Dynamics CRM can be extended to support your business
Updated December 04, 2014
Dynamics CRM can be extended to support your business
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
On-Premise
Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
- It has a familiar Microsoft Interface. Since most of our organization uses Microsoft products, it helps with the learning curve.
- It has good integration with other Microsoft products like Outlook and Excel.
- It has some good reporting features in Views. Users can create them easily and also export them to Excel to do further analysis
- A skilled administrator can do a lot to build and maintain the system without needing a developer.
- It has a good workflow engine. It is easy to configure for someone with business analyst skills. A lot of your business processes can be automated and you would not need a developer.
- It has a powerful security model and framework which really helps us segregate data and processes
- The User Interface is quite clunky. It is not Web 2.0. This is improved in the 2013 release.
- It does not have good out of the box mobile functionality. I think there are some third party products that address this and CRM 2013 will also improve this ability.
- Limited marketing and field service automation functionality. Again, there are some good third party products that address this. We are looking at implementing Marketo for Marketing Automation. We have not begun evaluating field service automation vendors yet, but FieldOne has a product that provides this functionality for Dynamics CRM.
- We have extended Dynamics CRM to track our energy efficiency programs. We manage over 400 energy efficient programs operating in almost 25 States for over 70 clients. We manage and process almost 200,000 payments to over 15,000 energy program participants. Each Program is a unique, delivering a customized professional service to a targeted local customer base. Customer Service Management on such a large and decentralized scale was possible with Dynamics CRM.
- 20% Increase in Call Center Efficiency – CRM use across CLEAResult means that Call Center Staff, Incentive Processing Center Staff, Program Operating Teams, Program Managers, Client Call Center Staff and Client Managers all work off of the same data set. For example, during the program management process, incidents arise when application for rebates are received partially complete. CLEAResult utilizes the Customer Service module to manage these cases, work with participants to earn complete rebates and eliminated major complaints to the utility companies that CLEAResult serves. The result is reduced churn, increased communication, more satisfied Program Participants and more satisfied Clients.
- Scalability For a Complex Business - The business process improvements that CRM enables allow CLEAResult to scale our business. In 2011, before CRM, CLEAResult had 300 employees doing business in fewer than 10 States. We now have over 600 users on CRM and the CLEAResult family of companies has over 1000 employees doing business in almost 25 States. We can now report on the progress of our programs in real-time allowing for quick adjustments to program design in order to meet client goals. We can more easily onboard new employees and new clients, launch new programs and extend into new states. Adoption of the standardized business process that CRM enabled makes this continued growth possible.
We are a Microsoft shop with a lot of Microsoft products. The key stakeholder in the business also had experience in working with Dynamics CRM in a prior job.
Using Microsoft Dynamics CRM
600 -
- Business Development
- Operations (Energy Efficiency Program Management)
- Incentive Processing Center
- Customer Call Center
3 - We have two CRM Application Administrators. They are both skilled in Dynamics CRM with some certifications.
We have one CRM Business Analyst. She is knowledgeable about CRM and how the business uses it.
We have one CRM Business Analyst. She is knowledgeable about CRM and how the business uses it.
- We have configured and customized the tool to run our energy efficiency programs
- The Incentive Processing Center uses CRM to enter rebate applications and generate invoice information to pass to our financial system
- The Customer Call Center uses it to manage cases for the participants in our programs
- Business Development uses it to manage their pipeline
- We have extended the system to help us manage our energy efficiency programs. The system is very configurable to do so. It has been very effective for us versus building custom software.
- We plan to implement add-ons for Field Service Automation and Marketing Automation
Evaluating Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Competitors
- Prior Experience with the Product
Our key business stakeholder had experience with Dynamics CRM in a prior job.
We would probably have done some more analysis on cloud vs. on-premise products. There are some challenges with having an on premise product I would prefer not to deal with.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Implementation
- Professional services company
Hitachi Solutions
Yes - We did multiple releases over an 18 month period.
There was a three month discovery and design phase followed by the first release. We then had multiple releases that were 6-8 weeks in length.
There was a three month discovery and design phase followed by the first release. We then had multiple releases that were 6-8 weeks in length.
Change management was a major issue with the implementation - We did not focus enough on change management and commit resources to it.
- Change Management
- Challenges with infrastructure as we scaled the system very rapidly
Using Microsoft Dynamics CRM
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Consistent | Requires technical support Slow to learn Lots to learn |