Microsoft released their Dynamics CRM 2016 Preview Guide this week (here) and a one minute fifty two second release overview video (here) , which set out what new capabilities will be available later in the year for both CRM online and on premise versions. Microsoft release documents aren’t the easiest Continue Reading
Eight entirely plausible beliefs about CRM that don’t stack up in reality
I’ve been involved (at the time of writing at least) in the CRM industry now north of twenty years, eleven of which have been spent as an independent CRM consultant. Over that time I’ve been involved in, or a spectator to, hundreds of CRM projects, involving a wide range of Continue Reading
It’s not the technology, it’s you – a seven step plan to turn your CRM system around
Not so long ago I wrote a post called ‘The coming Zombie CRM Apocalypse and what to do about it’. The gist of the post was that a lot of CRM systems, while technically functioning, don’t contribute much to the health of the organisations that run them. While I outlined Continue Reading
Sales automation technology
One of the big movements in recent years has been the rise of marketing automation technologies such as Marketo, Eloqua, and Pardot (to name but a few). These systems are designed to help marketers move prospects through the sales funnel from initial interest to leads that are sufficiently qualified to Continue Reading
How to implement a CRM system – fast
We’ve worked on a few projects in recent months where there was a compelling need for the system to be implemented quickly. This isn’t as easy as it might first appear. There’s only so much that you can compress the major building blocks of a CRM implementation, such a requirements Continue Reading
The increasing power of CRM portal technology
One interesting area of CRM technology whose potential seems yet to be fully realised is the use of portals. A portal is a website that serves as a gateway to the CRM system, and allows third parties, such as customers or partners, the ability to create and update records within Continue Reading
How to gather and document a CRM requirements specification – The ebook
I’ve written a lot over the years about the importance of requirements gathering when implementing CRM systems. For me, the CRM requirements specification is the foundation of a CRM project, and I don’t believe there’s any other element that has as much influence on ultimate success or failure. What’s surprising however Continue Reading
The zombie CRM apocalypse and ways to avoid it
In October last year I passed the ten year milestone as an independent CRM consultant, and at some point in 2015, all being well, I’ll pass the twenty year mark of working in the CRM industry. I mention this because back in the early days tales of CRM project failures Continue Reading
Getting people to use CRM software – two key foundations
It doesn’t matter how successful you may have been in selecting the right CRM technology for your organisation and customising it to fit your specific needs, if you can’t get people to use it in a consistent and structured way, then it’s not going to generate much value. Despite the Continue Reading
Specifying CRM functional requirements – twelve things that often get missed
In the ‘how to document CRM requirements’ series (part one, if you missed it, can be found HERE, part two HERE, part three HERE, part four HERE, part five HERE, and part six HERE, or all of them in an ebook HERE) noted that there were a lot of areas that people Continue Reading