East Region Microsoft CRM Blog : Sales Tools

It’s baaa-aaack! For a Limited Time – The Big Easy 3.0!!

chris.kahl — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:18:49 GMT

Great news for Microsoft CRM partners and customers; from November 1st, 2009 through January 2nd, 2010 you can take advantage of one of our most popular promotions ever. Applicable to Open, Open Value and Open Value Subscription license types, both Corporate and Government customers are provided with partner subsidy funds to help with the implementation of their Microsoft solution. The following product groups are included:

The Big Easy Offer 3.0 Product Groups:

Developer and Designer Tools
Dynamics CRM
Exchange Server
Forefront
Office Communications Server
Office System
Project and Visio
SharePoint Server
SQL Server
System Center
Windows Server System
Windows Server Solutions

Get more details here: https://partner.microsoft.com/US/bigeasyoffer A Windows Live ID linked to your partner organization is required.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP Released!!

chris.kahl — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:58:22 GMT

After months of hard work, a very successful Partner TAP (Technology Adoption Program) as well as a Customer BETA program, this adapter has released and is generally available for US installs of Dynamics GP 10.0 and CRM 4.0.

This is an entirely new adapter redesigned from the ground up to utilize web services and eConnect and provides “…an out of the box, lightly extensible data integration tool.” The adapter will be offered to registered Microsoft Dynamics GP Partners at no charge, though it must be ordered through the standard Microsoft Dynamics GP ordering process so we can keep track of who is using the adapter and will therefore want any updates and additional information.

Here are the main points:

Easy to Implement

· Wizard driven installation

· System Preparation Tool

· Lightweight footprint that utilizes web services and eConnect

-Web Service to web service integration

Easy to Use

· Eight out-of-the-box CRM to ERP Mappings

Easy to Customize

· Wizard driven custom mapping

Additional Information Regarding the Adapter:

For Partners and Microsoft Team Members (Information will be updated as it is available):

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/partneressentials/partnerreadiness/resourcing/MDCRMGPAdapter.htm

For Existing Customers (Information will be updated as it is available):

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/worldwide/us/productinformation/factsheets/MDCRMGPAdapter

The first Partner Readiness training class is tomorrow; register at the link below:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/LMS_ActDetails.aspx?UserMode=0&ActivityId=551516

New Update to the Dynamics CRM Statement of Direction now available!!

chris.kahl — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:17:06 GMT

Hot off the presses we now have access to the freshest information on Dynamics CRM, Mobile Express, CRM Accelerators, the CRM Adapter for GP, xRM and the highly anticipated release of CRM “V.next.”

What an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride! Sure to be a best-seller – OK, it’s free – but I couldn’t put it down! Make sure to get your copy today at these fine outlets:

PartnerSource:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/marketing/statementofdirection/MD_CRM_SOD.htm

CustomerSource:

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/whitepapers/MSD_CRM4StatementOfDirection.htm

CRM on a friggin’ iPhone? Heard of it? (Going Mobile, Part 2)

chris.kahl — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:42:00 GMT

Much as it pains me to say it, there are actually people in this crazy world of ours who prefer the Apple iPhone to Windows Mobile devices. I KNOW, RIGHT!?!?! Hard to believe! Probably all “creative types” and such or maybe they work in K-12 education…I don’t know. Anyway since this device has been released I’ve had one or two people ask about using it for actual business purposes. [sarcasm off]

So while I was at WPC 2009 I ran into Erik Van Hoof, CEO of CWR Mobility, and he was catching me up on all the great stuff they’ve been working on. Things like making their excellent Windows Mobile CRM client work on a Blackberry and, in an effort to keep these iPhone whackos (note the sarcasm, Apple fanboys!) happily engaged with their CRM systems, the fine people over at CWR Mobility have developed an alpha version of an iPhone client. So while these things are still under development, they’re coming – along with a lot of other great capabilities for Dynamics CRM. While you’re waiting you might take a look over here and check out CWR’s blog for Jerry Seinfeld’s take on Blackberries and iPhones.

Mea Culpa, mea culpa…I’ve been a very bad blogger!

chris.kahl — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:55:26 GMT

There has been so much information coming out over the past couple of months it seemed like not a day went by that I didn’t say to myself, “I really ought to post something on that!” and yet with my travel schedule and sincere desire to try out this thing they call “work/life balance” and actually take a little summer vacation, I have yet to post much of anything. SO…fair warning – watch this space as I will be posting at a more brisk pace for the balance of August to try an catch all you East Region CRM fans up on what’s new for CRM customers and partners and who in the ISV community has been bringing the VALUE!! Stay tuned…!!

Looking for some new cool CRM add-ons?

chris.kahl — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:01:00 GMT

Our friends at Prosoft just announced 4 new add-ons for Microsoft CRM. Incredibly, one of them is even free. Yes - FREE! Apparently Frank and his developers love working with Dynamics CRM 4.0 so much they do this stuff for fun and then give some of it away. How can you not like these guys?

Note Count is a free add on to Microsoft CRM that allows users to see how many notes are associated with the record. If there are any notes, the tab will turn red and display the count.

http://shop.prosoft-sys.com/notecount.aspx

View Count for Microsoft CRM

One of the most commonly asked for functions of CRM is a count of records in the view. Prosoft's View Count add-on is composed of 2 parts. The first part, available on every view and advanced search, is a display of the number of records in the view (highlighted in red).

The second part is a report that displays a count of active and inactive records for entities selected in the configuration utility. This quickly and easily allows administrators to see which entities are growing the fastest.

http://shop.prosoft-sys.com/viewcount.aspx

Email Signature for Microsoft CRM

The Signature add-on allows the administrator to put a signature template at the bottom of emails created with Microsoft CRM. When a new email record is created, the signature will automatically appear at the bottom. Using the configuration tool the signature can be customized to show the user fields you need.

http://shop.prosoft-sys.com/signature.aspx

Appointment Start Time for Microsoft CRM

When creating appointments or tasks in CRM and the date is changed, the time is automatically set to 12AM (midnight). This add-on will change the default start time to be whatever is selected.

http://shop.prosoft-sys.com/appointmentstarttime.aspx

Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

chris.kahl — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:59:31 GMT

I know you have all been waiting (some more patiently than others!) for information on where to access the recorded training sessions and where to download the CRM Accelerators. A central repository has been established on PartnerSource for the most current information on the CRM Accelerators.

Here is the link on PartnerSource:

Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

As those of you who attempted to attend some of the sessions know, there were some audio challenges that have made it necessary to re-record some of the training sessions. As such, these new recordings, along with easy to consume videos, will be available the week of October 27^th for download.

The Accelerators will also be posted to CodePlex as they are released. As of this writing, two accelerators are currently available:

CRM Notifications
Extended Sales Forecasting

Others, along with marketing materials and technical FAQ's will be coming soon so check back often!

The Microsoft BizTalk® Server 2006 adapter for Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 4.0 is now available!!

chris.kahl — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:50:00 GMT

The Microsoft BizTalk® Server 2006 adapter for Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 4.0 is now available.

This adapter has the same functionality as the previously released 3.0 adapter, with the following updates:

• Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

• Supports form-based authentication

• Supports multi-tenancy

With this adapter, you can integrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 with any other non-Microsoft business application using the BizTalk server mapping capabilities, which allows you to discover and use the schema of any of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM entities.

• Adapter is available for download

• Adapter is available at no additional charge

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=ABD3BB9E-A59A-4EB6-8DE8-FB25B77926D7&displaylang=en

V-what? VPAT!! - Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT™)

chris.kahl — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:12:00 GMT

Most of the IT world has at least heard of Section 508, an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, but many are a bit sketchy on what's involved in actual 508 compliance. Here's an excerpt from the www.section508.gov website explaining the purpose of Section 508:

"In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. ‘ 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others."

The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is to assist Federal contracting officials and other buyers in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial "Electronic and Information Technology" products and services with features that support accessibility. So it is indeed great news that we have released the CRM 4.0 VPAT.

It can be found here:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/d/7/1d7af6c9-af47-49eb-8f57-5c06b4c0cd39/Microsoft%20Dynamics%20CRM%204%200%20VPAT.doc

CWR Mobility Mobile CRM Client

chris.kahl — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:47:00 GMT

CWR Mobility has long been the Dynamics CRM client of choice for running on a Windows Mobile device. Here's a link to their web site:

http://www.cwrmobility.com/

The following excerpt from their web site covers the major features of the mobile application:

As a smart client application for field sales and service people, CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM leverages the power of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 and 4.0 system and the advanced connectivity of the Windows Mobile Platform.

CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM provides your field force with timely, convenient access to customer and corporate data while reducing the time they need to spend developing time-consuming reporting for management. Mobile CRM makes your sales and service teams more effective, and more efficient.

Built for Mobile Professionals

CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM is built specifically for mobile sales and service professionals’ providing them with an unrivaled user experience through an intuitive, graphical user interface based on the familiar Dynamics CRM 3.0 and 4.0 look and feel.

CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM is a cost-effective solution that can be deployed in as little as 15 minutes providing wireless handheld users with immediate and instant access to accurate CRM data in the field – including all standard and custom entities from Dynamics CRM 3.0 and 4.0.

CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM delivers:

Access to Dynamics CRM 3.0 and 4.0 while out of the office – allowing for up-to-the-minute data changes (from the field and the office) and instant access to current data.
A user-friendly interface on the Windows Mobile devices for intuitive CRM data access and entry by the mobile professional. Both while the device is connected online to a wireless service provider and offline, such as in an airplane, or deep inside a customer’s warehouse

Using CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM, sales and service teams have instant access to important customer information when and where they need it.

By allowing your sales and service people to quickly and efficiently update their customer information on the fly, your organization gets transparent up-to-the-minute reporting, while your people have more time to do what they are supposed to do: Sell and Service!

Great solution for small and medium-sized enterprises

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s), CWR Mobility's Mobile CRM for Dynamics CRM 3.0 and 4.0 is the perfect solution. The working patterns of SME’s lends itself well to mobile technology as these companies tend to spend disproportionately more time outside of the office. The smaller the firm, the more jobs they combine with owner-managers being the most notorious multi-taskers.

Spending more time out of the office means that access to a range of key applications, including e-mail, CRM and other enterprise applications will make the SME professional more efficient and responsive, and help reduce working hours.

But Mobile CRM is not just for smaller organizations, it can also be deployed by very large organizations that also have a need to make their mobile workers more efficient and effective.

Ten Digits MobileAccess for Dynamics CRM

chris.kahl — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:16:17 GMT

Ten Digits and Microsoft announced an alliance right before the Worldwide Partner Conference to provide CRM Mobile clients for both Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. Full press release below:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jul08/07-03MobileBlackberryPR.mspx

Here's the link to the Ten Digits site:

http://www.tendigits.com/

MobileAccess® for Dynamics CRM is the company's latest product line that consists of the MobileAccess Client for BlackBerry and MobileAccess Server for Dynamics CRM. These products enable organizations that have deployed Microsoft Dynamics CRM to increase the productivity of their mobile users by allowing them to use CRM online or offline.

MobileAccess includes numerous technical and product features with patented technology deployed today in many global enterprises. These features can be summarized by the following unique attributes:

Proven User Experience. MobileAccess is designed exclusively for wireless users with hundreds of successful deployments worldwide.

Always-Available Wireless CRM. Work anywhere with instant access to your data online and offline with full CRM functionality regardless of your location.

Multi-tasking, Graphical User Interface. Navigate instantly between various records, lists, tasks and applications without losing track of a thing.

Tight Application Integration. Dial phone numbers, browse websites and compose emails directly from fields. Log emails and phone calls from your BlackBerry to account and contact history in CRM. Use Microsoft MapPoint, MSN/LIVE, and Yahoo! web services to find timely information relevant to your CRM records.

Secure and Reliable. Unlike other solutions, our smart-client technology guarantees data delivery and complete transaction integrity.

Rapid, Low-cost Implementation. Automatically inherits your unique CRM customizations – no programming required – speeding deployment time and control cost.

CRM 4.0 Mobile News

chris.kahl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:43:00 GMT

As much as I depend on my laptop to get my work done, I think I value my Windows Mobile device even more. I can keep abreast of the most critical email and text messaging traffic and convert what would often be wasted time into productive time. I have all my contacts, appointments, to-do's and even a select group of Microsoft Office documents of various formats available in an always-on, easily portable device. Heck, it even makes phone calls!

I get calls and emails on a regular basis about how to extend CRM to mobile devices so instead of just publishing another list of links, I thought I'd try to go into a little more depth.

So next week I'm going to put out a series of posts about our most popular CRM 4.0 Mobile ISV offerings and wrap up with a how-to about the future of CRM Mobile Express .

Stay tuned!

It just keeps getting better and better...

chris.kahl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:25:58 GMT

I am more and more impressed with the tremendous amount of talent we have on the CRM Product Team. I had the chance to meet with some of them over the past month or so and talk about where we are going with the product and what we need to help our partners compete effectively. There is so much good stuff coming out of that team it's mind-boggling. Clearly they have been listening closely to what our partners and the field team have been asking for and they are responding.

Here's a glimpse from the CRM Team blog:

http://blogs.msdn.com/crm/archive/2008/07/28/crm-statement-of-direction-and-crm-accelerators.aspx

Armored Car Company Chooses Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Ben Vollmer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:02:43 GMT

One of our local customers got featured by Microsoft in a press release. Pretty cool. Thanks to Scott from Ascentium and Seth at Dunbar for working through this process.

If you have a customer that would want a press release like this, shoot me an email and I will make the connection to the right folks. (UIS Partners only!)

“One of the main reasons for choosing the Microsoft solution was its integration into and synchronization with Microsoft Outlook, as well as the ability to customize the application,” McElroy said. “We had migrated all of our sales team members to Outlook for e-mail and appointments 18 months ago, so adding a system that’s similar in look and feel will speed adoption.”

Armored Car Company Chooses Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Secure Increased Sales Effectiveness: From an integrated database, Dunbar will provide its locations nationwide with access to all customer and prospect information.

Where do I find?

Ben Vollmer — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:43:55 GMT

If I was paid a penny every time that question was asked, I would be a millionaire. Between the Microsoft Partner Portal, PartnerSource, the CRM Website and blogs, finding things takes forever. The CRM Business Group published a nice list of all of the resources available and their links to them on PartnerSource, MSPP, and the public site. This file will be updated on my SkyDrive as the BG updates the file.

If you are reading this via RSS, you need to view the Page in order to see the file. :-)