Analysis_of_Microsoft_Dynamics_Crm

With the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM many third party analysts of the product have consistently ranked it one of today’s leading solutions. With its low cost and ease of integrating with other Microsoft products such as Office and Excel; it is a widely used product with many different companies. As well as being able to integrate Dynamics CRM with other Microsoft products, there are also many third party products that are able to work with Microsoft Dynamics CRM to better help your company meet its specific requirements. With this wide range of availability to further customize this product to better meet your companies’ specific needs, it clearly makes it a very useful tool for many different companies from retail to the medical industry. Microsoft Dynamics CRM uses the familiar user interface of Microsoft Outlook as well as having plug-in functionality to Outlook to further its simplicity of use. Offering a better value than the leading competitor, Dynamics CRM high configurability leverages a company’s current computing platform to meet your requirements at a lower cost. With no need for a reliance on outside consultants or an internal IT department, Dynamics CRM makes it easier for business owners to maintain and operate. One company that utilizes the functionality of Dynamics CRM is Data Reduction Systems, based in Union, New Jersey. Data Reduction Systems “provides data storage archival and retrieval solutions to businesses. Its offerings support server-based business operations including accounting and solutions tailored to pharmaceutical companies”(www.microsoft.com). The company’s CRM solution prior to using Microsoft Dynamics was failing to reach the business’ expectations and therefore created a lack of efficiency such as unmaintained sales pipeline data. This inefficiency meant that managers were unable to identify and act on emerging sales trends because they didn’t have the necessary information and insight into their sales operations. Being that the salespeople of Data Reduction Systems used Microsoft Outlook their entire workday it was clear for them to choose Microsoft Dynamics CRM for their new solution because of its seamless integration with Outlook. The Vice President of Business Development for Data Reduction Systems Marc Chester, states that, “The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online solution helped us achieve all the objectives we set for ourselves on this project. It’s improved the productivity of our users, increased our sales figures, and improved the quality of the information available to our executives”(www.microsoft.com). Prior to using Dynamics CRM employees at Data Reduction Systems were forced to use many different applications to simply condense customer data into reports, while Dynamics could do the same operation under one application. With such increases in efficiencies like this from the use of Dynamics CRM for Data Reduction Systems it clearly shows how this is a superior product for its large compatibility as well as a great value for its low price. Another company benefiting from the features of using Microsofot Dynamics CRM is Barclays Bank PCL. “Over the last three centuries, UK-based Barclays Bank PLC (LSE: BARC.L) has grown to be one of the world’s leading banks. The bank offers commercial and private banking services as well as investment banking and investment management offerings”(www.micrsoft.com). The company had realized a flaw in their system due to a lack of structure in handling their consumer complaints, which then lead to a more complaints because of their flawed system in managing consumer complaints. “Our users were already switching between five screens among our core banking systems,” says Noman Rasheed, Deputy Head of Technology, Barclays Bank LP, UAE. “We needed a solution that was not only very easy to learn and use, but could integrate easily with our systems so that we could consolidate everything onto one screen. And given our small IT staff, we didn’t have an army of resources to support the in-house or Oracle alternatives. By contrast, Microsoft Dynamics CRM met these criteria”(www.microsoft.com). After the implementation of Dynamics CRM in Barclays Bank PCL the customer service improved drastically and “customer complaints were cut by 25 percent…complaint escalations were slashed by 80 percent…and the cost-per-incident was reduced by 22 percent.”(www.microsoft.com). With the use of Dynamics CRM in Barclays Bank PCL it exceptionally increased the efficiency of their business by implementing a single based product that was easier to manage and was much more cost effective than the competitors products. Citations: 1.) Microsoft Dynamics customer stories: Data Reduction Systems. (2008, August 20). Retrieved May 1, 2011 from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/case-studies-detail.aspx'casestudyid=4000002561 2.) Case studies details Barclays Bank PCL. (2009, May 6). Retrieved May 1, 2011 from http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/featured-customers/case-study-details'casestudyid=4000004155&title=Barclays