New to CRM or ERP?

What is CRM and ERP?

Customer relationship management holds customer data in an easy-to-understand format. It provides a full 360 view of every single person or company to have interacted with your customer – their details, preferences, history with your company, communication, and much more. The more relevant information that’s in CRM, the better. A good CRM system can (and should!) be customised to the exact needs of your business, with particular fields in CRM formatted to exactly the information you need to better serve the people you serve. The main users of CRM are sales, marketing, customer service, field technicians and support – customer-facing staff.

ERP software helps you to manage your business. It helps you to improve the productivity of your staff, and the efficiency of your processes. Departments are better connected and siloes are removed as teams get access to real-time information about the whole business. It can increase profitability as with in-depth financial information about every department, you can find ways of reducing capital spent on processes and cut costs. The main users of ERP systems are internal and supplier-facing people who work with processes and logistics.

5 Considerations Before Investing in Business Applications

1. Is it going to be a long-term investment?

Before investing in a suitable solution, you need to consider whether it is a short-term fix or a long-term investment. Weigh up the benefits and value that you will get in the short and long term. You don’t want to be in the same position again in a few years that you are now. A solution that won’t grow with you, and that you’ll have to replace or create workarounds for, simply isn’t worth your money.

2. Is it customisable?

Every business has its own unique needs and as such every solution should be unique too. A fair assumption to make is that around 80% of your solution is going to be out-the-box and 20% will need to be tailored to you (e.g. custom fields, web portals, appearance, etc.). Also make sure it works on mobile, as it will allow your employees to work from home or on-the-go.

3. How easy is it to use?

The application you ultimately decide on should reduce the number of clicks taken to complete tasks. The solution provider you choose should optimise your processes, and the way tasks are administered in your business systems should reflect that. Slow, buggy systems or clunky, longwinded processes frustrate staff and don’t encourage efficiency.

4. Adaptability to integrate with existing systems

Is your CRM able to adapt to your company’s current (and future) key business systems such as data analytics, ERP, custom software, etc.? However, be careful in placing too much importance onto these systems, in case they also need to be replaced or upgraded to meet your growing businesses’ demands.

5. Assess your solution provider

Make sure their team is made up of highly experienced, certified professionals who will be able to deliver the solution you need. Also assess whether they can help you with your system post-implementation and provide support, working with your internal teams if required. Are they able to offer a fully managed service so you don’t have to worry about your system at all, if required?

How are Business Applications Hosted?

We can help you to identify the right hosting solution for your organisation, based on your business needs. We take a consultative approach to everything we do to ensure solutions are value-add and long-lasting.

Cloud

Want fast deployment and secure data centre storage? With the cloud you don’t need to worry about securing and scaling computing power or storage. You can access data and systems, securely, even out of the office. Dynamics 365 is natively cloud-based, meaning you no longer need to go through long and complicated upgrade projects with biannual updates. You are always on the latest version of the product, just like any other modern Software as a Service (SaaS) offering. SaaS is simply software that is accessed online using a monthly subscription, rather than installed onto individual devices or PCs. Customers experience better performance, reliability, and supportability. We’re certified cloud experts and we will help you to get set up in Microsoft Azure cloud environment.

Hybrid or on-premise

Need to keep some, or all, of your data on-premise? We can architect a hybrid or on-premise solution, so you don’t have to compromise. Our infrastructure team are specialists in secure, effective hosting solutions – let them help you with a tailored hybrid cloud or on-premise approach to Microsoft Dynamics 365.

How Can You Extend Functionality?

Microsoft Office 365

Office 365 is a really powerful product in its own right. Chances are, you’re probably already using the familiar Word, Excel and Outlook that we all rely on. It’s the perfect integration for Microsoft Dynamics 365 as it means you can also start taking advantage of SharePoint (an intranet/document storage and management system), and Teams (a communication and collaboration boosting tool). Office 365 improves your collaboration, security, and lets you work from anywhere, on any device.

SharePoint

SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service that improves collaboration between colleagues, partners, and customers and provides secure access to internal sites, documents, and other information from anywhere, on any device.

Teams

Microsoft Teams is a chat-based workspace as part of Office 365 that enables better teamwork, productivity and communication. Give your employees the tools they need to do their job – as a team - and be more agile, with an easy flow of communication and information.

Power Platform

Microsoft’s Business Applications Platform brings together Dynamics 365, Office 365 and builds out further functionality using what is named the Power Platform: PowerApps, Power BI and Flow. This eradicates the need for time-consuming workarounds to force technology to do what you need it to. The Power Platform makes it easier to build apps, unlock insights, and create powerful workflow automation.

PowerApps

Build no-code apps in hours – not months – and connect to data using Excel-like expressions to add logic with PowerApps.

Flow

Work less but get more done by integrating Microsoft Flow into Dynamics 365.

Power BI

Move from data to insight to action by integrating Microsoft Power BI into Dynamics 365.

Portals

Build secure, self-service portals – or even your whole website – with no developers required.

Microsoft Business Central

More than just accounting software, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the all-in-one ERP business management solution that connects your financials, sales, service, and operations.

Microsoft Dynamics GP

Dynamics GP is a flexible, configurable ERP solution that helps you to gain greater control over your financials, stock, and operations.

Common Data Model

This is what makes Microsoft really stand out from its competitors. The common data model (CDM) brings together your data from all of your business systems in a standardised, centralised store. This means your systems run using up-to-date information that is cohesive no matter where you’re accessing it from. That isn’t just Microsoft systems either, you can also integrate third-party data into your CDM.

Custom Integrations

Our software development team can design, develop and deliver the bespoke software your organisation needs to meet a specific need or to fulfil a specific goal. We can develop your app on the cloud or on-premise, we can modernise old applications. What makes us different is our end-to-end approach, which means we don’t just develop your app, we can connect it to CRM, analytics, ERP, and to the common data model.

Third Party Integrations

We offer third-party integrations that you can link up with your Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution, or we can integrate your existing third-party systems. The systems we offer that we can set up and integrate for you are ClickDimensions for marketing, Jet Global for data analytics, and Scribe for data integrations.

How Can We Assist You?

To get the most out of your IT investment, you need a partner who understands how to implement and manage end-to-end IT services that will delight your staff and improve your sales, productivity, quality and profit. That’s why we have a passionate and experienced team of over 100 people who know exactly how to use technology to make your business better. Discover the other services we offer:

Why Choose Perfect Image to be Your Trusted IT Advisor?

Perfect Image is a Microsoft Gold Partner with 25+ years of experience in building tailored, value-add IT solutions that transform businesses. We are customer and results-focused and begin with your current issues, needs and your goals to design and deliver the perfect solution for you. We have helped many customers from a range of industries with our specialist services to drive fantastic outcomes and empower staff. What makes us truly unique are our talented, innovative people. Let our specialists bring your aspirations to life and deliver impactful results. We take the time to understand your team’s needs and goals, within the context of your business and industry to ensure maximum, long-lasting impact. We offer a range of Microsoft services to enable you to make the most of your investment. We are here to help you from start to finish with our range of advantageous end-to-end services that include training, delivery, integrating other systems, support, and much more.