A BI Solution for Your Unique Needs

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

CRM is customizable almost to a fault. There are so many ways to implent and tailor CRM to your business, the options can be overwhelming. So what are the essential features all solutions should include? This free CRM checklist details the essential software that should be in your package, regardless of your industry or area of expertise

This checklist will make sure your solution contains tools that can handle:

  • Lead management
  • Feedback management
  • Email and contacts

Plus details on seven other vital tracking and forecasting features.

CRM is customizable almost to a fault. There are so many ways to implent and tailor CRM to your business, the options can be overwhelming. So what are the essential features all solutions should include? This free CRM checklist details the essential software that should be in your package, regardless of your industry or area of expertise

Posted in Business Intelligence (BI) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sage Accpac WMS

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

services4b

Implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) solution might involve considerable time and expense. However, there are many potential benefits.

A major benefit can be the development of better relations with your existing customers, which can lead to:

  • increased sales through better timing due to anticipating needs based on historic trends
  • identifying needs more effectively by understanding specific customer requirements
  • cross-selling of other products by highlighting and suggesting alternatives or enhancements
  • identifying which of your customers are profitable and which are not

This can lead to better marketing of your products or services by focusing on:

  • effective targeted marketing communications aimed specifically at customer needs
  • a more personal approach and the development of new or improved products and services in order to win more business in the future

Ultimately this could lead to:

  • enhanced customer satisfaction and retention, ensuring that your good reputation in the marketplace continues to grow
  • increased value from your existing customers and reduced cost associated with supporting and servicing them, increasing your overall efficiency and reducing total cost of sales
  • improved profitability by focusing on the most profitable customers and dealing with the unprofitable in more cost effective ways

Once your business starts to look after its existing customers effectively, efforts can be concentrated on finding new customers and expanding your market. The more you know about your customers, the easier it is to identify new prospects and increase your customer base.

Even with years of accumulated knowledge, there’s always room for improvement. Customer needs change over time, and technology can make it easier to find out more about customers and ensure that everyone in an organisation can exploit this information.

Posted in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Front-to Back-Office Integration Capabilities

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

Front-to Back-Office Integration Capabilities
The Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite, which includes SageCRM with Sage Accpac ERP, means that companies which have previously invested in Sage Accpac ERP products can quickly and cost-effectively leverage their back office ERP data and functionality within the front office environment of SageCRM.

Posted in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CRM Benefits

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

services4b

Implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) solution might involve considerable time and expense. However, there are many potential benefits.

A major benefit can be the development of better relations with your existing customers, which can lead to:

  • increased sales through better timing due to anticipating needs based on historic trends
  • identifying needs more effectively by understanding specific customer requirements
  • cross-selling of other products by highlighting and suggesting alternatives or enhancements
  • identifying which of your customers are profitable and which are not

This can lead to better marketing of your products or services by focusing on:

  • effective targeted marketing communications aimed specifically at customer needs
  • a more personal approach and the development of new or improved products and services in order to win more business in the future

Ultimately this could lead to:

  • enhanced customer satisfaction and retention, ensuring that your good reputation in the marketplace continues to grow
  • increased value from your existing customers and reduced cost associated with supporting and servicing them, increasing your overall efficiency and reducing total cost of sales
  • improved profitability by focusing on the most profitable customers and dealing with the unprofitable in more cost effective ways

Once your business starts to look after its existing customers effectively, efforts can be concentrated on finding new customers and expanding your market. The more you know about your customers, the easier it is to identify new prospects and increase your customer base.

Even with years of accumulated knowledge, there’s always room for improvement. Customer needs change over time, and technology can make it easier to find out more about customers and ensure that everyone in an organisation can exploit this information.

Posted in Customer Relations Management (CRM) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What can Business Intelligence do for you?

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

services4b

Implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) solution might involve considerable time and expense. However, there are many potential benefits.

A major benefit can be the development of better relations with your existing customers, which can lead to:

  • increased sales through better timing due to anticipating needs based on historic trends
  • identifying needs more effectively by understanding specific customer requirements
  • cross-selling of other products by highlighting and suggesting alternatives or enhancements
  • identifying which of your customers are profitable and which are not

This can lead to better marketing of your products or services by focusing on:

  • effective targeted marketing communications aimed specifically at customer needs
  • a more personal approach and the development of new or improved products and services in order to win more business in the future

Ultimately this could lead to:

  • enhanced customer satisfaction and retention, ensuring that your good reputation in the marketplace continues to grow
  • increased value from your existing customers and reduced cost associated with supporting and servicing them, increasing your overall efficiency and reducing total cost of sales
  • improved profitability by focusing on the most profitable customers and dealing with the unprofitable in more cost effective ways

Once your business starts to look after its existing customers effectively, efforts can be concentrated on finding new customers and expanding your market. The more you know about your customers, the easier it is to identify new prospects and increase your customer base.

Even with years of accumulated knowledge, there’s always room for improvement. Customer needs change over time, and technology can make it easier to find out more about customers and ensure that everyone in an organisation can exploit this information.

Posted in Business Intelligence (BI) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to choose a Warehouse Management System?

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

We all know it is important to know how your company is perceived by your customers or clientele. We also know that the level of customer satisfaction is directly proportional to how your business will do in the future. But as a manager or owner the magic question is: How do I measure this and what can I do about it?

CRM or Customer Relationship Management is the term applied for putting software, hardware and networking in place that improves a company’s dealings with its customers. In the simplest example, a customer might like to be able to access his supplier’s shipping system, so he can find out if the goods were shipped, when they were shipped and where they are now. CRM includes such customer touch functions as help desk, marketing, order entry, technical information and sales automation.

CRM begins when a potential client dials the company number. What happens when the call is answered is critical to creating a new client or keeping an existing one. For example, how many times does the phone ring before the call is answered? Surveys show that in today’s world people won’t wait any longer than five rings before hanging up. Having a phone system that can tell you how many hang-ups (the real ones) you get is critical to whether your company is going to go up or down the ladder of customer satisfaction.

When the call is answered another critical moment occurs. If they are put on hold the patience level doesn’t go much beyond one minute. So your phone system should allow for the caller to get to the department they want quickly. A telephone ‘tree’ can do wonders but you can’t have too many branches. Four is enough to challenge today’s demanding consumer or client. A live attendant is valuable because callers like to talk to a human but if all they do is quickly transfer the caller to a department where they are put on hold for longer than a minute the live attendant isn’t serving a very useful role.

When the caller reaches the respondent does that individual have any information on the caller? If the caller is already a client and the respondent has a pop-up screen on their computer showing information on how long the caller has been a client, what their preferences are, how often they call, their contact information and so on then the company has a definite advantage over a competitor without this technology.

CRM depends on two main factors: how helpful the employees are to the customer and how functional the phone system is in moving callers through the system. These will determine a company’s ability to retain customers and thereby create valuable revenues.

John Campbell is a Strategic-Partner with Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, North America’s largest independent telecom consulting company.

john.campbell@schooleymitchell.com

Posted in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sage Accpac ERP

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

We all know it is important to know how your company is perceived by your customers or clientele. We also know that the level of customer satisfaction is directly proportional to how your business will do in the future. But as a manager or owner the magic question is: How do I measure this and what can I do about it?

CRM or Customer Relationship Management is the term applied for putting software, hardware and networking in place that improves a company’s dealings with its customers. In the simplest example, a customer might like to be able to access his supplier’s shipping system, so he can find out if the goods were shipped, when they were shipped and where they are now. CRM includes such customer touch functions as help desk, marketing, order entry, technical information and sales automation.

CRM begins when a potential client dials the company number. What happens when the call is answered is critical to creating a new client or keeping an existing one. For example, how many times does the phone ring before the call is answered? Surveys show that in today’s world people won’t wait any longer than five rings before hanging up. Having a phone system that can tell you how many hang-ups (the real ones) you get is critical to whether your company is going to go up or down the ladder of customer satisfaction.

When the call is answered another critical moment occurs. If they are put on hold the patience level doesn’t go much beyond one minute. So your phone system should allow for the caller to get to the department they want quickly. A telephone ‘tree’ can do wonders but you can’t have too many branches. Four is enough to challenge today’s demanding consumer or client. A live attendant is valuable because callers like to talk to a human but if all they do is quickly transfer the caller to a department where they are put on hold for longer than a minute the live attendant isn’t serving a very useful role.

When the caller reaches the respondent does that individual have any information on the caller? If the caller is already a client and the respondent has a pop-up screen on their computer showing information on how long the caller has been a client, what their preferences are, how often they call, their contact information and so on then the company has a definite advantage over a competitor without this technology.

CRM depends on two main factors: how helpful the employees are to the customer and how functional the phone system is in moving callers through the system. These will determine a company’s ability to retain customers and thereby create valuable revenues.

John Campbell is a Strategic-Partner with Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, North America’s largest independent telecom consulting company.

john.campbell@schooleymitchell.com

Posted in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Important is CRM to Your Business?

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

We all know it is important to know how your company is perceived by your customers or clientele. We also know that the level of customer satisfaction is directly proportional to how your business will do in the future. But as a manager or owner the magic question is: How do I measure this and what can I do about it?

CRM or Customer Relationship Management is the term applied for putting software, hardware and networking in place that improves a company’s dealings with its customers. In the simplest example, a customer might like to be able to access his supplier’s shipping system, so he can find out if the goods were shipped, when they were shipped and where they are now. CRM includes such customer touch functions as help desk, marketing, order entry, technical information and sales automation.

CRM begins when a potential client dials the company number. What happens when the call is answered is critical to creating a new client or keeping an existing one. For example, how many times does the phone ring before the call is answered? Surveys show that in today’s world people won’t wait any longer than five rings before hanging up. Having a phone system that can tell you how many hang-ups (the real ones) you get is critical to whether your company is going to go up or down the ladder of customer satisfaction.

When the call is answered another critical moment occurs. If they are put on hold the patience level doesn’t go much beyond one minute. So your phone system should allow for the caller to get to the department they want quickly. A telephone ‘tree’ can do wonders but you can’t have too many branches. Four is enough to challenge today’s demanding consumer or client. A live attendant is valuable because callers like to talk to a human but if all they do is quickly transfer the caller to a department where they are put on hold for longer than a minute the live attendant isn’t serving a very useful role.

When the caller reaches the respondent does that individual have any information on the caller? If the caller is already a client and the respondent has a pop-up screen on their computer showing information on how long the caller has been a client, what their preferences are, how often they call, their contact information and so on then the company has a definite advantage over a competitor without this technology.

CRM depends on two main factors: how helpful the employees are to the customer and how functional the phone system is in moving callers through the system. These will determine a company’s ability to retain customers and thereby create valuable revenues.

John Campbell is a Strategic-Partner with Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, North America’s largest independent telecom consulting company.

john.campbell@schooleymitchell.com

Posted in Customer Relations Management (CRM) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meet the donut challenge!

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Site Administrator

We all know it is important to know how your company is perceived by your customers or clientele. We also know that the level of customer satisfaction is directly proportional to how your business will do in the future. But as a manager or owner the magic question is: How do I measure this and what can I do about it?

CRM or Customer Relationship Management is the term applied for putting software, hardware and networking in place that improves a company’s dealings with its customers. In the simplest example, a customer might like to be able to access his supplier’s shipping system, so he can find out if the goods were shipped, when they were shipped and where they are now. CRM includes such customer touch functions as help desk, marketing, order entry, technical information and sales automation.

CRM begins when a potential client dials the company number. What happens when the call is answered is critical to creating a new client or keeping an existing one. For example, how many times does the phone ring before the call is answered? Surveys show that in today’s world people won’t wait any longer than five rings before hanging up. Having a phone system that can tell you how many hang-ups (the real ones) you get is critical to whether your company is going to go up or down the ladder of customer satisfaction.

When the call is answered another critical moment occurs. If they are put on hold the patience level doesn’t go much beyond one minute. So your phone system should allow for the caller to get to the department they want quickly. A telephone ‘tree’ can do wonders but you can’t have too many branches. Four is enough to challenge today’s demanding consumer or client. A live attendant is valuable because callers like to talk to a human but if all they do is quickly transfer the caller to a department where they are put on hold for longer than a minute the live attendant isn’t serving a very useful role.

When the caller reaches the respondent does that individual have any information on the caller? If the caller is already a client and the respondent has a pop-up screen on their computer showing information on how long the caller has been a client, what their preferences are, how often they call, their contact information and so on then the company has a definite advantage over a competitor without this technology.

CRM depends on two main factors: how helpful the employees are to the customer and how functional the phone system is in moving callers through the system. These will determine a company’s ability to retain customers and thereby create valuable revenues.

John Campbell is a Strategic-Partner with Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, North America’s largest independent telecom consulting company.

john.campbell@schooleymitchell.com

Posted in Business Intelligence (BI) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bottom Line on Human Resource Management

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Site Administrator

When the economy slows, businesses tighten their belt and look for ways to cut costs and get more work accomplished with fewer resources.  That’s why more companies today are challenging their human resource (HR) departments to make more strategic contributions to the organization. While HR is traditionally viewed as a cost center saddled with time-consuming and paper-intensive administrative tasks, it’s a necessary burden in order to comply with governmental regulations that require specialized reporting.  The question is this … how can you streamline your HR processes to minimize that burden and transform HR into a model of efficiency with meaningful impact on the bottom line?  For some, the answer is Sage Accpac HRMS integrated with your Sage Accpac ERP system.  Let’s take a closer look.

Technology Maximizes Limited Resources
Most small and midsized businesses have limited staff to manage the many aspects of human resources. In fact, HR staff typically spends far more time performing routine administrative tasks than strategic objectives.  But the simple fact is once those routine administrative tasks are automated, it has a profoundly positive impact on both the HR department and company overall.  And that’s where Sage Abra HRMS comes in.

Sounds Interesting, But What Does It Do?
First things first … HRMS stands for Human Resource Management System.  In the same way that Sage Accpac ERP automates your accounting and operations, Sage Accpac HRMS automates all aspects of managing your workforce including Employee Benefits, Time and Attendance, Training, Recruitment, Compensation Management, Compliance, and more.  As the name suggests, it’s totally integrated with your Sage Accpac system and is available in both U.S. and Canadian versions.  You get hundreds of standard reports, customizable templates, automated workflow, and a full range of features that will reduce the cost of compliance, eliminate redundant data entry and paperwork, automate repetitive processes, and have your HR Department running like a well-oiled machine.

Consolidate And Digitize
Many companies rely on a combination of paper, spreadsheets, and file cabinets to manage employee information which means that hiring data, payroll records, and benefit plan elections are probably stored in multiple places.  Each employee change needs to be replicated across a variety of files … a record-keeping nightmare.  But with Sage Accpac HRMS, all of your employee data is digitized and consolidated into a single database.  This results in fewer errors and potential fines, elimination of duplicate data entry, and more timely reports and analysis.

Contact us to learn how Sage Accpac HRMS can have a positive impact on your bottom line.

The Bottom Line On HR Technology
Improving Results and Lowering Costs with HRMS

Email Us to request a copy of this valuable guide that explains what an HR system does and what bottom-line benefit it can bring your company.

Posted in June 2009, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment