Probis was one of the first technology companies to make its CRM system web-based so that agents and developers could log on and update their clients' sales data quickly. Last week I was given a first-hand demonstration of Microsoft's updated CRM system at its London head office and found that it has become web-based, too.
The upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, on behalf of its 650,000 users in 80 countries, has cost the software giant a substantial part of its $7.5 billion annual research budget. But it seems money well spent after the audience at the demo-day told Microsoft's CRM manager Jason Nash why they found CRM systems useful.
The reasons were plenty: The customer life-cycle is managed easily; Campaign management; Increased business intelligence; Integrated emails; Higher customer satisfaction; CRM distributes leads quickly; Document management; Order processing and pricing; Workflow; Case management; Event management; A web portal for partners; Online services; Survey management; Blackberry and mobile integration; Can log on from home; Tracking sales better; Customer service issues dealt with quickly; Reporting and analysis; Customer segmentation; Personal email campaigns that ensure click-throughs are high; Response through the website; Identifying users who want information.
When Microsoft recounted a story about one of their major clients, Gartner, I found another reason, better cashflow. CRM was used by Gartner as an end-to-end business process and increased their cashflow by 250 million. The system managed payment terms down from 120 days to an average of 33 days. Microsoft says this was because Gartner was able to see a 360 view of their own business.
Nash from Microsoft told us: CRM also recognises your top 10 clients, your top 100 and bottom 20. CRM knows when, where and how you've worked with clients before and it understands your clients' needs. It identifies past or present issues and it improves customer service and customer retention.
As the leading property CRM firm, Probis, I'm sure, would love to have even a fraction of Microsoft's $750 billion for its own research budget. Even so, Probis has still invested a substantial amount in its product to offer exactly the same benefits for those using its CRM system to sell overseas property.
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1 comments:
Microsoft has not just gone SaaS; it has gone PaaS (platform as a service); its a great way to strengthen its value chain and at the same time reach out to its vast user base that consists of those who use Windows and Dynamics CRM.
If Microsoft CRM actually did so much good for Gartner, I really doff my hat to Microsoft; looks like the other vendorsin the SaaS field ought to take notice of this entrant.
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