Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Case Studies

2B Solutions Technology Consultant Secures New Business, Exceeds Customer Expectations

When Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner 2B Solutions experienced fast growth in its Microsoft Dynamics® CRM practice, it looked for ways to secure all pending business, use resources more effectively, control costs, and increase customer satisfaction. With sound methodology, best practices, guidance, and documentation, the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology proved to be a comprehensive business-enabling resource. Since 2B Solutions adopted the methodology, it has used Sure Step to scope every implementation project and close a significant volume of new business. Clearly set expectations and careful planning boost customer confidence and help customers realize solution benefits rapidly. And, with Sure Step tools and materials, 2B Solutions minimizes the cost and risk of complex projects, streamlines technical training, and gains valuable efficiencies in its resource utilization.

“Following the Sure Step Methodology, we offer detailed statements of work and have secured the business every time. We’ve also won new public-sector customers on the merits of this approach.”

Jeff Cross, President, 2B Solutions

Situation

Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner 2B Solutions, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, was a 2006 Microsoft Technology Innovation Partner of the Year Finalist for Mobility Solutions. The company’s technology experts consult with business customers and deliver solutions to help them gain more value from key relationships and flexibly track inventory and assets while on the go and at business locations.

2B Solutions implements Microsoft Dynamics® CRM for customers who want to increase the productivity of critical business relationships. The company’s customers thrive in a wide variety of market segments, with heavier concentrations in education, government, and healthcare. Often, the company’s technologists customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM for specialized business requirements or integrate it with 2B Solutions’s mobile technologies. As Jeff Cross, President of 2B Solutions, explains, “We began by supporting and enhancing the more traditional customer sales and marketing operations, but have gone far beyond that. We now aim to help our customers generate greater returns from their relationships with their stakeholders and contributors.”

With 2B Solutions employing Microsoft Dynamics CRM in more demanding and complex scenarios, smart project planning and most efficient use of limited resources—people’s time and budgets—became critical. Says Cross, “As we expected our growth to continue and our workload to be challenging, we wondered if there were better ways to prepare, structure, and run our implementation projects.” The company also wanted to identify a reliable, comprehensive source of documentation for Microsoft Dynamics CRM to help standardize and deepen employee familiarization, and reduce training time.

In addition, 2B Solutions sought a way to ensure customers firmly committed to projects that the company’s consultants had spent time discussing and scoping with them to avoid any drop-off that would result in a loss of revenue. Closely connected to that goal was the intent to increase customer satisfaction. More specifically, the company wanted to ensure customers received all necessary information related to projects and technologies. With that information, customers would have a full understanding of the solution’s capabilities to harbor appropriate expectations and be in a position to put Microsoft Dynamics CRM to effective use immediately after an implementation.

Solution

Available through the Partner Foundation Plan for Microsoft Dynamics, the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology is a key benefit of the plan. 2B Solutions had already invested in the Partner Foundation Plan and thoroughly evaluated what was available within the framework of the Sure Step Methodology, which provides guidance to streamline solution implementations and complete them successfully. Sure Step Methodology resources comprise a large repository of proven-to-be-effective templates, tools, and best practices, including specific content and tools for each product within the portfolio of Microsoft Dynamics solutions.

“The Sure Step Methodology helps us minimize the risk potential risks in our projects, which in turn frees us up to pursue new business with renewed focus.”

Jeff Cross, President, 2B Solutions

2B Solutions adopted the Sure Step Methodology as the framework for efficiently planning and completing software implementation projects. Available to 2B Solutions as a download, the Sure Step Methodology can scale to support projects of any size—from relatively simple upgrades to large-scale deployments. From diagnostics during the sales cycle, on to solution deployment and operation, the Sure Step Methodology develops through six distinct phases of a software project; 2B Solutions has incorporated this phased approach into its project management. Flowchart diagrams help the company’s consultants make timely, effective use of the tools, templates, and detailed best practices provided for each project phase. In addition, the flowchart diagrams help the 2B Solutions project team and its customers set up all the roles and accountabilities that play a role in completing a project.

The company also uses the extensive documentation accessible within the Sure Step Methodology to grow the skills of both new and experienced employees, and enhance team members’ professional standing with a deep education in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Sure Step Methodology technical documentation continues to serve as reference material during 2B Solutions’s projects.

Among other recommended practices, the Sure Step Methodology assists in creating a complete, highly detailed scope of work before projects are underway. “As soon as a customer commits to a project, our team carefully reviews the scope-of-work document so that everybody understands the requirements, project milestones, and criteria for success,” says Cross. Using the scope of work, project managers:

Plan resources. Precisely identify tasks and action items. Set deadlines for the distinct phases of a project. Remain in close contact with the customer to make sure 2B Solutions meets or exceeds expectations.

Clear definition of project scope means that consultants and technologists immediately know when a customer request may result in a digression from the project path or present an unplanned risk. If the latter is the case, 2B Solutions issues a risk warning to the customer, asking for review and discussion so that the customer and consultants together can mitigate the risk and adjust the project scope if needed.

Following the Sure Step Methodology guidance, 2B Solutions adjusted the categories that the company uses to allocate and track employee time on projects. Managers review this information to keep projects on track within budgetary guidelines. The Sure Step Methodology enables a transparent information presentation that provides granular, flexible drill-down capabilities. Those, in turn, give project managers an easy way to review the details of project events, assess any changes to be made in project delivery, forecast the projected outcome of changes in resource allocations, and keep projects on track with customer requirements.

Benefits

For 2B Solutions, adoption of the Sure Step Methodology accelerates business growth, improves customer satisfaction, and enhances the efficiency of resource utilization. “The Sure Step Methodology helps us take our company to the next level of success,” states Cross. “It’s an invaluable resource that reinforces our expertise, ensures accountability, and offers practical ways to act on opportunities to grow our business and make it more efficient.”

Close More Business with Better Customer Experience
Using the Sure Step Methodology, 2B Solutions finds it easier to obtain firm customer commitments and steadily grow its customer relationship practice. “Following the Sure Step Methodology, we offer detailed statements of work and have secured the business every time,” says Cross. “We’ve also won new public-sector customers on the merits of this approach.”

“We’re enthusiastic about the potential of the Sure Step Methodology to drive productivity. We will adjust the way we work whenever we see the beneficial impact of practice enhancements.”

Jeff Cross, President, 2B Solutions

2B Solutions has seen first hand how the Sure Step Methodology enhances the experience of its customers. Customers often mention to the 2B Solutions consultants working with them that they feel the company’s approach is thorough, well organized, and completely in line with their goals. Customers also appreciate the fact that every activity in a software implementation follows the steps and schedule outlined in the scope of work so that they always know when and what to expect next. “The Sure Step Methodology gives even the most complex projects a dependable orientation that keeps everybody on track,” says Cross.

Boost the Productivity of Individuals and Teams 2B Solutions can ensure its consultants’ proficiency and effectiveness through the comprehensive documentation and prescriptive guidance available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM through the Sure Step Methodology. What’s more, employees can review the materials on their own without requiring a significant portion of somebody else’s time for training. Says Cross, “In contrast to earlier times, our managers’ workload in familiarizing staff with the intricacies of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and how to meet customers’ challenges is a fraction of what it used to be.”

2B Solutions expects to modify its team collaboration process in response to the experience gained in implementations informed by the Sure Step Methodology. “We’re enthusiastic about the potential of the Sure Step Methodology to drive productivity,” says Cross. “We will adjust the way we work whenever we see the beneficial impact of practice enhancements.”

Generate Savings, Reduce Risk
After having managed a number of implementations in accord with the Sure Step Methodology, 2B Solutions is still finding new ways to use the methodology to improve the way it manages the company’s business. 2B Solutions project managers regularly review detailed information to ensure projects are on schedule and within budgets, and frequently identify opportunities to boost efficiencies. “Sure Step gives us much better control in managing budgets and resources,” says Cross. “I know we will generate more substantial cost savings for customers and the company.”

A 2B Solutions manager team meets every week with a Microsoft partner advisor to discuss how the company uses the Sure Step Methodology and strategize the most promising ways for increasing the outcome. The best use of the methodology to anticipate and mitigate potential roadblocks and risks in implementation projects figures prominently in these conversations. Says Cross, “The Sure Step Methodology helps us minimize the potential risks in our projects, which in turn frees us up to pursue new business with renewed focus.”

Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on what’s most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systems that your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success.

http://www.pargesoft.com/ Microsoft Dynamics CRM Global Partner

Industrial Distribution - Increasing profitability and competitiveness

Industrial Distribution
Increasing profi tability and competitiveness Global competition, shorter product lifecycles, lean economic conditions, increasing customer demands—these and other challenges put enormous pressures on industrial distributors.  The escalating requirements of large customers present a particular challenge. Demands for lower prices, improved packaging, specific labeling, and tight delivery requirements create tough conditions—especially for any distributor still tied to conventional supply chain systems and processes. These
large customers want value-added supply chain services such as collaborative planning and vendor managed inventories. In some cases, the demand for Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) can force industrial distributors to implement new business processes on top of old systems that do not provide adequate support.

The challenges increase substantially with outdated IT systems. Simply put, older, infl exible systems create internal ineffi ciencies that are hard to overcome. It can be diffi cult for you to forecast accurately enough to manage your inventory effectively. Left unresolved, these issues lead to discounts, lost orders, higher inventory costs, and unhappy customers.

But with the right technology, being competitive gets easier. If  you have the right business solutions in place, you can adapt to evolving market and customer demands by improving supply chain operations, effectively managing branch locations and sales staff while keeping costs low, and creating service-related income.

Managing the supply chain Installing a fl exible, robust IT environment is the best way  for you to create an effi cient, smoothly functioning supply chain that manages integrated contracts and delivers comprehensive service-level commitments. That, in turn, can help you increase your profits.

If your company focuses on improving the systems that control supply chain operations, then you’re on the path to obtaining competitive advantages that result from reducing the cost of distribution with systems that support new business requirements and processes.

For example, you can take advantage of capabilities that  facilitate easy and effi cient real-time access to inventory, customer order status, sales, purchasing, and fi nancial information across multiple locations. You can streamline the flow of information across your organization so that every department in the company works with the same data for real-time decision making.

And you can increase on-time delivery with powerful customer / supplier integration, planning tools, and company-wide inventory visibility.

By using effective supply chain management solutions,  industrial distributors can use business automation as a substantial competitive advantage. When coupled with inventory control technology, on-time customer shipments improve, lead times decrease, and there is an increase in inventory turns and accuracy of order-fill rates. These capabilities can help reduce costs drastically and gain a strong position as a low-cost, preferred supplier while
creating additional value to your customers.

Improving branch operations
If you run or are part of a large distribution company, then the
effectiveness of branch operations and your sales staff are top
priorities. With the right business solutions in place, you can make sure that operations beyond company headquarters are running smoothly and contributing to profi tability.

This starts by using technology to help you become a trusted advisor who has a comprehensive view of the customer to assist in customer service coordination. With an integrated accounting and customer relationship management (CRM) solution, you can ensure that the CRM tasks performed by salespeople include important information such as quotations, billings, and shipment deadlines.

You can also tighten delivery times and schedules by  integrating specifi c customer requests into your business software so human errors are reduced or eliminated. And you can coordinate all aspects of a customer’s profi le when multiple personnel are communicating to that customer on a regular basis.

Increasing profi tability With collaborative, tightly integrated software and systems  in place, there is greater potential for bigger profits. Industrial distributors can easily identify and eliminate areas of wasted activity because they no longer have to deal with separate “islands” of information that require extra resources to manage or that operate outside of a global view of company operations. It is easier to support and take
advantage of Automated Data Collection (ADC) systems to lower costs—while improving customer service.

And with integrated systems, industrial distributors have smart  knowledge management tools at their disposal to identify opportunities for new products and services that can be offered to customers most likely to need them.

Optimal performance with Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft DynamicsTM provides a set of strong applications that deliver a compelling suite of technologies for industrial distributors. Our integrated tools can help give your organization the critical capabilities you need to support new business practices, shrink inventory and warehouse management costs, respond quickly to customers, and comply with changing and unique customer demands. We can help you achieve real-time visibility across the global supply chain and deliver customer-focused solutions that help grow their
business and set it apart from the competition.

The Microsoft Dynamics platform can help your organization to assemble a complete, integrated set of leading-edge business applications. These integrated applications can be deployed quickly and inexpensively without complicated customizations and drawn-out implementation projects.

Microsoft Dynamics solutions support:
• Speed order picking with powerful and integrated ADC solutions.
• Real-time reports and alerts to management and customers.
• Effi cient response to customer demands such as specific packaging and shipping requirements.
• Implementation of customer-specifi c shipment, packaging,
technology, and reporting requests.
• Customized business reports that help improve business performance.
• Accurate demand forecasting models.
• Easily implemented Web-based systems for customer communications.

Innovative integration
Microsoft Dynamics provides a fl exible set of solutions that can be easily adapted to your operational needs. Built on the Microsoft® Windows ServerTM platform, Microsoft Dynamics helps you take advantage of technologies such as Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services for knowledge management and collaboration, Windows Terminal Services for extending access to data and processes, and Web services that can enable visibility into your customers’ and suppliers’ systems. Microsoft SQL ServerTM delivers a solid foundation for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data across your
company’s systems. And deep integration with Microsoft Office System applications, such as Microsoft Excel®, Word, Outlook®, Internet Explorer, SharePoint, and Visio®, can help you better understand inventory, plan production and lead times, design reports, and use data required to make accurate and cost-effective decisions.

COMPETITIVE Partners with industry expertise  Microsoft Dynamics solutions are delivered by a network of partners with expertise in industrial distribution. They can provide local, personalized service—from planning and implementation, to customization, to ongoing support and education. That means you get world-class business solutions
from professionals who understand your business and will be  there as your business conditions change.

Plan for growth
Organizations need systems that can deliver a strong return on investment (ROI) in meeting current needs, while providing for the opportunity to scale dramatically to account for organic growth, acquisitions, changes in business focus, and other foreseeable future changes to the business. Microsoft Dynamics, along with Microsoft server technologies and productivity solutions, offers tremendous fl exibility and scalability to implement the solution to meet today’s
requirements and to allow for substantial future growth and change.

To learn more about Microsoft Dynamics integrated  solutions that can help industrial distributors succeed, visit http://www.pargesoft.com/

Pargesoft Microsoft Dynamics AX, NAV and CRM Global Partner