an essential cmpnent f the verall slutin schema and critical t Smagen s business prcesses. Fr Smagen s Micrsft CRM slutin, Ideaca created tw custm entities: Instrument and Prfile. The Instrument Entity Instruments are custm Micrsft CRM entities created t represent the medical diagnstic equipment sld t Smagen s custmers. They are an essential part f Smagen s business prcess because they frm a liaisn between Smagen sales and custmer service. After a sale is cmplete, an Instrument is created and linked t the Accunt that purchased it. Next an individual (Cntact) wrking at the Accunt is identified and assciated t the Instrument. Service issues fr each Instrument are recrded by creating Cases against them. The result fr Smagen is that they nw run detailed reprts indicating service Cases and trends against each Instrument fr each custmer. As utlined earlier in the Smagen high-level entity relatinship diagram, the Instrument entity frms a lgical bridge between Accunts, Cntacts, and Cases. Imprtant elements f these relatinships include: Accunts can wn ne r mre Instruments. A Cntact can be specified as the pint f cntact fr each Instrument. One r mre Cases can be referenced t an Instrument. In the entity frm design, the Instrument attributes included: Area t recrd unique serial number Manufacturer Installatin date fr preventive maintenance cycling Hardware and sftware versining Preventive maintenance detail 12

13 Figure 6. Micrsft CRM Instrument Frm fr Smagen The Prfile Entity Prfile is a custm Micrsft CRM entity created t prvide a lgical lcatin fr market prfile infrmatin abut each accunt frm Smagen s custmer base. A key business driver was the requirement t create unique prfiles n an annual basis per accunt. Because mre than ne custm entity instance can be created per custmer, the Prfile entity became essential t market prfiling. Design elements f the Prfile entity included: Segregated Sales Prduct Grup infrmatin by tabs Sales Prduct Grup in-depth detail Many-t-ne relatinship with Accunts 13

14 Figure 7. Micrsft CRM Prfile Frm fr Smagen Slutin Benefits When a CRM slutin subtly tuches a great many aspects f a business, it becmes difficult t directly measure return n investment (ROI). Rather, it is mre infrmative t examine the impact f investment. In this regard, Smagen has seen a dramatic impact n its custmer service and sales divisins. The psitive impact f investment was nticed almst as sn as the slutin was implemented. The benefits are measurable acrss three majr categries: custmer service, sales, and technical. Custmer Service Benefits With the implementatin f the Micrsft CRM 3.0 slutin, Smagen went frm using scattered infrmatin management tls and infrmal custmer supprt prcesses t utilizing a full-featured custmer service telephne supprt and field service dispatch slutin. Highlights f this aspect f the slutin include: Imprved supprt call tracking Intrductin f knwledge management Imprved field service scheduling and cllabratin Intrductin f supprt trend analysis 14

15 Sales Benefits Prir t using the Micrsft CRM slutin, the Smagen management and sales divisins had a general idea f where they std in the market and what was t cme in regards t its shrt-term revenue. The Ideaca slutin imprved upn these basic requirements by prviding an advanced pprtunity management and market prfiling tl. Smagen sales and management nw have the tls at hand t prvide a deep understanding f the firm s current psitin and strategic directin. Specifically, the majr sales benefits intrduced by the Micrsft CRM slutin were: Market prfiling Imprved pprtunity management Enhanced revenue frecasting Technical Benefits The Micrsft CRM slutin that Ideaca created fr Smagen is stable, accessible, and cllabrative. It perfrms well, is available in an ffline envirnment, is integrated with the Micrsft Outlk messaging and cllabratin client, and is easily custmizable. In additin, it was deplyed and cnfigured in less than a week after the apprpriate requirements and design elements were finalized. In summary, technical benefits t Smagen include: Reliability Wrks the way Smagen emplyees d Accessibility (VPN, ffline) Integratin with Outlk Rapid deplyment Ease f custmizatin 15

16 Micrsft Dynamics is a line f integrated, adaptable business management slutins that enables yu and yur peple t make business decisins with greater cnfidence. Micrsft Dynamics wrks like and with familiar Micrsft sftware, autmating and The infrmatin cntained in this dcument represents the current view f Micrsft Crpratin n the issues discussed as f the date f publicatin. Because Micrsft must respnd t changing market cnditins, this dcument shuld nt be interpreted t be a cmmitment n the part f Micrsft, and Micrsft cannt guarantee the accuracy f any infrmatin presented after the date f publicatin. This White Paper is fr infrmatinal purpses nly. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. 16