SourceLine Names AbleBridge to List of Top CRM Consultants

AbleBridge was just named to a list of top CRM consultants by SourceLine, a Washington DC-based IT research firm.

SourceLine’s goal was to put together a list of firms that prospective buyers could be confident would deliver a CRM implementation customized to their particular needs. From the hundreds of firms offering CRM, SourceLine narrowed their list, or Leaders Matrix, to 10 Microsoft Dynamics CRM consultants and 5 SugarCRM consultants by focusing on firms with a solid track record of improving sales and marketing ROI for their clients and building out custom implementations for enterprise customers. Rankings also took into account feedback from clients and vendors as well as firm reputation, previous awards and certifications won and length of experience.

Speaking about importance of a firm to deliver a customized platform for their CRM clients, Sam Pettee, Research Manager at SourcingLine, said, “for an enterprise to realize all the benefits of any CRM system, effective integration with existing sales and marketing processes is critical.”

Massachusetts-based AbleBridge was honored to be included in the list. Though AbleBridge has the been awarded Microsoft Gold Certification and inclusion in the President’s Club, Ryan Plourde, AbleBridge founder and CEO sees their place in the Leaders Matrix as a special distinction, saying “I believe ratings based on feedback from customers, peers, and vendor organizations are more meaningful to a customer.”

Read more here on the CRM Software Blog...

Shorten Sales Cycles with Mobile CRM

Depending on your business, a sales cycle can be quite long when the sales people have to contact the potential buyers several times in order to close the sale. Ideally, businesses want sales people to close sales faster, bring in more revenue, and earn more commissions. For that to happen, they need better information about their inventory and availability and more relevant information about their customers. When the sales people understand and can react to customers' buying processes, they can close sales faster.

An example of an accelerated sales cycle is a company that manufactures sensors for lighting, security, and HVAC. Its customers are primarily hotels, residential housing, and universities.

The company's sales people visit customers and demonstrate their products, and they are armed with mobile devices that receive real-time updates on sales visits from Microsoft Dynamics CRM. They are fully aware of their customer's needs before they arrive and can better serve them when they interact with them. They are able to answer questions about inventory, delivery, and payment more effectively when they have that knowledge in the palms of their hands. As a result, many customers are often ready to close a sale on the first call.

The above example is only one of many ways that integrating CRM into mobile technology can give businesses the edge they need to be more productive and more profitable. For more examples like this and a comprehensive look into mobile CRM, you can download the white paper "Why Go Mobile? Six Strategic Objectives You Can Conquer with Mobile CRM" at www.crmsoftwareblog.com/mobile-crm.

By Anya Ciecierski, CRM Software Blog Editor, www.crmsoftwareblog.com

How Staffing Software Solutions Can Help You Keep Your Business Afloat in a Poor Economic Climate

Every sector of our economy has taken some hard hits in the past 18-24 months, but those of us in the staffing industry have had a particularly tough go of it.

We’ve been challenged, and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves. With persistence and determination, we’ve been able to hang on, maintaining our existing customers and maybe even bring in some new ones. While the forecast for 2010 is looking far sunnier, we would be remiss to forget the survival lessons that these hard times have taught us. Namely, we could all do a better job of following costs to ensure that we’re seeing the profitability we expect. One way to do this is with software designed specifically for the staffing industry.

A CRM software system for staffing can help you by tracking sales activity as it relates to real profitability, looking at not only the invoice amount but the costs spent to generate them. For those in the staffing industry that can mean gross pay, taxes, worker’s compensation, benefits, background checks, drug screenings and other expenses. Tracking the profitability of a job order should begin with first identifying the lead or opportunity and end after the invoice has been sent. Without all these pieces can you really be sure what your margins are?

For more information on staffing agency software, read about Professional Advantage’s recruiting agency CRM software.

Post sponsored by: Professional Advantage, staffing software experts

Hosted Microsoft CRM with Streamsol a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner

Streamsol offers Hosted Microsoft CRM in a cloud computing model, also known as software-as-a-service (SaaS). You don’t have to purchase anything, instead you simply subscribe for a period of time, and you don’t have to invest in hardware or any additional software.

At Streamsol, we help businesses experience successful Hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementations that utilize resources effectively. Our CRM Partner Hosted implementation offer many benefits; these include no sign up costs, no commitment, no minimum users, rapid deployment, low monthly expenses and above all, peace of mind. This solution is extremely flexible.

The advantages of using Hosted Microsoft CRM with Streamsol a Microsoft CRM Consulting Partner can be summarized with the following:

• Integration. We support custom code. This is a BIG difference when choosing. We offer the option to integrate Web Services SDK, Custom Development Services, ISV Solutions, Thid Party Plug-in.
• Value added tools. Hosted Microsoft CRM will get you all the accelerators released by Microsoft PLUS our value added tools. A great example of our value added tools is our Virtual Earth integration. Streamsol has integrated the Microsoft Virtual Earth applications inside of their hosted Microsoft CRM solution and their subscribers get to take advantage of this integration at no additional cost. If you want to open a contact in your database and quickly see directions from point A to point B; this is indeed a default feature with Hosted Microsoft CRM.
• One user one month. We have a one user, one month minimum. Additionally we have a 30 day free trial. You can increase or decrease the number of users anytime.
• Dedicated Model. We have the option of Hosting Microsoft CRM in a dedicated model. If you have your own development team and would like to purchase and install custom solutions then this is the best option for you. We offer our dedicated model in two instances; a virtualized instance and a physical instance.

Streamsol is a Microsoft Dynamics Gold Partner, providing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Consulting. We are one of the few partners that have truly embraced the “Power of Choice” messaging and one of the initial evangelizers of xRM. Our CRM practice revolves around three models: Microsoft CRM On premise, Hosted Microsoft CRM and Hybrid Microsoft CRM offering Microsoft Dynamics CRM mobile access in all our deployment models.

Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Your CRM needs?

If you are looking into choosing a customer relationship management (CRM) tool for your business, one of the top options to consider is Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Here are 10 great reasons why.

1. High adoption rates by organization members. If your staff doesn’t take full advantage of a CRM system, your organization won't receive the full benefit. Because most organizations already use Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform integrates with Outlook, users are able to begin using the tool immediately.
2. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a great fit with the current systems that you're using. In addition to working with Outlook, the service-oriented architecture, web-based services, and customization options simplify integrating this CRM tool.
3. Web-based services create hosting flexibility for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You can host the service on your organization's servers or have a Microsoft Dynamics Certified Partner host it for you - and, if your needs change, so can your hosting solution.
4. Functionality drives the Microsoft Dynamics CRM tool. Innovative functions allow you to organize your strategy, interact with customers, and begin reaching the goals that you've set for your business or organization.
5. Confidence in numbers. Not sure that you can trust a website to tell you that Microsoft Dynamics CRM will help you to reach your business goals? Consider the fact that some of the world's largest financial and professional services organizations, manufacturing giants, and public sector departments already use the tool to drive growth. Both small businesses and large enterprises have seen growth as a result of adopting this CRM system.
6. You can count on industry leadership. It's not just other organizations that stand by the impact of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM tool; Analyst Reports and Awards enhance the tools reputation.
7. Despite high praise, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM remains one of the most affordable customer relationship management platforms available.
8. Reports let you see the impact. The reporting engine of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you to mine data, create scorecards to keep track of successes, and to showcase the overall performance of your organization's outreach campaign.
9. The developers of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM are not content to rest on the success of their product. Instead, users can count on continued innovation and an increasing number of features that will add even more value to the product.
10. The Power of Choice lets you choose through the different models of CRM deployment. Either on a Hosted Microsoft CRM model, On Premise CRM model or Hybrid CRM model. Microsoft Dynamics CRM works the way you do. And be able to switch between models as your business needs change.

The benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform are unmatched. From continued improvement, high adoption rates, flexibility, and affordable cost to benefits that only you can discover for yourself, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers an unmatched value.

Streamsol is one of the only partners that have truly embraced the Microsoft "Power of Choice" messaging. Recognized as one of the top ten Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partners in the country, named to Microsoft's President's Club in 2009. Our Microsoft CRM practice revolves around three models; Microsoft CRM on-premise, hosted Microsoft CRM, and hybrid Microsoft CRM, which allow us to service companies of all shapes and sizes located anywhere in the world. To learn more about the Microsoft Dynamics CRM framework please visit xRM.com.

Choose to Empower Your Business by Deployment of a Microsoft CRM Solution

Designed to satisfy your CRM requirements, Microsoft Dynamics CRM combines flexibility with the trusted family of Microsoft products resulting in minimal disruption of your business.

By implementing either an on-site or Hosted Microsoft CRM configuration, it is your option to change from one to the other depending on corporate necessity or mission requirements.

With several procurement options including outright purchase, subscription service, or third-party financing, you exercise the level of control your company requires.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM has superior connectivity which can be configured to interface transparently with Microsoft Office products, including Outlook and SharePoint, a variety of web browsers, or custom mobile and network portals.

Hosted CRM relieves you of the responsibility of maintaining complex on-premise systems without sacrificing productivity. This is an ideal solution for smaller companies with limited in-house IT staff or resources.

For a good article that talk about the Advantages of Microsoft CRM with a Partner Hosted Solution.

For companies with a necessity for extensive customization or who have an on-premises server deployed, it may be more practical and economical to integrate the Microsoft Dynamics CRM with existing systems. This solution is recommended for larger companies with an extensive established server infrastructure and a full-time IT support staff.

The Importance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Deployment Options

Adaptability – Business requirements change dynamically, often as a result of external events beyond the direct control of the company. The economy, market demands, budgetary constraints, corporate growth or consolidation all can impact your business.

Options and Choices – Whether using a hosted CRM service or managing an on-premise server farm, you have a completely scalable solution. Depending on the nature and extent of customization, migration from a hosted to an on-premises server or vice-versa can be accomplished with minimal impact on business operations, often a process that is transparent to the end-user. With the Power of Choice you are able to change deployment types whenever you want.

Parallel or Hybrid systems – Interfacing on-premises CRM with hosted CRM resources empower a company's employees regardless of geographic location or method of access.

Disparate Portability Options – Hosted CRM and on-premises deployment allow for a wide variety of interface solutions; enabling full application portability and ease of migration from one system to a similarly configured system.

Consultation Services

Whether your company is ready to migrate from another CRM suite to Microsoft CRM or you are considering changing from an on-premises deployment to a hosted Microsoft CRM; your first choice is contacting a Certified Microsoft Dynamics Gold Partner and Reseller for a consultation. Analysis of your particular requirements by an expert, trained, and qualified Microsoft CRM consultant will give you the knowledge and confidence to choose which option best serves your company's requirements. Whether it is a hosted Microsoft CRM or an on-premises system, you can be certain you have made an informed decision.

Streamsol is recognized as one of the top ten Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partners in the country, and was named to Microsoft's President's Club in 2009. Streamsol is one of the only partners that has truly embraced the Microsoft "Power of Choice" messaging. Our Microsoft CRM practice revolves around three models; Microsoft CRM on-premise, hosted Microsoft CRM, and hybrid Microsoft CRM, which allow us to service companies of all shapes and sizes located anywhere in the world. Our vision and commitment to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM framework is unrivaled. To learn more please visit xRM.com.

Microsoft CRM Services and Support with Streamsol - Best Microsoft Certified Partner

Streamsol is an established Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner and Reseller specializing in Hosted Microsoft CRM services and is a certified Microsoft CRM Consulting Partner. Streamsol provides solutions to integrate enterprise business information systems with the corporate website presence; enabling staff and management to access vital data and applications critical to successful sales of goods and services.

Microsoft CRM services provided include:

- Business Consultation – Streamsol analyzes each client's business model by examining methodologies, product or service life-cycle milestones, specific requirements and deliverables. An integrated solution is designed, installed, tested and released which satisfies the criteria established by the business model.

- Customization – Certified Microsoft Dynamics CRM Streamsol consultants ensure compliance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM custom application meet or exceed the unique and specific business model requirements.

- In-house CRM Server Implementation – Following a thorough analysis of the corporate IT infrastructure, the determination of hardware and software is proposed. Any modifications to the model are made prior to the initial installation of Microsoft CRM. Once the system is in place, it is tested for functionality and proper operation.

- Porting and integrating existing data – Data, data structures and definitions are converted and imported from any pre-existing CRM system, migrated to the Microsoft CRM and tested for correct and accurate results. Layered software application and productivity products are installed and tested.

- Support and Contingency Planning – Microsoft Certified CRM technicians and consultants are available for crisis management services. Remote access to the corporate network aids in speedy response to varying levels of damage control, from routine upgrades, interpretation and resolution of error conditions, performance issues, to disaster recovery. Incident Reports are generated detailing specifics of each issue or problem, corrective measures used and specific guidance recommendations from lessons learned regarding the issue.Streamsol provides services and support for all phases of implementation of Microsoft CRM 4.0, the 3.0 Upgrade and CRM Online. Lifecycle planning and project management from the most basic implementation to complete system integration, data porting, conversion and migration. Additionally, personnel training, customized systems and SharePoint integration are some of the service enhancements available.

Streamsol CRM service and support staff include systems engineers, specialists in systems architecture and a wide range of expert analysts and technicians able to deliver professional results in a timely and expeditious manner. A seasoned development staff, trained and certified qualify Streamsol as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Streamsol is committed to full compliance with the protection methodologies and the legal aspects regarding intellectual property rights. When combined with a rapid-response, full-time 24/7/365 support available for mission-critical systems and applications, Streamsol is your best choice for Microsoft CRM and related service and support.

The Importance of Being Current & On Target - CRM For Private Equity and Venture Capital

When there’s a lot at stake, expectations run high. It’s too easy to hurt or kill a relationship with a Private Equity client by just confusing your facts, or not having the latest and greatest information at your fingertips. It’s a high-demand world where you always need to prove you know your stuff.
Consider:
• Keeping separate contact lists for each client just creates more work and wastes more time.
• Not recording your client interactions so that you can retrieve and review them quickly is an invitation to disaster should a client surprise you with a call.
• Not having your facts at your fingertips can result in reduced confidence from your client, and it’s all about keeping confidence high.

Nobody can keep all that information, all those details, straight in their head. You need to find a really good tool to track all that information and keep it where you can get at it quickly enough to impress and continue to earn your client’s respect. The best tool I’ve found is PrivityCRM from Eisner Information Solutions. As far as I can tell, it’s the only customer relationship management software designed specifically for Private Equity firms.

It centralizes all client information, so you can instantly and securely access and share data with the right people in your organization whenever and wherever they may need it.
PrivityCRM is based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customer Relationship Management) so it delivers the tools you need to track key information and account development activities.

It was developed by Eisner Information Solutions, the technology division of Eisner LLP New York, one of the premier accounting and advisory firms in the country.

There’s an excellent one-minute video about PrivityCRM on the Eisner website. Eisner offers demonstrations and consultation so interested private equity and venture capital firms should reach out to them directly at 212-891-6900 or visit them at www.eisneris.com.

Eisner IS Introduces PrivityCRM - A CRM For Private Equity and Venture Capital Firms

• Leverages Microsoft CRM to Provide Specialized Support for Private Equity and Venture Capital Companies
• Brings Extensive Resources of Eisner LLC Financial Services to Focused CRM Offering

Eisner IS, the technology arm of premier accounting and advisory firm Eisner LLP New York introduces PrivityCRM designed to deliver the tools Private Equity & Venture Capital firms need to maximize effectiveness in communicating key information to closely track account development activities.
Eisner IS Vice President Martin Begley explains that “Our Private Equity and Venture Capital clients can assure maximum investor return with the analytics and reporting available from PrivityCRM, and since they have to retain portfolio companies much longer than usual, they need tools to maximize profitability.”
PrivityCRM includes powerful document and information management capabilities like the Virtual Dataroom which clients can access securely to obtain needed documents from anywhere at any time, and while most of the information they track for clients is structured, much of it is also anecdotal. They can track it all with PrivityCRM.
Begley continues, pointing out that “PrivityCRM integrates with capital management systems managing the entire Capital Call communications process. It also supports fund raising, event management, pipeline and deal tracking making it the ideal client management solution for Private Equity and Venture Capital firms. To learn more visit http://www.eisneris.com/privitycrm.html.

RSM McGladrey’s Technology Business Solutions Practice Specializing in Microsoft Dynamics Launches Website

RSM McGladrey’s Technology Business Solutions Practice launched a new website (www.dynamicssoftwaresolutions.com) in the northeast region for mid-sized and growing organizations researching business software solutions.

RSM McGladrey’s Technology Business Solutions practice provides implementations utilizing Microsoft Dynamics™ business management solutions, including Financial and Human Resources Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), SharePoint, and Business Intelligence serving healthcare, not-for-profit, distribution, financial services and public sector industries. Recently ranked third in Accounting Technology’s Top 100 VARs, RSM McGladrey has served more than 2,000 clients for over 20 years.

“We are excited to showcase our products and services in this arena. Our site features product information, success stories, white papers, and news. We hope companies looking for business management solutions find this site to be a valuable resource center,” says Michele Juliana, Business Developer Director of RSM McGladrey. “We’ve worked hard to lay a good foundation so we can easily add tools which benefit our clients and prospective clients.”

RSM McGladrey is recognized as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a member of Microsoft’s Inner Circle and President’s Club, and by Accounting Technology as a 2009 Technology Pacesetter.

Your CRM does what?

By Todd Fleming
Senior Consultant, Microsoft Business Solutions

BroadPoint Technologies

I think most of us know what a standard CRM application does out of the box. You have the typical functionality across all of the major CRM vendors to include: Sales Force Automation- Leads, Accounts, Contacts and Opportunity Management, Marketing Automation – Campaigns and Marketing Lists, and Service Automation – Contracts, Cases and a Knowledgebase. While this includes a lot of useful features it rarely ever satisfies all of the needs of a company. This shouldn't be viewed as a negative as long as your CRM solution is also flexible enough to handle your company's specific business needs.

One of the solutions we have incorporated in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for customers in the past includes:

Project Budgeting and Analysis In this case, the client was using their financial application to track time and materials against projects. The goals were to: (1) give Account Execs more visibility into project details and current budget to actual amounts thereby reducing the burden on the finance team for having to produce weekly status reports, (2) provide a central repository for all project documents and customer interactions and (3) provide an estimate tool within CRM that would assist with creating budgets and client facing quotes. What we created in Dynamics CRM was a solution whereby:

Account Execs could create a new project with the necessary project description and details needed for budgeting

The project record would be the central location for storing files and recording interactions with customers regarding a project

Several departments would be tasked with creating budgetary estimates for the project

A quote would be generated based on the details and budgetary estimates and sent to the client

As time and expenses are approved against the project in the financial application it systematically integrates this data to the corresponding project in Dynamics CRM

Budgeted time and expenses can be compared to actual time and expenses to monitor a project's status within Dynamics CRM

In my next blog postings I will discuss additional features we have added in Dynamics CRM such as Contract Administration, Event Planning, Speaker Bureau Management, Credit Card Verification, Integrated Freight Calculation and Partner Portal for managing Leads and Opportunities by external Partners.

Microsoft CRM Video Testimonial - Explains How MS Beats Salesforce on Cost and Fuctionality

CH2M Hill president and EVP Mark Lasswell talks about CH2M Hill's selection of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This video illustrates CH2M Hill's business drivers and highlights the cost-effectiveness of Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Salesforce.com. Join and see why CH2M Hill projected that Microsoft Dynamics CRM would cost CH2M Hill a fraction - only 25% - of Salesforce.com.


CH2M Hill on Microsoft Dynamics CRM