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    Once upon a time, not so very long ago, if you threw out the acronym for Customer Relationship Management in a casual conversation, the look on your listeners’ faces was often…blank or puzzled.  Not surprisingly, that would be because CRM was definitely NOT a household word.  And I’d venture to say it...
  • Blog Post: 3 Ways AbleBridge Helped Customers Realize the Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

    It doesn’t seem possible to me that summer is officially over; after all in New England we’re lucky if we get 9 weeks of summer weather before we start thinking about Red Sox playoff hopes, fall foliage and the inevitable 16 weeks of winter!! But now that summer is in the rear view mirror I wanted to...
  • Blog Post: What are the Differences Between Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.com?

    Whether you are in sales  or marketing , the big question is always which CRM software do you prefer? You usually get down to about two choices: Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.com. It all depends on your business and how you want to manage your data. Salesforce.com: Cloud-based application...
  • Blog Post: What are the Differences Between a Contact Management System and Microsoft Dynamics CRM?

    Recently, Sherwood Systems had the privilege of being an exhibitor at this year’s Arizona Business Growth Expo. As a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner, we enjoyed many lively conversations with small business owners curious and seriously contemplating the benefits of CRM. When asked if they have CRM in...
  • Blog Post: Top 5 Sales Strategies for 2012. Accelerate Your Momentum with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

    We’ve all heard the business adage “ You can’t manage what you don’t measure .”  This especially rings true in a sales organization.  AbleBridge has worked with many small to very large sales organizations over the years and the difference between mediocre and exceptional has nothing to do with size...
  • Blog Post: Fresh Perspective for this Holiday Season: Effective Customer Relationship Software Creates Opportunity

    As we get caught up in the Holiday spending and chaotic schedules, let’s take a moment to reflect on the opportunity of the Holiday season…if we have a proper customer relationship management tool in place. Whether you’re in the retail or distribution industry, the Holiday season puts a lot of pressure...
  • Blog Post: Observing Industry Growth with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

    CRM software has come a long way since its inception in 1990. It gives companies insight that they’ve never really had before. If your industry is experiencing growth during this economic shift, CRM software should provide you with proper analysis to stay in front of market changes. Growth is a great...
  • Blog Post: Get the Most Out of Your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting

    Being able to analyze what your software organizes for you is one of the most important factors of a good business solution. If your CRM software cannot produce records of information, then it’s pretty much useless. That’s really the whole point of managing your contacts in a comprehensive database ...
  • Blog Post: Customer Relationship Management and Data Analysis Create Profitability

    A CRM system should show you more information about your customer relationships sales, service, operations and otherwise. What you do with that information and how you get to it varies from organization to organization. But this is where data analytics should come into play. You should be able to use...
  • Blog Post: Dynamics CRM. Check. In the Cloud. Check. Save Lots of $$$. Check

    Microsoft Dynamics CRM has created a significant buzz throughout the industry.  Organizations of all sizes and from all different industries have seen the benefits it can offer and are now taking advantage of the extensive built-in functionality to address their sales, marketing, membership, and service...
  • Blog Post: How Do You Get Your Sales People to Use CRM Software?

    Customer Relationship Management Software allows your marketing and sales departments to reach out to prospects, develop relationships, and turn them into loyal customers.  Many salespeople may be reluctant to use a CRM system.  Instead of selling them with product stats, you need to show them how a...
  • Blog Post: The End User CRM Perspective

    Not only do I sell Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, I am also an end user.  As a salesperson, I find that CRM enables me to optimize my sales efforts with ease.  With a few clicks, I can view my contacts, my accounts, my pipeline, my results.  On a day-to-day basis, I can view my scheduled activities, including...
  • Blog Post: xRM: Extending the Scope of Microsoft Dynamics CRM

    Before delving into the details of xRM and how to put it to work for your organization, it’s important for establish a common definition.  According to Wikipedia, xRM is a strategy that takes CRM one step further, focusing on managing all relationships – not just those with customers.  With that, let...
  • Blog Post: Customer Relationship Management and the BYOD Revolution

    Are you bringing your iPad or favorite Android gadget to work? You are not alone. According to most analysts, bring-your-own-device or BYOD is happening right now.  Enterprise workers are quite dependent on their personal smartphones and tablet computers, constantly finding new applications for them...
  • Blog Post: How to Align Dynamics CRM with Your Sales Team

    In speaking with many clients and prospects, we often find that their CRM system does not support their internal sales process or, in essence, their sales team.  This can be caused by a number of reasons, including the system being too difficult to understand and/or complex to use.  Another challenge...
  • Blog Post: Clean Up Your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data with Duplicate Detection

    In setting up a Microsoft Dynamics CRM project, data quality can take a backseat to other business concerns. That is pretty understandable in most get-it-done-yesterday sales environments. But Microsoft CRM makes one data quality issue,  data duplication detection so easy to implement you’ll probably...
  • Blog Post: Dynamics CRM Addresses Three Key Hurdles for Professional Services Firms

    Successful professional services organizations have many things in common, regardless of what type of service they deliver.  They offer consulting experience, industry-specific expertise, and project insight and guidance that clients can’t wrap up and take back to their office.  However, inherent in...
  • Blog Post: Part I: Dynamics CRM 2011 Connections for Creating Relationships

    Anyone who’s ever joined a social network quickly realizes that one of the most valuable features is the relationships created in the community. You friend someone, and then you’ll show up in your new buddy’s friends list, and vice-versa.  Connections, a feature in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, takes...
  • Blog Post: Your Forecast is Clear and Bright with Conditional Formatting in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook

    Your Forecast is Clear and Bright with Conditional Formatting in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook   One of the best and latest features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook is the capability to apply conditional formatting to records in a view. Conditional formatting is available when using the...
  • Blog Post: Yammer and Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Join Forces

    With the big (but expected) announcement that Microsoft will purchase Yammer, Microsoft Dynamics CRM users can expect to see more social communications functions in the coming years. Yammer will find a home in the Microsoft Office Division, and according to the press release, Redmond “plans to accelerate...
  • Blog Post: Even More with Even Less – Are You Kidding Me?

    As the terrific ASAE Annual Meeting 2012 was winding to a close, it occurred to me that the trends that began in 2008 as the economy turned south might just be here to stay in the Association Community- at least for the near future.  Not unlike our private sector counterparts, Associations and Nonprofits...
  • Blog Post: Microsoft Dynamics CRM + Broadlook = The Perfect Match

    We recently began using a set of solutions in our internal Microsoft Dynamics CRM system that has just been phenomenal.  Since starting to utilize Broadlook’s Contact Capture, we no longer have to undergo mundane and time consuming data entry tasks to create new contact records into our Microsoft Dynamics...
  • Blog Post: Becoming a Dynamic Sales Organization with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

    Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an essential element of a successful, integrated sales strategy.  And the right CRM application can make the difference between profit and loss, or success and failure in any market. Today there are key market trends like ‘Mobile’, ‘Social’, ‘Cloud’, and ‘Big...
  • Blog Post: Extending Dynamics CRM for Project Management

    One of the greatest benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the ability to extend the system beyond traditional Customer Relationship Management work.  Companies have the ability to create new entities unique to their business and actually track operational processes.  These could be internal project management...
  • Blog Post: Pre-defined Sales Processes Come to Microsoft Dynamics 2012

    Microsoft Dynamics CRM has always bundled in some templates and other workflows. For the update to Dynamics CRM 2012, there are powerful pre-defined workflows for sales processes . Specifically, the Dynamics team has included three workflows for lead, opportunity, and sales management. Of course, you...