Making Microsoft CRM Online Work for Your Business

IMC Systems, LLC 10831 West Broad Street Glen Allen, VA 23233 Tel: (804) 360-4818 Fax: (804) 260-7660 Making Microsoft CRM Online Work for Your Business IMC s Tips and Best-Practices for OnDemand CRM INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Contents Sigining Up for CRM Online.. 3 Planning and Design.. 4 Organization Setup and Security. 5 Customizing: User-Interface. 6 Customizing: Workflows 7 Customizing: Reports 8 Loading your Data. 9 Installing CRM for Outlook 10 Installing CRM e-mail Router.. 11 CRM Mobile Server.. 11 Configuring Personal Options. 12 Getting Started: Resource Center.. 12 Getting Started: CRM Online Help. 13 Getting Started: CustomerSource.. 13 Getting Started: Training Courses.. 13 Extending CRM Online. 14 IMC Solutions and Services. 16 Embracing the Digital Marketing Revolution IMC stands for integrated marketing communications. IMC Systems is dedicated to providing the expertise, best-practices, and technology tools to help organizations take advantage of the latest in Internet and digital marketing best-practices. The marketing paradigm has shifted. Today s business must embrace the Internet and combine digital marketing channels with traditional marketing techniques. IMC partners with leading technology and creative companies to assist organizations of all sizes with the design and deployment of business systems that help generate demand, improve sales effectiveness, and build high-value customer relationships. Making OnDemand CRM Work for Your Business The following instructive guide has been produced by IMC Systems to help your organization make the maximum possible advantage of your subscription to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. The following guide provides an overview of Microsoft CRM Online best-practices, quick start tips, business use cases, tools, and support services available to you from IMC. We hope your journey into the world of online CRM and digital marketing is a successful one, and that IMC will be your trusted partner and advisor to help you achieve your goals and objectives. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 2

Overview The following sections of this document are designed to help your organization make the best possible use of your new Online CRM system and provide you with access to the numerous tools and services that are available from Microsoft and IMC to enhance your customer management and marketing capabilities. Signing Up Signing up for a subscription to your new CRM system is as easy as a click of a mouse, filling out the Microsoft CRM Online Registration Form, and selecting Submit. You will then be given the opportunity to take advantage of a 30 day free trial and your company s CRM application is up and running. Simply go on-line and type in the URL address below to sign-up for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online directly from the IMC System Web site: /CRMOnline-Trial.htm Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 3

Where to Start? Now that you have access to Microsoft CRM Online you are probably excited to get started. Microsoft has done a great job of providing resources, wizards, data management tools, and online help that now make it possible for a CRM novice to configure the Microsoft CRM Online application and even accomplish a basic data import of contact and customer files. However, keep in mind that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is a powerful, enterprise class business application. Microsoft CRM has powerful capabilities and most areas of the system can be customized to meet the needs of any business. This ease of customization offers tremendous potential if approached correctly. However, without a well-considered pre-planning and design phase, your CRM experience may be less than desired, or worse - a failure! Remember, our goal in creating this instructive guide is to see that you don t make these critical mistakes and as a result become disillusioned with the system and the technology. So let s take a look at a simple planning process that will help insure that you get your CRM system started on the right foot. Planning and Design Success with an Internet-based CRM or sales automation application is no less dependent on proper planning and design than when deploying the same system in-house. You have skipped the painful process of setting up servers on your network and installing the CRM application and databases. But configuring the CRM application to align with your business organization and processes is critical if you expect positive results, want users to adopt the new system, and see improvements in your business. Define a Business Process with Immediate Impact on Your Business The first step in your planning and design process is to define the business process (or processes) that you intend to automate using Microsoft CRM Online. The typical business functions that organizations deploy in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online include: Account and Contact Management Lead Management and Sales Force Automation Quote and Order Management Internet Marketing Marketing Automation and List Management Outbound Telemarketing Customer Support and Contact Center Services A recommended best-practice is to select a business process that will have an immediate impact on your business, as nothing reinforces success like success. Starting small with a definable objective will help insure that you see value and return on investment from the beginning and can then begin to craft a long-term strategy for CRM and digital marketing at your organization. Taking an incremental approach to this process is generally better than attempting a large transformational initiative in one project. The adjacent diagram is an example of a business process map for a company s sales operations applied to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 4

Set-Up Your Organization Structure and Security Settings in Microsoft CRM The next step in your CRM Online start-up is to document your organizational structure and user security requirements. Once this is accomplished you will need to go to the CRM Online administrative tools and set-up the CRM organization and user profiles in line with your business. A great place to start when documenting your organization is to use an organization chart if you have one, such as the example below: If you do not have an organization chart you should create one that conforms to the way you plan to structure business units, users, and / or subsidiary businesses in your CRM system. You should take great care to insure that business units are setup properly in CRM, including parent-child relationships, and that this organization structure takes into account future growth planned or otherwise. In addition, business unit organization is a key component of the Microsoft CRM security model. Microsoft CRM users are assigned security roles and also must be associated with one business unit. An example of the Microsoft CRM user security settings tool is shown in the adjacent graphic: We highly recommend that you spend some time and consideration planning this element of your CRM system. Furthermore, work with an experienced Microsoft CRM professional such as IMC if possible to assist in this area. Setting up your organization and security structure improperly in CRM at the start will cause major problems and limit the ways you can use and develop the system going forward. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 5

Customizing your CRM System User-Interface Changes Every business is different. The way that you organize information, define a customer, and the day-to-day business terms that you use are likely to be unique to your business or industry. Microsoft CRM has been designed with this in mind. Many areas of the application can easily be customized from the Administrative Settings area by users with the appropriate permissions using on-screen design tools that require no programming knowledge or custom coding. Initially you will want to take a look at the default layout of the user forms including accounts, contacts, opportunities, and service cases. The form layout, the data fields, and the field labels can be changed to suit your business processes. Adjacent is an example of the forms design tool when making changes to the account entity. While adding custom fields and changing the form layouts is simple in Microsoft CRM Online, this process requires some forethought and planning for a successful result. Adding fields actually makes changes to the underlying data schema and in many cases these fields have dependencies and relationships that can affect the way the system performs. IMC recommends that all changes to the default CRM forms and views be documented in advance using a series of entity planning templates. This approach offers several advantages: 1. You have a reference source to use for all of the changes you make to the system. 2. You and your team can review the custom fields and form layouts prior to implementing. 3. Modifications to the user interface are accomplished as part of a planned methodology. In summary, you will want to make these changes to the user interface so the CRM application and data reflect the way your business works. These customizations should also conform to the business process map you created earlier. It is a recommended best-practice that these customizations be preplanned and documented prior to implementing, and that a user-team review and approve the changes in advance. Finally, it is a good investment to work with an experienced CRM business analyst to help with this process. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 6

Customizing your CRM System (continued) Workflows Microsoft Dynamics CRM includes powerful workflow design functionality. A workflow is simply a series of pre-defined events and related actions that are triggered by these events. For example, you may want to route a new lead to the appropriate sales resource when received from marketing. A simple workflow can be created that will automatically assign the lead to the correct resource and create the appropriate tasks for follow-up in the CRM system: Microsoft CRM includes a workflow design wizard that makes it possible for non-programmers to create basic workflows without programming skills. The Microsoft CRM Workflow engine is built on Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation, which allows programmers to build or extend more complex workflows beyond the business functions of the CRM system. Workflows are powerful tools that can make your CRM system an extension of your business and dramatically improve efficiencies and user adoption. The workflows should be an extension of the business processes that you mapped earlier. However, you should take great care when planning and activating workflows. Assistance from a qualified business analyst with experience creating workflows in Microsoft CRM is a highly-recommended bestpractice. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 7

Customizing your CRM System (continued) Reports Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides a wide variety of pre-built reports that provide summary information and insight about many aspects of your CRM data such as sales pipeline, service case activity, and lead source history to name a few. Microsoft CRM uses Microsoft SQL Reporting Services (SRS) for its reporting tools. The system also includes a Report Wizard that helps users design basic reports without programming knowledge. Prior to deploying your new CRM system it is a good idea to review the default CRM reports and determine whether your organization will require additional reports or report formats, beyond what is provided out-of-the-box. For assistance with reporting needs and report development it is a typical best-practice to have access to a business analyst and report programmer familiar with the Microsoft CRM application and Microsoft SQL Reporting Services. If you do not have this resource on-staff IMC Systems can be of assistance in this area and can help your team with the design and development of CRM reports for your business. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 8

Loading your Data Developing your Data Plan Data is the life blood of your business and your CRM system. Prior to the initial data load and deployment of your CRM Online application it is essential that a careful evaluation of the data sources and data structure to be included in your CRM database be accomplished. Before you begin to load data into the system you should develop a data plan. You should have also completed the aforementioned planning and customization steps as these modifications to the application affect how and where the source data is stored and accessed by the CRM system. Your data plan should include a detailed listing of all of the data sources that you intend to import to your CRM data base and how they will map to the CRM fields. Data sources typically include contact files from applications such as Outlook or Act!, other CRM applications, marketing and contact lists, account information from legacy systems such as accounting or ERP applications, and the like. The data plan should take into account whether you intend to import notes and attachments for example. It should also include a process known as data cleansing. This is the process of scrubbing your lists of duplicates and checking for accuracy prior to the initial data load. Finally, the data preparation process includes formatting the data to align with the corresponding data schema of the respective CRM entities. If you are only importing your Microsoft Outlook contact files, Microsoft CRM Online includes a special data import wizard for Outlook that streamlines this process for you. However, if you are importing data from multiple users Outlook contact files you will need to define data duplication rules and separating personal contacts from business (CRM) contacts. Importing Data Microsoft CRM Online includes a set of powerful data management tools to help you import your customer, contact, and marketing data into the CRM database. For most simple data migration requirements these tools will work and a data savvy user can usually accomplish the initial data load. However, for many organizations the initial data plan and data migration process can be complicated and it is a good idea to recruit an experienced DBA professional that knows the Microsoft CRM application to help with this critical step. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 introduces a set of new and exciting features that greatly improve the way you manage and maintain the quality of data in your system. These new features include Bulk Delete, Duplicate Detection, and Data Migration/Import. Although all three features are available in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web application, IMC Systems can address your unique data import requirements by developing custom applications and tools using a set of data management APIs included in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Software Development Kit (SDK). Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 9

Installing CRM Online for Outlook Now that you have your data loaded, you have completed the customizations for your business, and have decided what business process to automate with CRM you are almost ready to go to work. However, there a couple of steps you need to complete first. First, if you are using Microsoft Outlook on your local PC or laptop you will want to take advantage of a powerful feature available with your Microsoft CRM Online subscription. Microsoft CRM provides two clients (user interfaces) for access to Microsoft CRM. You can access the full application directly from your Internet browser by logging on to your CRM Online account, so long as you have an Internet connection. In addition, by installing the Microsoft CRM Online for Outlook plug-in, you can also access Microsoft CRM data directly from your local Outlook application online or offline. By installing the Microsoft CRM Online Outlook plug-in your Outlook application will be updated to include direct access to the Microsoft CRM Online screens and data, including the ability to access you CRM data when working offline from a remote location for example. To install and configure Microsoft CRM Online for Outlook on your local PC or laptop, log on to your Microsoft CRM Online account, navigate to the Resource Center, and select the option to download and install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook as shown on the adjacent graphic. Follow the instructions to set-up your personal preferences that include data filters and data synchronization options. The installation wizard makes the basics of this process easy. However, the principles of data sharing, data access, and offline data security can be complicated. Depending on the number of users, the sensitivity of your data, and the structure of your organization you may want to consult with a Microsoft CRM application specialist such as IMC for assistance in this area. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 10

Installing the Microsoft CRM Online e-mail Router Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes the ability to track e-mail activities and e-mail history relating to your CRM accounts, contacts, leads, service cases, and sales opportunities. To enable this functionality you must first download, install, and configure the CRM e-mail Router to work with your e-mail Server. The e-mail Router will work with Microsoft Exchange or conventional POP3 e-mail servers. To download and install the Microsoft CRM e-mail Router navigate to the Resource Page and select this option under the Downloads heading. You will be prompted with a series of options to configure the e-mail Router to work with your system. It is not a requirement that you use this feature with Microsoft CRM Online. However, e-mail integration provides access to many powerful features of the system, including the ability to create and send bulk e-mails, execute quick campaigns from CRM e-mail lists, and track responses from e-mail marketing activities. In addition, by tracking CRM e- mails you will have a complete history of the interactions with your customers, one of the primary goals of a CRM strategy. In most cases, users are able to successfully install the Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail Router using the installation utility provided. However, in more complex environments configuring the e-mail integration correctly may require assistance from a Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Exchange specialist. Access your CRM Data on your Mobile Devices Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes a mobile CRM device server that allows you to configure your mobile phones and smart devices to access your CRM data. This is a powerful feature that allows sales, field service, and management staff to quickly access CRM data from their cell phone. You should consider which users can take advantage of this feature and at what point in your deployment cycle you want to roll-out this capability. It is recommended that you work with your Microsoft Dynamics CRM supporting partner to configure and activate mobile device access. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 11

Configuring your Personal Options Most of the steps discussed in this guide have been related to system wide settings. However, if there is more than one user in your organization that has a subscription to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, each user will want to configure their system-specific preferences. These include setting the CRM default starting page, preferences for language, number formats, date, currency, and time, etc. In addition, Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides customizable e-mail templates that can be used for standard responses to business requests that can be tailored for a specific user or business process. These personal options are designed to make each user s CRM Online experience as intuitive and efficient as possible. The Getting Started with CRM Online section of the Resource Page of your CRM Online application includes a selection for Personal Customizations. This provides a walk-through with links to the different areas of the application that you can select to personalize individual user settings. You should take steps to insure that all users understand these options and go through this process before using the application. Getting Started We strongly encourage new users of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to take the time to explore the application, become familiar with the various modules, menu structure and navigation, and review the available tutorials to gain a high-level understanding of this powerful application before you begin to use the application in a live environment. The following resources are available to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online subscribers for knowledge transfer, help, and support: The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Resource Center The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Resource Center contains a wealth of resources to help you find information, become familiar with many CRM processes and best-practices, and connect with various communities that use Microsoft CRM for help and advice. The Resource Center also includes downloads and wizards to configure the system as well as access to Microsoft CRM support partners, add-on solutions, technical resources, and account management. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 12

Getting Started (continued) Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Help The context-sensitive help included with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is very powerful and flexible. Users should be aware of this tool and will find that in most cases their questions can be answered using this intuitive self-help tool. Microsoft CustomerSource When you subscribe to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online you have access to Microsoft s award winning on-line customer support site for Dynamics software customers. CustomerSource is an online portal where you can access all of your account information, licensing and subscription information, and find the latest information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM. In addition, there is a support link allowing you to submit support requests directly to Microsoft. This is a very valuable resource that your power users and system administrators should be aware of and become familiar with. Formal Training Courses In addition, it is a recommended best-practice of successful CRM users to attend a Microsoft CRM training course tailored to the areas of the system your users will be deploying. IMC Systems and our CRM training affiliates nationwide offer a wide range of courses for end-users - from a short two hour high-level system overview to one and two-day classes focusing on Microsoft CRM for sales management, marketing, customer service, and service scheduling. In addition, training courses are available for CRM system administrators and I.T. support professionals. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 13

How Can We Help? The preceding instructive guide has been developed to help your organization get started using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and to avoid the common mistakes that are often made resulting in a less than desirable result. Microsoft has done a great job of making the setup and configuration of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as user-friendly and intuitive as possible. And, by following the preceding best-practices and tips you can likely configure your CRM system for use in your day-to-day operations and to automate some of your basic CRM business processes. Extending your CRM and Digital Marketing Horizons Once you begin using Microsoft CRM Online you and your associates will quickly discover that your subscription has simply opened the door to a vast new world of potential applications and uses that can have a significant impact on your business. Basic CRM has now evolved in the digital age to encompass a wide-range of digital customer management and marketing tools and business processes. Using Microsoft CRM Online as your doorway to these new tools you will want to explore the many exciting areas that can improve your digital marketing footprint and business performance: Digital Marketing Configure and use the Internet Lead Capture (ILC) feature in Microsoft CRM Online combined with search engine marketing best-practices to drive new customers to your Web site and generate qualified leads. e-mail Marketing Integrate your CRM data with online e-mail marketing services to create powerful, effective digital communications with customers and prospects. e-mail marketing is proven to be extremely effective when compared to traditional direct mail and direct marketing techniques. Combining your CRM system with powerful e-mail design, delivery, and analytics will enable you to create highlyeffective e-mail marketing campaigns. Internet Marketing Your Web site should be the center of your marketing universe and Internet interactions with customers and prospects should be tracked in your CRM database. In today s digital, connected world businesses and consumers alike look to the Internet to research and select the products and services they require. Understanding and optimizing your Web presence and Web traffic and deploying the right Internet marketing tools is critical. Connecting the dots between the key components of your digital marketing strategy including search engine optimization, search engine advertising, nurture marketing, Web analytics, e-mail Marketing, and your CRM database are your keys to success. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 14

Extending your CRM and Digital Marketing Horizons (continued) Industry Proven Sales Processes Implement industry-proven sales process best-practices that fit your organization s business model and sales organization to improve the performance of your direct sales operations and better manage sales opportunities from your CRM system. Solution Accelerators Microsoft CRM allows developers to build custom program extensions for a variety of uses and applications. Many organizations simply do not have the time or resources to hire or contract programmers for this purpose. However, Microsoft and certified partners like IMC Systems are developing a series of custom extensions that are available at no charge or a small fee. Solution accelerators for Microsoft CRM address many business areas including event management, social networking, customer portals, online customer self-service, and marketing analytics to name a few. xrm The C in CRM stands for customer. However, many organizations are coming to realize that Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be adapted for use in many non-customer areas of the business such as case management, public service, education recruitment and retention, healthcare, professional services, grant and donor management to name a few examples. In this case we substitute x for any and refer to this an xrm platform. The open customization and powerful database behind the application provide a powerful platform to expand the functionality of Microsoft CRM to many other areas of the business. Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 15

IMC Systems, LLC Your CRM and Digital Marketing Partner We hope this guide has been useful and you are well on your way to taking advantage of the latest in ondemand business software to eliminate some of your operational headaches and improve your business performance. You have selected to deploy a very powerful business application that will take advantage of the latest Internet technology and industry best-practices to provide enterprise level computing power on a software-as-a-service model. The team at IMC Systems welcomes you to the digital revolution and we stand ready to provide you with the support, strategy, and technology tools that will help you make this journey into on Demand CRM and digital marketing a successful and profitable one! Follows is a summary of the Microsoft CRM support services and solutions that are available from IMC Systems: Microsoft CRM Online Solutions IMC FastTrack CRM Online Configuration IMC CRM Online FastTrack Data Load IMC FastTrack CRM Report Design e-mail Marketing Systems for CRM Online Internet Marketing and Web Analytics Solutions Solution Accelerators for CRM Online Industry Sales Methodologies for CRM Online IMC Digital Marketing Console for CRM Online CRM Online Training Courses Microsoft CRM Online Services CRM Online Business Process Design Strategic Consulting CRM and Digital Marketing CRM Online Configuration and Customization Microsoft CRM Online and On-Premise Support Plans Application Integration CRM Web and SharePoint Portal Development Programming and Custom Development Data Planning and Data Management Services CRM Mobile Server and Mobile Device Support IMC Systems is a leading business applications consulting and technology company specializing in Microsoft-based technologies that enable organizations to connect with customers and build loyal relationships. IMC delivers expertise, software, and technology that empower business with CRM, personalized marketing, customer acquisition, and customer support solutions. e-mail: info@imcsystemsllc.com Copyright 2010 IMC Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. P a g e 16