Dynamo with Dynamics CRM » Salespeople http://crmdynamo.com Big stylin' with Microsoft Dynamics CRM! Tips for administrators, salespeople and general CRM users. Thu, 10 May 2012 18:59:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Latest Microsoft statement promises frequent updates and hints to next Dynamics CRM features http://crmdynamo.com/2011/05/latest-statement-from-microsoft-hints-dynamics-crm-next-features/ http://crmdynamo.com/2011/05/latest-statement-from-microsoft-hints-dynamics-crm-next-features/#comments Fri, 27 May 2011 22:47:15 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=653 For all those following the latest news in the CRM market, it’s evident that Microsoft’s recently announced future milestones are truly noteworthy.

In the latest Statement of Direction (May 2011) announcement, Microsoft has laid out plans to accelerate the development cycle of Dynamics CRM as well as hints to future significant features, probably most notably [...]]]> For all those following the latest news in the CRM market, it’s evident that Microsoft’s recently announced future milestones are truly noteworthy.

In the latest Statement of Direction (May 2011) announcement, Microsoft has laid out plans to accelerate the development cycle of Dynamics CRM as well as hints to future significant features, probably most notably multi-browser and cross-platform support.

Accelerated development cycle

Since its inception in 2003, Microsoft CRM has evolved over five versions into Dynamics CRM 2011, the enterprise-class application and framework it is today.  Over the course of its history the Microsoft CRM development team traditionally released each version in 2-3 year cycles.  Each new major version required customers to plan each major upgrade extensively, at times with a sizable investment.

Per the new announcement, Microsoft has committed to shorter development cycles which will bring new enhancements and features to all Online and On-Premise customers.  This will allow users to enjoy the latest innovations as they are developed, as well as providing minimal impact to existing deployments.

The newly announced development cycle includes:

  • Updates: similar to the current Update Rollups, these are enhancements that will be delivered to the Dynamics CRM platform semi-annually at Spring (Q2) and Fall (Q4) of each year.  Updates will not require significant implementation planning like Upgrades.  They will also deliver compatibility for future Server, SQL, .NET and Office versions.
  • Upgrades: these are new future versions of Dynamics CRM that will provide the next level of milestone features to the platform.  These releases will likely require more implementation planning from customers than the Updates.  The next scheduled major release is for Spring (Q2) of 2012.

The Evolution of Social Media and Collaboration

The focus of Customer Relationship Management applications should be relationships, and the recent announcement for Dynamics CRM reiterates that emphasis.  Mentioned in the announcement is additional feature support for social media and collaboration tools.

Per the statement of direction, there will be new support for:

  • Micro-blogging: encompassing important status updates and notifications regarding business events and actions.
  • Business activity feeds: delivering configurable real-time notifications regarding important relationships and significant business events.
  • Social intelligence: identification of data patterns and streams to enhance customer service and marketing decision-making.

The Perks of going Microsoft

If your organization is a “Microsoft shop”, there are clear advantages to deploying Dynamics CRM and investing in the other Microsoft technologies besides Office.

While it’s not really new news, Microsoft reiterated its commitment to extend capabilities across Microsoft products.  Its most recent example is the easy-to-deploy integration between Dynamics CRM 2011 and SharePoint 2010.   Other points of native integration for Dynamics CRM already include Microsoft Lync and Microsoft Office, as well as the ability to synchronize with back-office applications such as Dynamics GP. Deploying these investments will provide a new user experience as well as have clear business value.

Not mentioned in the statement is the recent sizable investment in Skype.  There’s a good bet that Microsoft has a plan for Skype integration in future updates to Dynamics CRM.  At this point in time, we can speculate that it could provide an enhanced call center solution.

Dynamics CRM anywhere, anytime, on any device

One of the early pain points that I’ve discovered in my experience with Dynamics CRM is its inability to function seamlessly with other browsers beyond Internet Explorer, and by extension other operating systems such as Mac and Linux.  There are new and persistent expectations with cutting-edge devices such as mobile smartphones and tablets.  While there may be competitive and technology reasons for this historical reliance on Internet Explorer, this limitation is unacceptable for some key users.  Workarounds like the compatible MSCRM Mobile Express solution and mobile apps help, but in the end cannot provide the full user experience native to the IE Web and Outlook Client.

To my great delight, Microsoft announced multi-browser and cross-platform support for the next future release of Dynamics CRM.  Per the statement:

  • CRM anywhere: deliver immersive user experiences that match users’ particular context or work “mode” – whether that is on the road or in the office. This facilitates a new agility and productivity in how users respond to different situational requirements.
  • Cross-device: provide device-specific application experiences that are natural and intuitive across a range of platforms and form-factors.
  • Multi-browser: provide targeted user experiences that work on different web browsers by utilizing HTML5 for structuring and presenting content.

Microsoft naming HTML5 as the vehicle for multi-browser support is noteworthy.  Could this be the new future trend, versus platform-centric apps?

The New York Times article “In a New Web World, No Application Is an Island” addresses this very topic, and is a highly recommended read.  Per the Times article:

Engineers say the technology will make it possible to write Web applications, accessed with a browser, that are as visually rich and lively as the so-called native applications that are now designed to run on a specific device, like an iPad or an Android-based tablet.

HTML5 has shown to be quite promising.  Dynamics CRM is positioning itself to be at the forefront of this new web application technology.

Conclusion

There are clear advantages to combining other Microsoft business technologies with Dynamics CRM, and will only be easier to integrate in the future.   Key pain points in the past (such as multi-browser support) will be addressed, and new social collaboration tools to enhance Dynamics CRM are promised and will be soon forthcoming.

These key initiatives will continue to keep Microsoft Dynamics CRM an innovative and competitive leader in the enterprise CRM market.

 

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2011/05/latest-statement-from-microsoft-hints-dynamics-crm-next-features/feed/ 0 In Dynamics CRM 2011, Dashboards bring eye candy BI to the masses http://crmdynamo.com/2010/09/in-dynamics-crm-2011-dashboards-bring-eye-candy-bi-to-the-masses/ http://crmdynamo.com/2010/09/in-dynamics-crm-2011-dashboards-bring-eye-candy-bi-to-the-masses/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:04:03 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=591 "Data, looks like resistance to the Borg is futile to maximizing our sales pipeline."

Arguably, the most noticeable feature in the Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta is the new Dashboard functionality.  It brings to the table such a new level of easy and powerful customization that one could say Microsoft has truly “brought BI [...]]]>

"Data, looks like resistance to the Borg is futile to maximizing our sales pipeline."

Arguably, the most noticeable feature in the Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta is the new Dashboard functionality.  It brings to the table such a new level of easy and powerful customization that one could say Microsoft has truly “brought BI to the masses.”

What makes the Dynamics CRM 2011 Dashboards so special?  Let me count the ways:

  • Easily create a custom Dashboard on the fly by clicking the New button on the Outlook ribbon or from the web client.
  • Keep your custom dashboard for yourself, or share your creation with other colleagues on your team (similar in functionality to Views).
  • Easily add CRM Views to the Dashboard.
  • Drag in your own bar charts and line charts, add a sales funnel, or add a connected Bing Map so you can see the locations of the customers you’re visiting today.
  • Drill-down capability, so you can view individual records.
  • Use iFrames to provide a window to other Portals or internal/external websites.
  • Use the advanced tools in Dashboard customization to incorporate custom SSRS reports that display data from other systems.

These tools provide all the fodder that the imaginative user and developer will need to design useful Dashboards on-the-fly.

Dashboard Help Section

For those new to managing Dashboards, Microsoft provided a help section that is available upon your first login to Dynamics CRM 2011.  This section can be hidden permanently as soon as you feel you’re familiar with the tools.

Dynamics CRM 2011: Dashboards Help section

Dynamics CRM 2011: Dashboards Help section

Creating a New Dashboard in CRM 2011

Upon creation of a new Dashboard, CRM asks for your preferred layout format.  So far so good…

Dynamics CRM 2011: Dashboards Layout

Dynamics CRM 2011: Dashboards Layout

In the next Dashboard customization screen, we can add the following resource types:

  • Chart
  • List
  • Web Resource, which can consist of:
    • Web Page (HTML)
    • Style Sheet (CSS)
    • Script (JScript)
    • Data (XML)
    • Images (JPG, PNG, GIF, ICO)
    • Silverlight (XAP)
    • Style Sheet (XSL)
  • iFrame
Dynamics CRM 2011: Dashboards Toolbar

Dynamics CRM 2011: Dashboards Toolbar

In less than five minutes, I instantly built my sample Dashboard by:

See the screenshot of my creative (albeit questionably productive) Dashboard below.

Dynamics CRM 2011: My Sample Dashboard

Dynamics CRM 2011: My Sample Dashboard

While my sample Dashboard won’t win any productivity awards, it’s my own Dashboard to view, tweak and share with my colleagues.  My next step would be to try and incorporate Bing Maps imaginatively.

As always, the most important step is to take that initial dive, and imagine the possibilities!

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2010/09/in-dynamics-crm-2011-dashboards-bring-eye-candy-bi-to-the-masses/feed/ 4 Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s next generation is here! CRM 2011 Beta Online and On-Premise available worldwide today http://crmdynamo.com/2010/09/microsoft-dynamics-crms-next-generation-is-here-crm-2011-beta-online-and-on-premise-available-worldwide-today/ http://crmdynamo.com/2010/09/microsoft-dynamics-crms-next-generation-is-here-crm-2011-beta-online-and-on-premise-available-worldwide-today/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:45:35 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=579

It’s a wonderful day in the #MSDYNCRM world. 

Microsoft promised and delivered today the Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta version, available Online and On-Premise!  Check out http://www.crm2011beta.com for videos and highlights, as well as the official announcement to see for yourself.  If you didn’t attend the “First Look at CRM 2011″ webcast on [...]]]>

It’s a wonderful day in the #MSDYNCRM world. 

Microsoft promised and delivered today the Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta version, available Online and On-Premise!  Check out http://www.crm2011beta.com for videos and highlights, as well as the official announcement to see for yourself.  If you didn’t attend the “First Look at CRM 2011″ webcast on September 7th, I’d highly recommend you view it.

This Beta release is also getting some media attention!  Check out a few interesting articles below.

In the next coming months, my pledge to you will be to start highlighting all the new Beta features and tips here at this CRM blog.  Feel free to contact me if you have a special request or question regarding the new Beta, and I’ll be sure to cover it for you.  :-)

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2010/09/microsoft-dynamics-crms-next-generation-is-here-crm-2011-beta-online-and-on-premise-available-worldwide-today/feed/ 0 Video: Introduction to the Outlook Client for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 http://crmdynamo.com/2010/06/video-introduction-to-the-outlook-client-for-microsoft-dynamics-crm-4-0/ http://crmdynamo.com/2010/06/video-introduction-to-the-outlook-client-for-microsoft-dynamics-crm-4-0/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:23:42 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=560 Check out my latest demonstration video on the CRM 4.0 Outlook Client! It’s an outline of the general navigation and features of the client, so it’s really nothing new for the seasoned CRM Consultants out there. Rather, this video is targeted for new and prospective clients who don’t live and breathe the CRM world everyday.

[...]]]> Check out my latest demonstration video on the CRM 4.0 Outlook Client! It’s an outline of the general navigation and features of the client, so it’s really nothing new for the seasoned CRM Consultants out there. Rather, this video is targeted for new and prospective clients who don’t live and breathe the CRM world everyday.

Hope you enjoy it… I’d appreciate your feedback!



]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2010/06/video-introduction-to-the-outlook-client-for-microsoft-dynamics-crm-4-0/feed/ 2 Video: Sales Lifecycle demonstration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 http://crmdynamo.com/2010/05/video-brief-sales-lifecycle-demonstration-with-microsoft-dynamics-crm-4-0/ http://crmdynamo.com/2010/05/video-brief-sales-lifecycle-demonstration-with-microsoft-dynamics-crm-4-0/#comments Sat, 15 May 2010 19:13:58 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=548 Here’s my brief video walkthrough of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sales Lifecycle, from initial e-mail to closing the sale.

Hopefully there will be more to come soon. Let me know if you have a specific Dynamics CRM topic you’d like me to address, and I just might make a video walkthrough based on it. Meanwhile, [...]]]> Here’s my brief video walkthrough of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sales Lifecycle, from initial e-mail to closing the sale.

Hopefully there will be more to come soon. Let me know if you have a specific Dynamics CRM topic you’d like me to address, and I just might make a video walkthrough based on it. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to practice on my demo voice. :-)

Looking forward to your feedback!



]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2010/05/video-brief-sales-lifecycle-demonstration-with-microsoft-dynamics-crm-4-0/feed/ 0 The latest plans for Dynamics CRM in the just released Statement of Direction (April 2010) http://crmdynamo.com/2010/05/the-latest-plans-for-dynamics-crm-in-the-just-released-statement-of-direction-april-2010/ http://crmdynamo.com/2010/05/the-latest-plans-for-dynamics-crm-in-the-just-released-statement-of-direction-april-2010/#comments Wed, 05 May 2010 00:25:33 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=528 Microsoft just released their latest Statement of Direction for Dynamics CRM. It’s typically a must-read for any CRM aficionado if you want to learn what Microsoft has up its sleeve in the upcoming short and long term timeframe.

Download here! Dynamics CRM Statement Of Direction – April 2010 (link to Ross’ CRM website with [...]]]> Microsoft just released their latest Statement of Direction for Dynamics CRM. It’s typically a must-read for any CRM aficionado if you want to learn what Microsoft has up its sleeve in the upcoming short and long term timeframe.

Download here!
Dynamics CRM Statement Of Direction – April 2010
(link to Ross’ CRM website with the PDF)

There is some exciting information on unifying the Dynamics technologies that will help bring together any challenging business solution, as well as welcome additions to the SDK. Some details regarding CRM 5.0 are starting to be teased out, but in reality most of the information here has been public for some time.

So what did we learn? There are new Accelerators in the pipline:

  • Non-Profit Solution for Dynamics CRM Online – now available!
  • Portal Accelerators – Q2 2010
    • This release provides new versions of eService, Event Management and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) accelerators that can connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as well as on-premises and partner-hosted deployments.
  • Customer Care Accelerator (CCA) – Q2 2010
    • This solution can be used to help customer care and contact center organizations provide consistent customer service experiences by combining data elements from disparate applications such as mainframes, databases or Web sites for display in a single user interface.
    • Some features: Integrated agent desktop, Desktop automation, Computer telephony integration (CTI), and Activity reporting.

New integration tools with other Dynamics software! All the Dynamics technologies are starting to come together very nicely.

  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP – May 2010
    • A highly reliable, bi-directional and fault tolerant business document integration between Dynamics CRM 4.0 (Update Rollup 5 and above) and Dynamics GP 10 (Service Pack 4 and above) and the new GP 2010.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics AX6 – 2011
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics NAV2009 – 2011

And for you developers out there, a big fat update is coming to the SDK in May 2010 making it easier to build agile and integrated CRM Web solutions.

  • SDK (May 2010) – Advanced Developer Extensions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a set of new tools included in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK that simplifies and accelerates the development of internet-enabled applications that interact with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
  • A full list of key features is outlined in the Statement of Direction document.

Regarding CRM 5.0, it is of course scheduled to release “the second half of 2010″, most likely near the end of the year. The outline is below, and as I expected it doesn’t really reveal more than what has already been disseminated. Regardless, it’s still nice to see what we have to look forward to.

  • User Productivity and Collaboration
    • Increase accessibility through the Microsoft Office “ribbon” interface
    • Drive user adoption through personalization
    • Enrich business insight through improved business intelligence
    • Balanced workload management for more efficient use of resources
  • CRM Capabilities: core CRM investments
    • Contact and Account Management
    • Team-Based Collaboration
    • Call Center and Unified Communications Support
    • Territory Management
    • Performance Management
    • Other areas:
      • Further improving the flexibility of sales opportunity management to incorporate team selling models.
      • Extending the outbound marketing capabilities to allow richer communications via email, including document attachments.
      • Further simplifying and extending marketing list management capabilities.
      • Providing users the ability to schedule future recurring activities.
]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2010/05/the-latest-plans-for-dynamics-crm-in-the-just-released-statement-of-direction-april-2010/feed/ 0 Got Windows 7? Download your free Microsoft Dynamics CRM Themes and Wallpapers http://crmdynamo.com/2009/11/got-windows-7-download-your-free-microsoft-dynamics-crm-themes-and-wallpapers/ http://crmdynamo.com/2009/11/got-windows-7-download-your-free-microsoft-dynamics-crm-themes-and-wallpapers/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:52:32 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=465 I recently got a Windows 7 upgrade on my work laptop.  To celebrate, I created a couple Windows 7 Themes and decided to share them here.

If you don’t have Windows 7 yet, no worries… I’ve also posted the same wallpapers used in the theme.  Enjoy!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Theme (v1)

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Theme [...]]]> I recently got a Windows 7 upgrade on my work laptop.  To celebrate, I created a couple Windows 7 Themes and decided to share them here.

If you don’t have Windows 7 yet, no worries… I’ve also posted the same wallpapers used in the theme.  Enjoy!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Theme (v1)

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Theme (v2)

CRM-wallpaper-blue CRM-wallpaper-green CRM-wallpaper-red

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2009/11/got-windows-7-download-your-free-microsoft-dynamics-crm-themes-and-wallpapers/feed/ 1 Lucky Seven! Update Rollup 7 for Dynamics CRM improves the Outlook Client experience http://crmdynamo.com/2009/10/lucky-seven-update-rollup-7-for-dynamics-crm-improves-the-outlook-client-experience/ http://crmdynamo.com/2009/10/lucky-seven-update-rollup-7-for-dynamics-crm-improves-the-outlook-client-experience/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:43:26 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=457 My favorite number

Some exciting news lately in the Dynamics CRM world, and all are related to lucky numero seven!

First off, the latest Update Rollup 7 was released to the world.  The most noteworthy changes were made to the CRM Outlook Client, and by itself would make this update HIGHLY recommended.  After starting up [...]]]> Seagrams 7 and 7

My favorite number

Some exciting news lately in the Dynamics CRM world, and all are related to lucky numero seven!

First off, the latest Update Rollup 7 was released to the world.  The most noteworthy changes were made to the CRM Outlook Client, and by itself would make this update HIGHLY recommended.  After starting up Outlook, the CRM functionality now loads quietly in the background, allowing you to immediately access your e-mails without any slow down. There are other additional improvements that make this update a must-have, all outlined in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog.  Get your Update Rollup 7 links below!

Last, but certainly not least: Microsoft announced that Dynamics CRM 4.0 is now supported on the new Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.  There’s no excuse now not to upgrade to Windows 7; this latest OS has been shown to be quite an improvement over previous releases.

Be sure to relate your experiences with CRM and this latest update in the comments section below.

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2009/10/lucky-seven-update-rollup-7-for-dynamics-crm-improves-the-outlook-client-experience/feed/ 1 The wait is over! The Social Networking Accelerator was released and is available for download http://crmdynamo.com/2009/10/the-wait-is-over-the-social-networking-accelerator-was-released-and-is-available-for-download/ http://crmdynamo.com/2009/10/the-wait-is-over-the-social-networking-accelerator-was-released-and-is-available-for-download/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:48:14 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=446 Dynamics CRM and Twitter combined. You cannot escape.

The highly anticipated Social Networking Accelerator was released today!  It was last announced this past July, promising Twitter integration out-of-the-box and future enhancements for other social networks.

Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [CodePlex.com]

To view all the features this new Accelerator provides, review [...]]]> Dynamics CRM and Twitter combined. You cannot escape.

Dynamics CRM and Twitter combined. You cannot escape.

The highly anticipated Social Networking Accelerator was released today!  It was last announced this past July, promising Twitter integration out-of-the-box and future enhancements for other social networks.

Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [CodePlex.com]

To view all the features this new Accelerator provides, review the video below or at this link.


Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2009/10/the-wait-is-over-the-social-networking-accelerator-was-released-and-is-available-for-download/feed/ 0 Just released: SPI Solution Selling Accelerator for Dynamics CRM 4.0 http://crmdynamo.com/2009/08/just-released-spi-solution-selling-accelerator-for-dynamics-crm-4-0/ http://crmdynamo.com/2009/08/just-released-spi-solution-selling-accelerator-for-dynamics-crm-4-0/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:10:01 +0000 Christian http://crmdynamo.com/?p=420 Update: Mondo had declared itself bankrupt late 2009, but appears to have merged with another Danish MSCRM consulting company called KeyZone.  Here’s the Google translation link.

SPI Accelerator screenshot

A new accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM was released today, and you could say it’s a unique one.  If you go to the CodePlex site, [...]]]>

Update: Mondo had declared itself bankrupt late 2009, but appears to have merged with another Danish MSCRM consulting company called KeyZone.  Here’s the Google translation link.

SPI Accelerator screenshot

SPI Accelerator screenshot

A new accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM was released today, and you could say it’s a unique one.  If you go to the CodePlex site, you’ll only be able to download a whitepaper from this page; that’s because this sales methodology is proprietary.  There’s a separate registration page for the actual download.  So, if your firm or client subscribes to the Sales Performance International (SPI) Solution Selling sales methodology, then this one is right up your alley.  Oops, I almost forgot the ®.

What I like about this accelerator is that it incorporates other Microsoft technologies like Silverlight and Windows Workflow Foundation to add value to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  What is not so nice is that it requires a pricey subscription, in comparison to the other free Accelerators.

One option is to deploy it On-Premise.  It’s free for 3 users or less, but as a proprietary sales methodology, you’ll have to start paying to get more users.  This accelerator will be available for On-Demand (hosted by Mondo from Denmark).

Subscription options for this sales methodology:

1. Hosted by Mondo (on-demand), customers pay a license subscription fee per user per month which includes a Mondo hosted subscription to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
2. On-premise customers may download and install the accelerator on their own servers. On-premise customers have two solution options: the basic and professional editions. The Basic edition can be downloaded and deployed at no cost. The Professional edition requires a license to be purchased for each user; this license fee includes a 2-year software assurance (support) package.

To download the free copy of the basic edition, as well as the installation guide and user manual, go to this Mondo.dk link and register.

The SPI "Pain Chain". Ouch!

The SPI "Pain Chain". Ouch!

SPI "Strength of Sale"

SPI "Strength of Sale"

]]> http://crmdynamo.com/2009/08/just-released-spi-solution-selling-accelerator-for-dynamics-crm-4-0/feed/ 4