CRM Strategy for Executives

October 10th, 2008, 1:00pm EST (approximately 45 minutes)
Sponsored by: Majestic Consulting Group, Inc.

In this webinar, you’ll discover why sales don’t grow at the rate you forecasted, how to identify lucrative opportunities in your database, how to beat the competition to the punch, and more!

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE.

Microsoft CRM Webinar

September 24th, 1:00pm EST (approximately 45 minutes)
Sponsored by: Majestic Consulting Group, Inc.

This webinar will give an overview of the Microsoft CRM system and will cover such topics as: activity management, contact management, opportunity management, customer service, and more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE.

PhaseWare CEO, Hoyt Mann, Discusses His Full-Serve/Self-Serve Approach to CRM
An interview by The Business Software Advisor

There’s a lot going on at PhaseWare these days.  In addition to the release of the newest version of their popular CRM product, Tracker 3.1, PhaseWare recently hosted a webinar called “Organic Knowledgebase Creation”.  Between the event and the new product, PhaseWare is showing businesses how to integrate exceptional “hand holding” customer service with the element of self-service.  I interviewed Hoyt Mann, President and CEO of PhaseWare, about both the traditional customer service and the shape of the new self-service model.  Here’s what he had to say:

Advisor: You’ve got a new product!  What features of your new Tracker 3.1 set it apart where customer service/helpdesk solutions are concerned?

HM: Two of the most exciting features in Tracker 3.1 are assisted knowledgebase search and self service subscriptions.

With assisted knowledgebase search, incident deflections can happen with the Self Service Center and automated email responses.  When a customer uses Self Service Center to submit an incident the assisted knowledgebase search offers links to possible knowledge base solutions prior to incident submission.   For each incident submission initiated through email, the Event Engine automatically responds with links to potential knowledge base solutions.  

Subscriptions help customers stay on top of the latest information by receiving automatic notifications.  These customers are notified via email or RSS feed of new content posted to Self Service Center related to their interests.

Read more »

Although companies who utilize the Microsoft Windows operating system have countless solutions to choose from when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM), solution providers who offer CRM for Mac-based systems are quite hard to come by.  In fact, PC-based CRM software outnumbers Mac-based CRM by a massive margin. 

Yet, all that is changing.  The introduction of Apple’s OS X Tiger, and the unparalleled marketplace response, has created a huge shift in the business computer industry.  And as a result, new, feature rich applications for Mac users are being introduced every day – including systems to support CRM, ERP, and other key business functions. Read more »

Are you trying to manage your sales leads more effectively?  Today’s lead management software offers advanced features and functionality to help your company organize and nurture leads throughout their lifecycle.

Lead management software packages are powerful solutions that automate and enhance the many manual processes involved in the handling of leads.  Sales and marketing teams at businesses large and small can benefit from lead management software solutions.  Read more »

Automating Leads to Sales 
Whitepaper provided by: Entellium 

Marketing departments are constantly squeezed to drive a higher quantity and quality of leads with finite resources. Aberdeen research identified that over two-thirds of companies currently using an automated lead management solution have seen a 10%+ improvement in lead to sales conversion rates. 53% of companies are currently using marketing automation solutions for lead management and this number is expected to jump to 83% in the next 24 months. 36% of organizations surveyed are currently evaluating solutions to aid them in turning leads to sales.

READ IT NOW >>>
Read more »

Outpacing the Economy for Manufacturers: Dynamics GP versus AX

This “software shootout” style webcast showcases the manufacturing functionality of the two most popular Dynamics applications for the industry. Gain insight into which manufacturing modes are the best fit for each product, learn about costs, and more.

To register, click on the event link. Login information will be sent by email following registration: September 25, 2008, Thursday– 2:00pm Central

Outpacing the Economy for Project-Oriented Companies

Take the right steps and your project-oriented business can outpace the economy. The 2008 Aberdeen Report revealed that the top two pressures companies face are organic revenue growth, and profitability / margin growth.

Key to outpacing the economy is innovation and tight control over projects and processes. Attend this webcast and we’ll show you how Microsoft Dynamics SL can help you

• Gain tight control over project accounting
• Provide real-time visibility into projects and profitability
• Track, gain and retain customers

To register, click on the event link. Login information will be sent by email following registration: September 24, 2008, Wednesday – 2:00-3:00pm CST

Has enterprise resource planning (ERP) software become too rigid?  Many experts believe it has, with its lack of innovation and limited ability to truly conform to the unique operations and processes of its users. And so, open source ERP was born. 

The flood of recent industry consolidation has taken a tremendous amount of competitive “heat” off of the top tier ERP providers.  As a result, they haven’t been feeling much pressure to significantly enhance their offerings.  But open source ERP software is changing all that, providing customers with a new option that delivers increased flexibility. Read more »

The Business Software Advisor
You ask the questions, and our resident software guru shares her wisdom.

This week’s question: I’ve been hearing a lot about “ERP II”.  What makes it any different from traditional ERP systems?

A: ERP II is regarded as the next generation of ERP (enterprise resource planning) and offers several advantages over traditional ERP systems.  ERP systems have historically been mostly limited to the manufacturing sector, primarily serving logistics, supply chain, and warehousing functions.  ERP II expands the scope of ERP to offer solutions for a broader range of industries and sectors.  Read more »

Maximizer Executive Explains Why “Laptops are Old School”

Earlier this month, Maximizer CRM submitted a video on YouTube, called “Laptops are Old School”, to promote their mobile CRM product.  I found this video to be clever, hilarious, and a “must-see” – and apparently, thousands of other viewers had the same response.  I interviewed Angie Hirata, Worldwide Director of Marketing and Business Development for Maximizer, about the popular video and Maximizer’s mobile CRM product.  Read more »

The Business Software Advisor
You ask the questions, and our resident software guru shares her wisdom.

This week’s question: I’m considering purchasing a mobile CRM solution, but I’m not sure whether my company could really benefit from using it. What can a mobile CRM application do for my company?

A: There are numerous benefits that can be achieved through the implementation and use of a mobile CRM solution. For today’s field-based employees, the simple calendaring and contact management capabilities that come standard with many mobile devices are not enough to keep them fully informed and produ

ctive. In order to maximize the effectiveness of each customer interaction, your employees need continuous access to pertinent client data that exists in enterprise systems, even when they’re on the road. Read more »