Microsoft CRM Training Guide @CRMFieldGuide

One of my co-authors Jerry Weinstock has compiled a great training guide based on the content from The CRM Field Guide.  The full document is available as a free download for all book owners and I will highlight it here in a series of blog posts.

Introduction

The CRM Field Guide was published in October 2012. It is collection of contributions by 19 Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVPs. The book is an essential guide to Microsoft Dynamics CRM that everyone should have on their bookshelf. The Field Guide offers you details not only on CRM fundamentals and extensibility points but also the tried and true best practices and strategies of the combined experience of some of the most recognizable global experts in the CRM industry.

The challenge with the book is that it is potentially overwhelming in the content it contains at 900+ pages in 25 chapters. The chapters were loosely organized, but not in any specific sequence since it was designed to fit the needs of a broad audience. This curriculum guide is designed to solve the issue for owners of the publication – which chapter do I start with, which ones do I read and is there a particular sequence that they should be read to maximize my learning?

The curriculum guide is based on six personas and one environment. The most relevant chapters for each discipline are organized in recommended reading sequence. It ranges from about 8 chapters on the low end to 16 on the high end for each group. Can you read other chapters that weren’t highlighted in the curriculum? Absolutely! Depending on the way your organization uses the CRM system there may be other chapters that were not in the recommended sequence that could complement your learning program.

Audiences

The audiences are:

· CRM Admin – This is the person(s) in the organization that is responsible for guiding the implementation and general support of the CRM application. Depending on the size and structure of your organization you may be either a coordinator, process manager, or actual ‘doer’ for the CRM system.

· Power User – Typically a technology enthusiast that loves to understand a computer program’s functionality and push it to the limit while maximizing how that helps them in their daily work.

· Business Analyst – The interpreter and translator that sits between the business users and the technology team to guide and define how the out of the box features and functions will be customized to work the way the business works.

· IT Support – You are the owner of the network, infrastructure, servers and the devices at your company. Anything that touches the hardware or operating system requires your oversight and involvement.

· Developer – The coders. You take the specifications from the business analyst and customize or extend the application with your programming skills. You also educate the rest of the business with things they should know and consider as they work to craft the solution to support the business.

· New User – You’re the person that has been using some other contact management system or pen and pencil, Excel, Outlook, or Access to help you manage your customer information. You now will be using Microsoft Dynamics CRM and need to understand its features, functions. As you become more informed you will be more proficient with the application and be able exploit its features to organize your customer information and support your activities.

· On-Premise Environment – this is a collection of chapters that are of interest to a cross section of users that need to understand the implementation and support process for the CRM On-Premise application.