Microsoft's Office 365 is big news. Now out of beta testing, Office 365 is set to bring enterprise level functionality to small and medium businesses. Of course you should be using it. Should you be using it with MS Dynamics CRM? Microsoft plans to add Dynamics CRM to the Office 365 suite later this year. We can integrate it for you right now. So should you jump in now or wait? Here's the question to ask yourself: what's the opportunity cost for waiting? Put it another way: How many leads could you lose by waiting? How much of the improved functionality of Dynamics CRM would you miss out on while you wait? How many extra hours will your staff put in while waiting for the streamlined process it would give you -- and how much will those hours cost you? Let us run some numbers by you. Call (801) 428-1200 if you're in the Western states and we'll be happy to show you how Office 365 and Dynamics CRM together...

It isn't really news that Dynamics CRM is a leader in customer relationship management solutions. We're glad to say, though, that new research confirms that MS Dynamics CRM continues to be the top choice for business.

What does this mean for your business? Look at some facts and figures that might surprise you...

You've seen it in really old movies: the heroine walks into the store and someone steps up to greet her by name. "We have a new gown that you will adore!" says the saleswoman, taking the heroine's furs and dog and leading her to a cushy chair. The heroine sits at ease watching the new gowns being modeled.

At this point, of course, the hero arrives and is attacked by the dog, gangsters race in and hide behind the furs, and our whole metaphor breaks down.

Your customers would still like you to contact them by name and show them new things you know they'll love while they relax in comfort. Email marketing allows this sense of personal interest and luxury, at a much lower price per conversion than personal sales calls.

Industry estimates tell us that as many of 80% of leads are lost through inadequate follow up -- and most of those people buy from someone within two years after we lose them.

Your CRM can change those figures for you.

One of the great things about online marketing is that it's highly measurable. You can see how many people came to your site and keep track easily of how many leads fill out your website response form or email you for information.

Or can you? It's supposed to be that way, certainly, but it doesn't always work out that way...

Opportunity, we're told, knocks but once. Fortunately, with a good CRM we can invite Opportunity in, make it comfortable, and give it a cup of coffee while it waits for us.

Opportunity tracking lets us keep track of leads and prospects, bring the right staff and strategies into the picture at the right time, and identify new revenue opportunities with existing clients, too.

Never miss another opportunity.

Rumor has it that Microsoft Dynamics is going to be Azure-based at some point in the future.

We're not talking here about the beautiful shade of blue known as "azure," but about Windows Azure, a cloud computing platform that integrates with other Microsoft products.

Right now, MS Dynamics cloud solutions aren't Azure-based, but word from the Convergence conference last week is that the next version of MS Dynamics ERP will be Azure-based, and that MS Dynamics CRM will also eventually be using Azure as well.

What does this mean to you? If you're a Customer Dynamics client -- nothing, really. We make sure that it's business as usual for you, even if there are technical changes.

We've said that you have to get everyone on board to see the full results of using CRM, and it's true. Effective implementation requires 100% involvement.

How do you accomplish this?

The economy seems to be on an upswing, or at least an upcrawl, but many of us are still being careful with our resources.

A good CRM solution, like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, can be part of that lean approach. First, think about what your CRM does for your business:

1. Identify the most profitable customers, based on data rather than feelings.

2. Easily provide data about those high-value customers to high-performing salespeople and customer service staff.

3. Routinely alert staff to events like birthdays or updates to products customers have ordered in the past.

4. Use data mining and segmentation capabilities to identify sales opportunities that might have gone unnoticed.

5. Keep sales and marketing activities streamlined and coordinated with customer support for maximum efficiency and customer satisfaction.

These are all terrific outcomes, but you could achieve them without Dynamics CRM -- if you have the budget...