Whether you have a small or very large sales department, you likely have your reps separated by geography. You don’t want your teams stepping on one another’s toes and you definitely don’t want to have a valuable customer fall between the cracks. With this said, it’s also important to keep competition amongst your sales team at a good level.

The easiest way to establish territories with your CRM solution in mind is by zip code. I find that many companies complicate things when they try to evenly distribute territories based on their client base in a certain area. It may take more planning up front, but for streamlined automation between sales, marketing and customer service, zip code territory definitions are the way to go.

No matter what you decide when it comes down to this, you want to make sure your CRM solution is flexible because you’ll experience turn over, client needs will change, and you can bet things won’t stay the same for long. Contact us at PANGEA Business Solutions to learn how Microsoft Dynamics® CRM can be the flexible platform you’ve been looking for: http://www.pangeabsi.com/contact.html.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Without data, your CRM software isn’t worth much.  So how do you manage your current data imports from tradeshows, website information, integrations from other systems?  That is just the question that many people wrestle with after having made the decision to utilize new CRM software or to switch from one software package to another.  Luckily features and tools from Microsoft Dynamics® CRM can give you the options you need to manage your data effectively.

Like other commonly used Microsoft software, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is easy to use right out of the box.  The latest upgrade to Microsoft CRM 2011 includes new features like the Data Import Wizard that are sure to save you lots of time with the data import process.  The two new features include changes to Data Mapping Identification and Field Mapping.  When selecting a data map, your source – and destination fields will automatically match up.  For businesses migrating from Salesforce and Business Contact Manager, the pre-built data maps make that transition seamless.

Changes in the Map Field section of Microsoft Dynamics CRM will allow you to pick the column headings from the data source and match them with a field on the CRM record before starting the import wizard.  Changes to the Field Mappings feature will allow you to input information into an Option Set and match values to available Option Set Choices.  This new feature provides a level of customization that can be saved for future data imports and will save time from data verification.

For additional details on Microsoft Dynamics CRM and how it can help you turn marketing opportunities into sales, contact PANGEA Business Solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

In the past, CRM software had a stigma that it was only good for sales teams and general customer management. Today it is a much different story, through the flexibility of XRM framework solutions; CRM can be tailored to meet the specific needs you have.

Instead of just focusing on customers, Microsoft Dynamics xRM can help you manage all relationships and the information those relationships generate. This means that even if you don’t have a huge customer base, xRM can help you improve profitability. By streamlining your connections with vendors, members, contributors, suppliers (the list could go on and on), you’re improving overall operations while keeping everyone on the same page.

If you’re interested in the flexibility that xRM brings to relationship management, contact us here at PANGEA Business Solutions. As a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner, we are dedicated to providing companies with flexible and powerful business solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

It often seems like each sales person has their own unique way of collecting and storing important customer data.  Although specialty software, fancy spreadsheets, and detailed files seem like a safe way to organize important details, you can’t see a consistent or detailed view of your customer relationships or track marketing effectiveness when each person on your team is using a different method.  Get everyone on the same page with a technology that can strengthen customer relationships, as well as provide the insight you need to drive growth.

Microsoft Dynamics® CRM is a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) software that will encourage consistency and collaboration throughout your entire sales team.  You can import data from other sources into Microsoft Dynamics CRM and eliminate duplications or redundant data.  Once data is safely imported into this single software solution, you can begin to track activities as well as gain valuable insight with your customer data and marketing activities.

Track each prospect and customer touch point in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Automatically score leads so that sales representatives can respond to the most promising leads first, and automatically assign leads to the staff most qualified to respond.  Improve the rapidness and consistency of response so that each prospect receives pertinent information about the products or services you offer.  Once prospects turn into loyal customers, build a detailed case history that you can use to observe buying trends.  Using the predictive analytic functionality built-in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you will be able to anticipate your customer needs before they call you, providing a whole new level of customer service.

Create and release customized marketing campaigns faster and easier than ever before.  Mail Merge capabilities will quickly release mass emails to targeted prospects or customers, saving you time and money by fine-tuning marketing efforts.  Track marketing responses, including responses from Internet landing pages, and use that data to determine which marketing efforts yield better results, and which efforts to avoid in the future.

With the right tool, your sales team can turn more leads into sales, streamline marketing efforts, and improve customer service.  Optimize collaboration throughout your entire sales team by connecting them with the right CRM software – Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Contact PANGEA Business Solutions for more ideas on optimizing customer data collection with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

CRM software opens up a whole new world for businesses. One in which you can essentially reinvent yourself to be better, grow stronger, and become more profitable.

Reinventing yourself is a motivational way to put you in the driver’s seat and this is especially true for your business. In order to take charge of your future, you need to gain control and Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps you do just this:

• Be Better: Being better is very objective, yet it can be put into perspective when you involve you competitors. Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you access to sales and marketing trends in relation to your competitors so you can always strive to be better than the rest.
• Grow Stronger: There are many ways to grow stronger as a business, but the most important of them all is growing a stronger customer base. Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives you the tools and information needed to build a loyal customer base and it even helps streamline customer support or service scenarios, helping you save time and money.
• Become Profitable: Being better and growing stronger ultimately leads to the main goal of becoming more profitable as a business. Who doesn’t want to make more money and do more good? Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes that possible again by connecting your office so you can easily and effectively make the decisions that help reinvent your business.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please contact us at PANGEA Business Solutions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Marketing teams love the sound of Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 2011 because it simply makes their lives easier! Marketing functionality is a big part of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and really has been since the beginning. After all, sales and lead generation are a direct result of your marketing teams so it’s only natural marketing functionality is built into your CRM system.

Marketing lists, dashboards, and workflow automation are the newest features added to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and are making lives even easier for marketing teams around the world:

• Marketing Lists- Lists make it possible for marketers to target their campaigns by filtering contacts or accounts by certain criteria. If a marketer repeats or follows up regularly with a certain target audience, these marketing lists in Microsoft Dynamics CRM are a huge time saver.

• Dashboards- Tracking the effectiveness of marketing campaigns ensures a successful business. Budget is spent in the right places and the marketing team is able to make efficient choices based on the information available to them. Dashboards in Microsoft Dynamics CRM make this type of insight available in a quick and easy-to-read, real-time view.

• Workflow Automation- Workflows give marketing and sales employees a process to follow based on previously determined best practices to increase the productivity and efficiency of an organization. For example, workflow automation in Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you to qualify a lead by answering default questions.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP Partner out of Florida

A key benefit to having CRM Software is how it connects your office. Your sales department has insight into the marketing team’s activities and the notes you make about the latest customer inquiry is accessible for other departments. With this type of functionality, everyone at your organization stays on the same page and streamlined communication like this can equate to numerous benefits. Let’s take a look at exactly how each department stays connected with Microsoft Dynamics® CRM:

Operations-

Dashboard reports keep operational managers up-to-date on day to day business, showing what items need attention as well as the successful areas of operations.

Accounting-

Because revenue driving information is held in one place, accounting can rely on the accuracy and real-time data they pull for financial reports. For advanced cases, Microsoft Dynamics CRM also integrates with Microsoft Dynamics GP to help create in-depth financial reporting, tracking and management.

Contract Management-

You can give real-time insight to agents about contract status as well as service eligibility for each customer.

Marketing-

You can easily share target lists with employees or vendors you work with, helping you collaborate and streamline campaigns.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM also eliminates redundant email tracking through Office Outlook synchronization.

Sales-

Sales can better coordinate with marketing by tracking leads in one centralized system so more leads turn into customers. You can also define consistent sales processes across your company.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Most companies are focused more on how to get new prospects and customers, but often forget about their current customer database! When you already have a good stock of customers that remain loyal to your company, make a point NOT to ignore them.

No salesperson at your company wants to be stumped by who they’ve worked with in the past and if those customers remember you, then you should remember them and what they purchased in the past.

Microsoft Dynamics® CRM reveals all this information in an easy to read format for your salespeople so everyone at your company can leverage this “secret” weapon. In reality, it’s not so secret after all; it’s right under your nose. If you’re one of the many companies out there that overlook their customer database, think again and look into how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help you take a closer look. Once you do, you’ll be amazed at the multiple points of revenue generation it can unfold, including customer loyalty, returning customers, referrals, and much more.

Contact us at Pangea to see how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help reveal your secret weapon.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

Your current customer relationship management (CRM) system most likely shows your customer’s contact name, address, company name and so on after you input the details yourself. But what does that information actually mean to your business and how does it affect your daily tasks and workflows? CRM should enable you to apply business intelligence to create and manage an ongoing relationship with your customers. Microsoft Dynamics® CRM has the capability to do just that in the following ways:

• Dynamic Workflows: You can personalize workflow with point-and-click tools by using conditional branching and nesting.
• Strategic Alerts: You can automatically assign activities to specific agents or teams and define role-based and security-based views so the right information gets to the right people within your team.
• Deep Level Insight: Use inline visualizations for ad-hoc drilldown into key performance indicators (KPI) of your clients. Your clients will know you have it together when you can rattle off their son’s birthday or congratulate them on their latest business venture.
• Easy to Use: By using familiar and graphical tools, anyone within your team can leverage the capabilities within Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Inputting information into your CRM system and then never being able to find it again is no longer acceptable. To make it in the competitive world we live in, you must have a solution that works for YOU!

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida

CRM software helps companies understand, anticipate and respond more efficiently and effectively to their customers’ needs. This is done by tracking every detail about the customer and every interaction your business has had with that customer in a central hub.

This centralized tracking and reporting of your customers allows for more focused follow up and helpful customer service. Having deep insight into what your customer needs at any given moment will make your life easier. With this insight, you can also identify buying trends, detect neglected customers and gauge customer’s preferences. The recent boom of social media has made it essential to stay connected online.

Microsoft Dynamics® CRM meets these requirements of a CRM solution. It also makes engaging the social customer possible through the Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With the Social Networking Accelerator, marketing professionals can identify their most influential promoters and better manage the brand. Your sales professionals can discover new leads and zero in on key data points, and customer service agents can proactively identify and address issues.

Centralizing customer info and engaging with them online helps you see your customers more clearly. Contact us here at PANGEA if you are interested in learning more about how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help you do just that.

By Alexandra Gonzalez with PANGEA Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Partner out of Florida