Building Relationships That Last For Decades

I have been in the ERP and CRM business as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for what seems like a lifetime.  I have had the opportunity to assist and work with many of our Customers who have made an investment in the applications available within Microsoft Dynamics.  Over the years, we have seen these products evolve from very good programs to highly effective and robust applications that help to bring an entire organization together providing useful information throughout. 

The best way to illustrate this idea is to highlight the relationship I have had with one of my many Customers that I have worked with for over fourteen years.  The Customer is a manufacturer and software developer that originally purchased a Microsoft Dynamics GP 10-user system over thirteen years ago. At that time, it utilized both the Financials and the Distribution Suite (Purchase and Sales Order Processing).  It also has a custom proprietary warehousing application, and thus purchased the Integration Suite.  This enables it to capture real time data in Dynamics GP. 

The system handled its business very efficiently until it grew considerably.  Its business needs changed such that after several years, it added an additional twenty-five users and the Manufacturing Suite to help the management team gain visibility and control over their manufacturing costs.  Through the use of Business Portal and SQL Reporting Services, the team was able to effectively communicate key information to many areas of the organization.  The Dynamics GP application has had many enhancements and functionality improvements that, through upgrading regularly, the company was able to take advantage of over the years.

Approximately four years ago, the CFO came to us with a new business venture in the medical manufacturing industry.  Given his past experience with Dynamics GP, he knew that he would purchase the same configuration as the original company.  He also wanted to purchase Microsoft Dynamics CRM to gain control over their Sales and Customer Service Teams.  Dynamics CRM has enabled the company to gain visibility into its sales cycle to help create a more unified inside, outside and distributor sales team.  It has also integrated Dynamics GP and CRM so that the entire process is tracked from prospect to sales invoice generation. Its Customer Service Team is able to track all Customer activities during the process so that they can provide a proactive approach in handling Customer communications. 

Additionally, through hard work and listening to its changing needs, we were able to obtain several recommendations from this company and now we have had the opportunity to work with several different companies over the years in all types of organizations.  From service to manufacturing companies; from entertainment to steel manufacturers, we have been able to utilize a combination of Dynamics GP and CRM to help these diverse organizations benefit from the information that is at your fingertips with these applications. 

The flexibility and adaptability of Microsoft Dynamics applications allows for the cultivation of successful implementations and customer relationships that last for decades.  Whatever your product or services, we can help create the right solution for you.  Please contact Crestwood if you would like further information on how your company might benefit from our experiences. 

By Diana Marks, Customer Service Manager, at your Chicago Illinois Gold Certified GP and CRM Partner, Crestwood Associates.

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