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Microsoft Offers Peek At Next-Gen CRM
4foot10 writes "As reported by VARBusiness.com, Microsoft's next release of its Dynamics CRM application, code-named 'Titan', is moving a little closer to completion. Today, the vendor is making the new software, which uses a single code base to support on-premise and software-as-a-service deployments, available to several hundred business partners for testing, giving them an early start on developing complementary solutions."
For those of us who haven't eaten alphabits in a few years, what's a CRM, and why do we care?
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"Manages customer relations, duh"
Well thank God that open-source doesn't have that problem.
"which uses a single code base to support on-premise and software-as-a-service deployments"
And after that, they're going to leverage their synergies!
With Microsoft CRM, your customer relations can be as good as Microsoft's.
(Note: the monopoly CRM module, including customer abuse and forced upgrades, costs extra.)
Microsoft CRM (Customer relationship management). Interesting idea. WGA. Deciding what can and cannot be played/viewed. Having a great help-desk that only ever gets used because people buy a new video card and need to reactivate Windows. In fact, I didn't even know that Microsoft had customer relationships (apart from, we give you a piece of crappy software and you pay us to try and use it). Last time I was involved in Microsoft CRM, it went something like this:
....
Me: Hi. I just bought a new video card and now Windows is asking me to reactivate.
MS: Thanks for calling Microsoft. How can we help?
Me: I just bought a new video card and now Windows is asking me to reactivate. How do I do this?
MS: Thanks for calling Microsoft. Your call is important to us. All our operators are busy at the moment. Please hold the line. **Microsoft jingle plays**
MS Rep: Thanks for calling Microsoft. How can I serve you today?
Me: Err... I need to reactivate Windows
MS Rep: How many computers do you currently have Windows installed on?
Me: None, it's broken
MS Rep: The Microsoft(TM)(R)(C)(Patent Pending) XP Operating System is for use on one computer only. Because your copy is not installed on a computer, you are in violation of the EULA subclause 287.111, where it clearly says that you must install Windows (TM) (C) (Patent Pending) on ONE computer only.
Me: Yes, I am trying to install it on this computer
MS Rep: You cannot install it on that computer because you are in violation of the EULA by not having it installed on any computer at all
Me:
Nah, it's not a marketing term, and not something even remotely connected to DRM. I am a CRM consultant (though not dealing with Microsoft's implementation, but rather SAP). Among the various aspects of business software, CRM is the part that helps a company get new contracts and keep good relations to their old customers. It is indeed (among others things) responsible for sending out Xmas cards, but also for sending new offers to old customers. You can build web shops for B2B and B2C with it, and you can track which of your customers are how "valuable" (i.e. purchase what and how much of it) and are the best targets for new campaigns for new products. This is a booming industry, my company (Germany, ~170 consultants) is currently looking for CRM consultants because everybody and their mother is realizing they need better ways to manage their customers then simply keeping them as debitors in their Enterprise Resource Planning system or as contacts in an Outlook system.
If you work in support you probably use something almost identical already. You know; RT, OTRS, Bugzilla, Remedy.
A CRM usually has a couple of add ons though. A link to a comprehensive database of customers which records all interactions with them via email, telephone, snail mail etc so that marketing can look for purchase preferences to send them junk mail and customer services can make sure customers are happy rather than annoyed.
The other thing is usually a workflow add on (many ticket systems already have this) so that you can take a customer request through various business processes, be that a sale, a problem resolution, whatever. It makes sure that they eventually get through to the end without dropping through the cracks.
There's various other features depending on the vendor but you can pretty much roll your own CRM system using some of the open source ticket management systems, they just need a little tweaking.
Deleted
Open Source, php/Apache/mySQL based, not perfect but way better than any of the offerings from the Borg.
DG
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