Mike Hammons – Page 3 – Dynamics 365, Power BI, Analytics, Food, Travel

May 19, 2014

Dynamics CRM 2013 Spring Release Preview Guide

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Spring Release Preview Guide is now available.

You can download it from here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=395005

The CRM 2013 Spring Release Preview Guide highlights the new features and capabilities that will be released soon. The Spring Wave is one of the biggest updates?to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.?This is going to be HUGE! There are lots?of something for everyone in this release, including marketing, sales and service.

Marketing

Microsoft Social Listening enables you to identify who’s having social conversations about your company, products, competitors or another topics. Track buzz, trends and sentiment related to things like your customers, campaigns and competitors.

Microsoft Dynamics Marketing, provides?email marketing, landing pages, social campaigns and more on par to most of the third party marketing automation systems available today. Quickly and easily deliver qualified leads to your?sales teams and measure the return on marketing investment. It also includes lead nurturing and scoring, improved dashboards and analytics, and an awesome campaign visual designer.

Email Marketing

Send highly personalized E-mail messages to drive improved open rates. Personalize the content per sender, recipient, subject & content allowing you to send fewer emails with greater business results.

Deliver mass and transactional emails scalable to millions of emails to customers per day
Cross campaign rules to build sophisticated nurture and drip email campaigns.
Manage and control how many emails a contact can receive in a given time period to improve email performance.

Sales

For sales teams, there are enhancements to the CRM Tablet apps. We’ll see Social Insights right inside the mobile experience. Social Insights provides real-time company and contact information like financials, breaking news, social buzz and social connections. It’s very powerful for marketing, sales and account management professionals to help you engage more effectively to win more deals and spend less time spent researching and more time selling.

If you are an Android fan, the mobility updates will include a version for Android devices.?As before, the iPad is also supported.

The mobile experience will also be extended to include Customer Service capabilities optimized for people who want to?keep an eye on high priority Cases, monitor Queues?or route items across the queues to deliver amazing experiences no matter where you?are.

Customer Service

There’s lots of new “stuff” for customer service professionals?from the powerful self-service capabilities in the?recently acquired Parature, to the multi-channel capabilities coming in CRM including the Unified Service Desk to empower contact center agents to resolve customer issues with ease.

Parature includes lots of awesomeness including:

Parature Portal: a 24/7 customer support center that is seamlessly integrated into your?current website. It includes a searchable knowledge, submit help tickets, track its progress and receive automatic email notifications.
Parature Mobile Self-Service: Provides mobile friendly, responsive designs of the portal?that work?across desktop and mobile devices.?
Parature Facebook Portal: Seamlessly provides?FAQs and KB searches, or create help desk tickets from inside of Facebook.?
Parature Real-time Chat: provides instant live online support to provide?assisted support online. ?
Parature Knowledgebase: provides quick answers to common questions and support issues, plus essential downloads including forms, how-to videos, product manuals, knowledge base information updates and more.?

Server-side Synchronization Updates

Server-side synchronization allows administrators to easily manage the synchronization of email, tasks, appointments
and contacts between CRM and Exchange. No additional cost….unlike some other solutions out there!

The original release synchronized ?data?between Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Exchange on-premises deployments only. We will now see support for both?Dynamics CRM Online and Microsoft Exchange Online as well as the continued on-premise option. POP3/SMTP3 providers are also supported for sending and synchronization of Email.

SharePoint Integration Enhancements

Simplified integration between CRM Online and SharePoint Online will be managed inside of?Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. If you have?Dynamics CRM Online and SharePoint Online you will no longer need to install and configure the CRM List Component to enable the Document Management integration. Woo-hoo!

Sandbox Environments

A big request from larger customers and those that prefer dev/test and production environments. It will be point and click simple to configure isolated, non-production online environments. Administrators can make a copy of a CRM Online instance into a Sandbox Instance.

Minimal Copy only includes customizations & schema from source
Full Copy includes all application data, users, and customizations from source
Administrators can reset a Sandbox Instance back to factory settings (e.g. delete and re-provision)
Administrators can take/restore a snapshot of a Sandbox Instance??(only one snapshot per instance at any time)

And lots more good stuff!

Microsoft plans to deliver the Spring Wave features to CRM online customers as an automatic service update with the option to opt in for additional Customer Service capabilities, and to the on-premises customers as an installable service pack (SP1).

Market smarter. Sell effectively. Care everywhere.

April 22, 2014

Mobility Leads List of Top Digital Priorities

Mobility Leads List of C-Level Top Priorities

CIO Insights just posted one of their slideshows. ?You can view the slideshow of the survey results here: CIO Insight Mobile Priority Survey

The slideshow?is from an Accenture survey that shows mobility leads the list of top digital priorities. The survey, of nearly 1,500 global C-level executives, found adoption of mobile technologies and applications as top of their list of priorities.

While mobility is top of mind of most leading organizations, there are still challenges for some organizations, including;

strategic, organizational and operational shortcomings
struggles in the rollout of mobile capabilities
lack of formal metrics to measure effectiveness
insufficient funding

The good news despite these challenges, companies are moving aggressively to adopt mobile technologies and applications. The focus is geared toward helping them achieve their?business objectives.

While mobility is tops in the survey, rounding out the Top 5 include:

I?am seeing the majority of customers and prospects I talk to ALL have the above top of mind. It’s all related to helping how?we can understand and service our customers better. It’s about customer experience and business impact.

It’s not hard to understand why. I read an article?recently that showed 6 BILLION people now have cell phones. That’s nearly everyone on the planet.?We are clearly a mobile and connected world. So, it’s only natural that?customers and users need to be able to access their business-critical data on the device of their choice from wherever they are.

Another interesting fact from the survey, only 2% of respondents have NO mobile strategy. Let’s hope your organization is NOT one of the 2%. If you are, think about the fact that your competitors are thinking mobile.

Another factoid?is 83% of “leader” organizations compared to 77% of “other” organizations?rank mobility in their Top 5 priorities. Again, are YOU one of the leaders, or other?

If you prefer infographics, Accenture has posted one here for the survey results:?http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-mobility-trends-research-2014.aspx

You can also download a pdf of the survey here:?http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Mobility-Research-Report-2014.pdf

March 28, 2014

Dynamics CRM 2013 Update Rollup 2 Available

The Dynamics CRM 2013 Update Rollup 2 (UR2) is now available for on premise customers. In addition,?all Dynamics CRM Online organizations should already have received UR2 for CRM 2013 Online.?If you use the Outlook Client, you will want to download the update (or get it from Windows Update).

This is a recommended update as it fixes quite a few nagging little nits and a few nice additions.

Some of the more noteworthy additions are, official support for:

Windows 8.1
Internet Explorer 11 (including the Windows app version)
CRM for Tablets (MoCA) and full web client on iPad Air
iOS7 iPad (Safari) full web client
Windows Server 2012 R2

A couple ?of the nagging little nits that are now resolved include:

Subgrids continually displaying the ?Loading?? message (this one was really annoying)
The ?Save and Close? button has re-surfaced on record forms.

See the full release and get the downloads from here:?http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2919956

March 14, 2014

What Customers Want From Partners

I attended a Convergence Pre-Game customer panel session where 4 customers talked about “what customers want from partners”. I heard some really good insights into what customer’s really want and expect from partners.

The session opened with the moderator asking “What one word describes your expectation for a long term, positive relationship with your partner.

Amaze!
Communication
Experience
Initiative

Below are my general notes regarding additional feedback and expectations.

Don’t send in junior consultants that are not experienced, we want people that know what they are doing.
Each customer has changed partners looking for the right fit (this spells opportunity)
Customers generally have their top people engaged, we expect the partners to do so as well.
Customers don’t like it when the courting phase is over. Don’t make it obvious when your energies have switched to other customers, projects, new stuff.
Partners like to trump their experience..they all say we have done thousands of implementations..the customer perspective is then “oh then we are just one if thousands”.
We just helped one of your competitors…that gets our attention.
Pair the right resources…if the customer person is technical then make sure the main person that interacts is technical.

On SOW’s and contracts.

Give good estimates.
Approach with a win win mentality.
Strive for a partnership.
Sign off on all documents.
Get people to sign off on initial project and on any changes.
Make the investment on the front side, drill into the needs then give us the pricing.
If projects are hourly, itemize the billing and don’t be too general.
Giving options is a good thing, but, recommend as well.
Be clear about what the customer can do realistically and what the partner can or should do. Let us know what can be done out of box, or if something is fairly simple. Give us some ownership.
What sources of information do customers find useful: CRMUG, collaborate with the customers, books, blogs, conferences.
Black and Veatch, ALL of their projects and consulting work is fixed fee AND they get a 30 day warranty.
Works best for them to have fixed fee…ranges are a problem.
Requirements must be clear.
A couple are ok with hourly, but for smaller projects and where the requirements may be a little loose.

Best approach from a people/person approach is to have an account manager as a single point of contact. Prefer it. It should not be the consultant or technical resource. It’s a value add person, NOT billable!

Most like over communication…feel like the partner cares…too often partners take too long to respond or provide updates, particularly on issues. Don’t make me call you to get a status update. Even if you say “we are still working on it”, this is ok.

Confront brutal facts and issues up front and head on….don’t wait.

SLAs?

Yes, expected and do track them.

Online tracking systems?

Yes, prefer to have online tracking for anytime, anywhere communication.
Also want to talk to someone Easier for me to wait if i see it online.
When I reach out to you, it’s important!

Training and other best practices

Separate sow for training, implementation and other stuff
Training up front, before the project starts, helps with developing requirements.
Want to see “English” design documents, easy to read, not just technical, execs need to read/understand them
Ask if customer has resources to translate technical docs to simpler docs
Ok with cutting back on some documentation.
Don’t discourage us from using features.
Customer should NEVER be more excited about the product than they are.
The partner should be major proponents and cheer leaders for the product.

What we expect

Integrity, customer focused, fair, honest, dependable, drive to success, amaze us, be creative, deliver measurable ROI, really understand our processes and help us improve them.

Do more than just implement. Look for partners that talk about CRM, that blog, have good content, do more than just implement.

Shared values. Flexibility. Give us the time and attention based on our needs. It cycles so be flexible.

Be proactive with solutions. Help,me make the right decision.

All in all some really great insights and well worth paying attention to!

March 12, 2014

Sales Acceleration Summit 2014

?If you?have a?focus on sales and marketing?I just ran across a free Summit/Webinar you might want to check out.

Free sales training without the travel. Choose from more than 80 sessions in 6 tracks. Discover how to accelerate revenue in your unique role.

On March 13th, the Sales Acceleration Summit launches as the largest online professional sales event ever held.

You and your entire sales and marketing teams are invited to come be inspired by the top minds in the industry. The summit is free and features over 80 sales authors, industry experts and business leaders like:

– Jeffrey Gitomer, Little Red Book of Selling
– Matt Dixon, The Challenger Sale
– Mike Bosworth, Solution Selling
– Jill Konrath, SNAP Selling
– Steve Young, NFL Hall of Fame Inductee
– And many more

Join over 20,000 viewers to watch today?s brightest minds in sales and marketing share their methods for accelerating revenue.
Registration is free ? sign up today!

February 17, 2014

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 UR16 Available

Dynamics CRM 2011 UR16 Available Now

For all of my Microsoft Dynamics CRM friends that have an on-premise deployment, Update Rollup 16 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is available. Keep in mind the release cycles and that UR’s are updates and hotfixes only. There is no new functionality in this release. No new features should not stop you frm deploying this release as there are quite a few fixes and performance improvements.

The link below provides all the details.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2872369/en-us

November 8, 2013

How to Mirror Your iPhone or iPad on a Laptop

Have you ever wished you could display your iPhone or iPad on a laptop or PC? Well, it’s always been a big PITA thanks to Apple and their restrictive lock down policies on these devices. In the past one had to Jailbreak their device to make this happen….and who really likes messing with that? Obviously, jailbreaking is still possible but I really hate to spend the time and effort messing with that, particularly with the cat and mouse updates required when Apple patches the “holes” that allow this to happen.

Yes, there is also the ability to plug in an expensive VGA connector and display your device on a monitor, but, that’s not ideal, especially for people like me who need do a lot of demo’s. This approach makes things like a projector, Lync, GotoMeeting and Webex impossible.

Well, finally Apple added a feature called Airplay that makes this possible. It’s still not as easy as it should be; and, it’s still not really built in. In order to make this happen on your device of choice, you need to purchase an additional software app (for your laptop or PC, not your device). I recently checked out AirServer which to setup, configure and use. You can choose to run it on your Mac or PC and the iOS device requires iOS 4.2.1 or later, and they have to be on the same Wi-Fi network.

AirServer makes sharing your iPhone or iPad screen to your computer with AirPlay mirroring. After you install AirServer, your computer name will appear in the list of devices available for AirPlay Mirroring on your iPhone or iPad and when you select your computer, your iPhone or iPad screen will pop up on your computer screen, just like it would on your television with an Apple TV or VGA connector. Now it’s super simple to just share your desktop in a Lync or GotoMeeting; or show it on a projector and demo whatever you need from your iDevice.

If you want to check our a trial version you can get it from here:?http://www.airserver.com/trial

November 4, 2013

Dynamics CRM 2013 Business Process Overview

One of the amazing new capabilities in Dynamics CRM 2013 are Business Processes. this post provides a Dynamics CRM 2013 Business Process Overview.

Business Processes are new way to help guide users through any type of business process in a simple and intuitive way. The process is presented in stages and steps that are clearly shown to the user and very easy to complete.

What really makes these processes powerful are:

Multiple processes enabled per entity
Multiple entities per process
Stage gating
Role based processes

So what does that mean? I’ve recently been working with a lot of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies Innovation Centers. These are the business units responsible for partnerships, licensing and merger & acquisition activity. In this context, I’ll briefly explain each of the above.

Multiple Processes enabled per entity

An entity is simply the technical word that CRM uses for an organization (account), or contact, or opportunity. It’s the main record you are dealing with. So, multiple processes per entity means that I can have any number of processes for an organization. I might need a processes for an agreement with new potential partner, and a different process for an exiting partner. I could have different processes based on the type of partnership required, is it related to licensing (in or out), an investment, a purchase, or you name it.

Multiple entities per process

This is where things get really powerful. In our partnership example, we might start with a lead from a biotech event. The forst part of the process then is linked with the Leads entity (or records) in CRM. Once the lead has been qualified, the next stage would convert this to an organization record which could kick off an entirely new set of processes (e.g. vetting the partner through legal, compliance, AP/AR, etc.). Once vetted, the next step would then be an opportunity record. Once we come to agreement the next step would then be a Deal or Alliance record (or agreement). Each one of the stages in the process would be linked with a different recod, however, it’s presented to the user as one single connected process….very powerful, efficient and easy.

Stage gating

This is pretty much how it sounds. You can set rules that state all steps in the stage must be completed before moving onto the next stage. So, when starting a new partnership, confidential agreements (CDA) must be in place before the details can be discussed with the partner. This would be a stage gate, CDA must be in place and attached before the next stage is allowed to proceed. So, important stuff is not missed, and it’s all front and center for the user and team members to see exactly where things are in the process.

Role based processes

This too is how it sounds. Processes can be defined by your role in the organization. This is a great way to add security around different parts of the process. Legal may have steps that are very specific to them, and they are the only ones that see those details. The rest of team might just see a status and perhaps a due date. Nice, right!

So that’s it in a nutshell.

I’ve included a video below from Eric Boocock, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This video?shows you how business processes help you rapidly respond to changing business needs. it also goes into more detail on how you can quickly and easily create or change processes.

October 28, 2013

Dynamics CRM 2013 Mobile Client Details (MoCA)

Notes from CRMUG Summit 2013 – Dynamics CRM 2013 Mobile Client Details (MoCA)

One of the major new features of Dynamics CRM 2013 is a new mobile client and framework, dubbed internally as CRM 2013 Mobile MoCA (Mobile Client App)

Beth Steinke, Microsoft CRM Mobile Program Manager gave use some insight and details into this amazing new feature…best of all, it’s included FREE in Dynamics CRM 2013 (available now on iPad and Windows 8 app stores!)

Highlights

CRM on the go, wanted a consistent experience, configure once and deploy across applications and devices for seamless experience
User experience.
Dashboards, currently a single dashboard, up to 6 components
Currently does not support web resources or iFrames
Drill down and filtering is supported
Multiple entity search, up to 10

Personalization

Tiles, can pin to start screen of the dashboard (iPad and Win), or the Windows Start screen for Windows 8+
Can change views on lists grids and charts, this is a way to get around the 6 item limit
Sticky columns on views (remembers your changes)

Productivity focus

Reflows the forms (responsive design) in a horizontal experience, more tablet like than just giving a web client experience on the device
All controls are touch friendly
Business process flows work across the clients (woohoo!!!)
Will use quick create forms if available, otherwise it comes from full form
Communication: email and phone aware, on Windows uses Skype, when either phone or email is tapped, an activity form will open for entering notes
Communication form or card, represents a user or contact
Renders on entity forms and dashboard, currently hard coded (will be configurable in feature)
Immediate drill down when touching charts in dashboards or list views

Can search across 10 entities
Using the quick find definition for scratches
Can pin views to dashboard
Resizable columns
Win 8 can do the split thing screen
Quick create available from anywhere
If multiple forms are used in Customization area, it takes the top order one; and does not support multiple forms yet

Configuration

User privilege.entity setting
Tablet dashboard, by default it is called the sales dashboard but can be renamed
Setting up search
Form structure, will get slide that shows this
Availability
Online and onpremise but does require IFD
Currently only iPad and Win 8, smarphones are next, Android “at some point”
Offline is cached and read only at this time
Mobile Express has had some improvements and a UI refresh (actually looks pretty good now, check it out!!

Here is short demo of the new mobile capabilities for Dynamics CRM 2013 – the demo itself starts at 1:50 into the video.