CRM has been around for several years and the vendor community has seen the
rapid expand-contract-stabilize cycle that so many software companies have
experienced over the past five years. Just when the CRM landscape had become
fairly stable, Microsoft Business Solutions entered the CRM market when they
announced the availability of Microsoft CRM on January 21, 2003.
CRM systems have not always integrated well with an organization’s infrastructure. Microsoft CRM is different because it is integrated with the Microsoft already in place in your organization. There are two interface options for the system, one is an add-in for Outlook and the other is a browser-based thin client that runs against an Internet information services (IIS) Web server. The back-end database is Microsoft SQL Server. Additionally, your users are authenticated through their active directory memberships, moving your network closer to the “single-sign-on” goal.
The level of integration in Microsoft CRM is in stark contrast to some other mid-market CRM packages that may use file-based databases or proprietary technologies. E-mail is usually a difficult feature for most CRM systems since most of them do not offer integrated e-mail clients with the same functionality as Microsoft Outlook. Another problem is that most CRM packages that have an “unplugged” version for the remote sales force have different functionality and appearances between the two versions. Not so with Microsoft. Both the browser-based and the Outlook-based clients are fully functional and have the same interface.
Using Microsoft CRM
The quickest access to Microsoft CRM is through Microsoft Internet Explorer. Running Microsoft CRM is as simple as pointing your Web browser to the right location on the network. One of the first things the system performs is authentication of the user. This is important because, in most cases, the users are logged in via Active Directory and do not need to provide any credentials. Next, most users are struck by the interface, which has a definite “XP” feel, as shown in Figure A. Most users find themselves at home with Microsoft CRM in minutes.
| Figure A |
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| Microsoft CRM looks as if it is a part of the XP family. |
At the core of any CRM system is the customer and, in Microsoft CRM, the customer takes the form of Contacts and Accounts. “Contacts” represent people and “Accounts” are organizations, and these can be linked together to represent your customers. Throughout the system, there is the ability to create, assign, update, and complete several types of Activities. Activities may include e-mails, tasks, faxes, phone calls, letters, or appointments. They can be linked to either contacts or accounts.
Sales module
The Sales module allows sales people to manage leads and opportunities, measure and forecast sales activity, and track customer communications. The most impressive part of Microsoft CRM is the ability of the software to support and even facilitate your sales process. For example, your company may have a sales methodology that requires formal documentation of the solution fit and the communication of this solution fit to your prospect. The workflow features of Microsoft CRM allow administrators to quickly create these business rules in the system to automate the creation of the tasks and their assignment to appropriate individuals. As these sales “Opportunities” make their way through the sales process, the system is also able to generate and manage “Quotes” and, ultimately, “Orders” and “Invoices.” You can see this progression in the way that the tabs are laid out for the sales person as shown in Figure B.
| Figure B |
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| You can manage the entire sales process from one page. |
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