Paperwork is an exercise vital for all businesses but one which significantly impacts on the potential workplace productivity. Paperless office stores your printed documents and converts them in to PDF format, streamlining your business processes while improving productivity. Pythagoras, one of the UK leaders in Sage consulting and implementing with over 300 customers nationwide looks at some of the benefits of paperless office with Sage 200.
Benefits of electronic document management
• Increase in productivity with the ability to find electronic documents at a significantly faster rate compared to filed.
• Reduction in printing and paper costs while also allowing data and documents to be accessed at home, away from the office.
• The ability to send statements and invoices directly via email (PDF of TIFF format) and configure which clients receive printed statements and which receive them via email or both from within Sage 200
• More office space thanks to space being currently used for hard copies being feed up
• Your company being more “green” due to the reduction of paper and ink supplies
• Reduction of errors – the electronic holding of documents reduces errors from hand written forms and the subsequent re typing of hand written forms; especially in areas such as HR and the writing of handwritten employee forms
• Up to a 30% reduction* in time spent on administration when using paperless administration
*According to SHRM Human Capital Benchmarking Study, 2006
Pythagoras is an experienced business solutions provider for Sage 200 and Microsoft CRM with offices in Maidenhead, London and Manchester. More than 300 Sage customers nationwide have discovered how Pythagoras’s approach adds value to their business. These are drawn from a diverse range of sectors and markets and we have specialist teams with specific expertise in each.
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
How can Microsoft Dynamics CRM help you in a challenging economy?
In today’s economy organisations can’t rely on brute strength to maximise the value of their customer relationships; rather, they need enabling technologies and tools. CRM is a technology that allows organisations to track and leverage every customer interaction to maximise revenue opportunities and improve customer loyalty. But CRM does much more than just track customer interactions. It also helps organisations optimise their operations by automating routine tasks and standardising best practices. Ultimately, CRM allows organisations to better acquire, manage, serve, and extract value from their customers while improving operational efficiency—something that is critical in today’s economy. We explore 5 strategies to help your company in a challenging economy
1. RETAIN THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS
2. MAXIMISE CUSTOMER PROFITABILITY
3. EVALUATE THE MARKETING MIX
4. RE-PRIORITISE SALES INVESTMENTS
5. STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES
RETAIN THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS
Effective customer retention begins with knowledge. Companies should assemble a complete customer profile that allows users to see all demographic data, interactions, communications, and purchases made. This information, combined with robust segmentation and analysis tools, enables organisations to better gauge the profitability of each customer. Organisations can then create programs and policies commensurate with the customer’s profitability. For example, organisations can configure call routing systems to automatically identify high-value customers and route them to premium customer service representatives. Or with access to key metrics agents may be empowered to provide on-the-spot discounts proportionate with each customer’s value. But routing the call is only the beginning. In today’s market customers want quality not quantity of information. Customer service agents should be empowered to resolve issues more quickly by being equipped with a complete customer history and a full view of service incidents so they can zero in on relevant facts and provide the appropriate service or product. And with access to order and invoice information within the CRM system itself, customer service agents can quickly answer billing questions without tedious transfers to other departments. As important as efficient inbound communication is, it is proactive, relevant communication that often endears an organisation to its customers. For example, organisations can set up an automated process to alert affected customers of potential issues, such as product defects, and then automatically send out proactive communications to keep their customer base informed. Or they can set up a simple process to automatically send out timely messages, like birthday cards or product vouchers based on a specific date or long customer loyalty to show appreciation to the customer. It is often these “little things” that strengthen the connection between company and customer. With 360-degree customer views, insightful analytics, and streamlined customer service capabilities, Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows organisations to better identify, service, and retain customers.
MAXIMISE CUSTOMER PROFITABILITY
Establishing customer loyalty is only half of the equation. Organisations also need to maximise the profitability of their existing customers and better capitalise on revenue opportunities. Organisations can use robust segmentation and data mining capabilities to identify trends and patterns that indicate key selling scenarios based on buying behavior, demographics, or other criteria. Taken to another level, organisations might leverage leading indicators such as life-time value (LTV) to predict future profitability and use that information as the basis for more accurate lead scoring and effective sales engagement. Marketing teams should be able to easily create nurturing programs via guided campaign wizards and send out a steady trickle of relevant information about new products or offers to keep the pipeline primed. Sales and marketing organisations can then jointly track revenue generated and tailor marketing programs based on real-time results of those programs. But maximising customer profitability is not just about sales and marketing. When service agents have access to up-to-date information, they are better able to take advantage of revenue opportunities. Real-time visibility into contract details and renewals allows agents to proactively address issues before the contract expires and thereby improve renewal rates. Or agents can use embedded analytics based on customer purchase history and profile to provide more compelling up-sell and cross-sell offers. By providing a 360-degree customer view coupled with insightful analytics, Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives companies the foundation they need to maximise customer profitability.
EVALUATE THE MARKETING MIX
One of the most effective ways to maximise revenue opportunities is by optimising the marketing mix. But in order to do that, marketing departments need end-to-end visibility into marketing data through a unified CRM application.
This visibility enables organisations to determine lead-to-revenue metrics and understand their true ROMI (return on marketing investment). That in turn allows them to more tightly link demand generation activities to sale execution, with the ability to adjust tactics as conditions change. Targeting the right prospects from the start is one of the fastest ways to reduce waste and improve campaign effectiveness. A recent study indicates differences in data quality can amount to a 66 percent shift in revenue from customers (Lager 2009). More accurate customer segmentation, lead qualification, and lead scoring based on insightful customer data helps companies focus on prospects most likely to buy. Better targeting alone is not enough. Organisations need to be able to track campaign details throughout the campaign lifecycle across all channels. Organisations should be able to quickly create campaigns, distribute communications, seamlessly track responses and qualify leads. And when marketing capabilities are part of a holistic CRM solution, organisations can easily track their effectiveness and quickly adjust the channel or messaging to improve results. But these capabilities shouldn’t be limited to traditional channels. For example, organisations that rely heavily on events should be able to track all event venue details, attendees, registrations, cancellations, and customer details within their CRM solution, enabling them to accurately measure the success of events and optimise future ones. Online marketing campaigns with Web-to-lead capture shouldn’t be a disparate product or process. Organisations should be able to create online campaigns with the requisite landing pages within their core CRM solution and then easily track the associated impressions, clicks, leads, and revenue generated. By providing a broad array of marketing capabilities within a holistic CRM solution, Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps organisations optimise their marketing mix and ensure demand generation activities are tightly linked to sales execution.
RE-PRIORITISE SALES INVESTMENTS
In the current business climate, few companies can afford to aggressively increase the size of their sales force. And with fewer resources, organisations are placing a premium on optimising sales channels and resources. The first step to successfully re-prioritising sales investments is to know where the organisation stands today. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the current sales strategy by scrutinising key metrics including lead evolution, sales pipeline, quota attainment, and revenue forecasts. Use dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide real-time visualisations of sales performance. Or organisations can tighten their focus and take a closer look at deal mix and competitors by analysing account distribution, lead source effectiveness, invoices/orders received, and win-loss data in an effort to better identify ideal deal size and type. Sales organisations can use that information to hone in on their sweet spot and jointly work with marketing to create more effective lead scoring criteria. That data can then be leveraged by powerful sales automation capabilities to help ensure sales resources are optimised. For example, workflow tools could be leveraged to intelligently score leads and assign them to the most qualified resource. A consistent and more systematic approach to prospecting in turn allows organisations to avoid getting mired in inefficient “elephant hunting” and instead improve the quality of leads pursued.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides a wealth of sales analytics and automation capabilities that help organisations to zero in on their sweet-spot and institutionalise best practices for improved sales alignment.
STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES
Every business has processes which must be repeated every day. Time spent on repetitive manual tasks, delays associated with cross-group approvals, and the lack of consistently enforced standards can bog down the business. Ultimately, streamlining and automating processes allows organisations to enforce best practices and frees up employees to concentrate on higher-value activities.
Robust workflow capabilities enable organisations to streamline time-consuming processes such as budget approvals, campaign execution, lead qualification, lead routing, RFP submission, sales follow up, reference management, and case routing, just to name a few. The more these processes can be automated, the more employees can focus on their core competencies. Workflow can also take the guesswork out of more complex processes. For example, leads can be automatically distributed based on sales territory or informational mailings may be triggered based on pre-defined triggers. Another way to leverage workflow capabilities is by automating end-to-end business processes. For example, workflow can be used to take a holistic approach to sales by enforcing best practices from lead to final close, defining a common sales methodology and streamlining execution. Organisations can model each stage in the sales process, define an ideal flow, and ensure that all criteria are met and data captured before a deal advances to the next stage. Microsoft Dynamics CRM includes powerful yet intuitive workflow capabilities that allow organisations to streamline everyday tasks as well as organisation-wide business processes for improved operational efficiency.
About Pythagoras
Pythagoras is a company that is experienced in providing xRM (Anything Relationship Management) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Accounts and integrated business solutions for businesses across a broad range of industries and products. Pythagoras is a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Partner with offices in London, Maidenhead and Manchester.
1. RETAIN THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS
2. MAXIMISE CUSTOMER PROFITABILITY
3. EVALUATE THE MARKETING MIX
4. RE-PRIORITISE SALES INVESTMENTS
5. STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES
RETAIN THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS
Effective customer retention begins with knowledge. Companies should assemble a complete customer profile that allows users to see all demographic data, interactions, communications, and purchases made. This information, combined with robust segmentation and analysis tools, enables organisations to better gauge the profitability of each customer. Organisations can then create programs and policies commensurate with the customer’s profitability. For example, organisations can configure call routing systems to automatically identify high-value customers and route them to premium customer service representatives. Or with access to key metrics agents may be empowered to provide on-the-spot discounts proportionate with each customer’s value. But routing the call is only the beginning. In today’s market customers want quality not quantity of information. Customer service agents should be empowered to resolve issues more quickly by being equipped with a complete customer history and a full view of service incidents so they can zero in on relevant facts and provide the appropriate service or product. And with access to order and invoice information within the CRM system itself, customer service agents can quickly answer billing questions without tedious transfers to other departments. As important as efficient inbound communication is, it is proactive, relevant communication that often endears an organisation to its customers. For example, organisations can set up an automated process to alert affected customers of potential issues, such as product defects, and then automatically send out proactive communications to keep their customer base informed. Or they can set up a simple process to automatically send out timely messages, like birthday cards or product vouchers based on a specific date or long customer loyalty to show appreciation to the customer. It is often these “little things” that strengthen the connection between company and customer. With 360-degree customer views, insightful analytics, and streamlined customer service capabilities, Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows organisations to better identify, service, and retain customers.
MAXIMISE CUSTOMER PROFITABILITY
Establishing customer loyalty is only half of the equation. Organisations also need to maximise the profitability of their existing customers and better capitalise on revenue opportunities. Organisations can use robust segmentation and data mining capabilities to identify trends and patterns that indicate key selling scenarios based on buying behavior, demographics, or other criteria. Taken to another level, organisations might leverage leading indicators such as life-time value (LTV) to predict future profitability and use that information as the basis for more accurate lead scoring and effective sales engagement. Marketing teams should be able to easily create nurturing programs via guided campaign wizards and send out a steady trickle of relevant information about new products or offers to keep the pipeline primed. Sales and marketing organisations can then jointly track revenue generated and tailor marketing programs based on real-time results of those programs. But maximising customer profitability is not just about sales and marketing. When service agents have access to up-to-date information, they are better able to take advantage of revenue opportunities. Real-time visibility into contract details and renewals allows agents to proactively address issues before the contract expires and thereby improve renewal rates. Or agents can use embedded analytics based on customer purchase history and profile to provide more compelling up-sell and cross-sell offers. By providing a 360-degree customer view coupled with insightful analytics, Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives companies the foundation they need to maximise customer profitability.
EVALUATE THE MARKETING MIX
One of the most effective ways to maximise revenue opportunities is by optimising the marketing mix. But in order to do that, marketing departments need end-to-end visibility into marketing data through a unified CRM application.
This visibility enables organisations to determine lead-to-revenue metrics and understand their true ROMI (return on marketing investment). That in turn allows them to more tightly link demand generation activities to sale execution, with the ability to adjust tactics as conditions change. Targeting the right prospects from the start is one of the fastest ways to reduce waste and improve campaign effectiveness. A recent study indicates differences in data quality can amount to a 66 percent shift in revenue from customers (Lager 2009). More accurate customer segmentation, lead qualification, and lead scoring based on insightful customer data helps companies focus on prospects most likely to buy. Better targeting alone is not enough. Organisations need to be able to track campaign details throughout the campaign lifecycle across all channels. Organisations should be able to quickly create campaigns, distribute communications, seamlessly track responses and qualify leads. And when marketing capabilities are part of a holistic CRM solution, organisations can easily track their effectiveness and quickly adjust the channel or messaging to improve results. But these capabilities shouldn’t be limited to traditional channels. For example, organisations that rely heavily on events should be able to track all event venue details, attendees, registrations, cancellations, and customer details within their CRM solution, enabling them to accurately measure the success of events and optimise future ones. Online marketing campaigns with Web-to-lead capture shouldn’t be a disparate product or process. Organisations should be able to create online campaigns with the requisite landing pages within their core CRM solution and then easily track the associated impressions, clicks, leads, and revenue generated. By providing a broad array of marketing capabilities within a holistic CRM solution, Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps organisations optimise their marketing mix and ensure demand generation activities are tightly linked to sales execution.
RE-PRIORITISE SALES INVESTMENTS
In the current business climate, few companies can afford to aggressively increase the size of their sales force. And with fewer resources, organisations are placing a premium on optimising sales channels and resources. The first step to successfully re-prioritising sales investments is to know where the organisation stands today. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the current sales strategy by scrutinising key metrics including lead evolution, sales pipeline, quota attainment, and revenue forecasts. Use dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide real-time visualisations of sales performance. Or organisations can tighten their focus and take a closer look at deal mix and competitors by analysing account distribution, lead source effectiveness, invoices/orders received, and win-loss data in an effort to better identify ideal deal size and type. Sales organisations can use that information to hone in on their sweet spot and jointly work with marketing to create more effective lead scoring criteria. That data can then be leveraged by powerful sales automation capabilities to help ensure sales resources are optimised. For example, workflow tools could be leveraged to intelligently score leads and assign them to the most qualified resource. A consistent and more systematic approach to prospecting in turn allows organisations to avoid getting mired in inefficient “elephant hunting” and instead improve the quality of leads pursued.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides a wealth of sales analytics and automation capabilities that help organisations to zero in on their sweet-spot and institutionalise best practices for improved sales alignment.
STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES
Every business has processes which must be repeated every day. Time spent on repetitive manual tasks, delays associated with cross-group approvals, and the lack of consistently enforced standards can bog down the business. Ultimately, streamlining and automating processes allows organisations to enforce best practices and frees up employees to concentrate on higher-value activities.
Robust workflow capabilities enable organisations to streamline time-consuming processes such as budget approvals, campaign execution, lead qualification, lead routing, RFP submission, sales follow up, reference management, and case routing, just to name a few. The more these processes can be automated, the more employees can focus on their core competencies. Workflow can also take the guesswork out of more complex processes. For example, leads can be automatically distributed based on sales territory or informational mailings may be triggered based on pre-defined triggers. Another way to leverage workflow capabilities is by automating end-to-end business processes. For example, workflow can be used to take a holistic approach to sales by enforcing best practices from lead to final close, defining a common sales methodology and streamlining execution. Organisations can model each stage in the sales process, define an ideal flow, and ensure that all criteria are met and data captured before a deal advances to the next stage. Microsoft Dynamics CRM includes powerful yet intuitive workflow capabilities that allow organisations to streamline everyday tasks as well as organisation-wide business processes for improved operational efficiency.
About Pythagoras
Pythagoras is a company that is experienced in providing xRM (Anything Relationship Management) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Accounts and integrated business solutions for businesses across a broad range of industries and products. Pythagoras is a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Partner with offices in London, Maidenhead and Manchester.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
The benefits of Sage 200 in Manufacturing
3 Common problems for businesses in Manufacturing
•Company growth has led to reliable financial systems being sought with current systems becoming outdated and compromising the businesses.
•Greater efficiency levels, especially from those purchase order driven businesses.
•The desire for maximum commercial awareness of projects and budgets.
Sage 200 Financials and Commercials
One essential element of the Sage 200 suite for manufacturing businesses is financials and commercials. This has given businesses the ability to control the whole financial function including sales order processing, purchase ledgers, sales and cashbook.
The depth of reports available at businesses fingertips allows a more proactive approach due to the amount of information gathered from a number of different levels. Furthermore from this being a significant competitive advantage the ability to drill down on costs (such as labour) with the any discrepancies highlighted at departmental level which has allowed businesses to remain on track and focused due to appropriate corrective action being taken early.
Vital to a manufacturing businesses success is the minimising of wastage on production timings and costs; Sage 200 allows more informed decisions to be made quickly by highlighting issues of concern which may affect the business and profitability.
Numerous time consuming financial tasks such as banking reconciliations have improved greatly thanks to Sage 200's tighter financial control; where numerous spreadsheets were once required significantly greater efficiency is now available.
Finally, a reflective list of just a few ways Sage 200 and Sage 200 Manufacturing can enhance your business:
• Greater managing the cash flow
• Reducing costs and improving efficiency
• Optimising production costs and timings
• Sharing of relevant information from raw material specialists to the final quality control
• Giving a potential competitive edge thanks to the ability to quickly spot and react to market trends and data.
Pythagoras is an experienced business solutions provider for Sage 200 and Microsoft CRM with offices in Maidenhead, London and Manchester. More than 300 Sage customers nationwide have discovered how Pythagoras’s approach adds value to their business. These are drawn from a diverse range of sectors and markets and we have specialist teams with specific expertise in each.
•Company growth has led to reliable financial systems being sought with current systems becoming outdated and compromising the businesses.
•Greater efficiency levels, especially from those purchase order driven businesses.
•The desire for maximum commercial awareness of projects and budgets.
Sage 200 Financials and Commercials
One essential element of the Sage 200 suite for manufacturing businesses is financials and commercials. This has given businesses the ability to control the whole financial function including sales order processing, purchase ledgers, sales and cashbook.
The depth of reports available at businesses fingertips allows a more proactive approach due to the amount of information gathered from a number of different levels. Furthermore from this being a significant competitive advantage the ability to drill down on costs (such as labour) with the any discrepancies highlighted at departmental level which has allowed businesses to remain on track and focused due to appropriate corrective action being taken early.
Vital to a manufacturing businesses success is the minimising of wastage on production timings and costs; Sage 200 allows more informed decisions to be made quickly by highlighting issues of concern which may affect the business and profitability.
Numerous time consuming financial tasks such as banking reconciliations have improved greatly thanks to Sage 200's tighter financial control; where numerous spreadsheets were once required significantly greater efficiency is now available.
Finally, a reflective list of just a few ways Sage 200 and Sage 200 Manufacturing can enhance your business:
• Greater managing the cash flow
• Reducing costs and improving efficiency
• Optimising production costs and timings
• Sharing of relevant information from raw material specialists to the final quality control
• Giving a potential competitive edge thanks to the ability to quickly spot and react to market trends and data.
Pythagoras is an experienced business solutions provider for Sage 200 and Microsoft CRM with offices in Maidenhead, London and Manchester. More than 300 Sage customers nationwide have discovered how Pythagoras’s approach adds value to their business. These are drawn from a diverse range of sectors and markets and we have specialist teams with specific expertise in each.
Monday, 14 December 2009
Microsoft xRM - A brief guide
The modern businesses of today require the ability to manage everything, not only customer relations. Microsoft xRM (the natural evolution from CRM) provides businesses with this ability. Microsoft xRM provides your business with valuable information on Microsoft CRM, the .NET platform, and to show you how they can best be leveraged in the day-to-day running of your business.
The Benefits
Microsoft xRM offers one platform with many applications and in the box entities that are useable immediately such as:
• Employee Management
• Recruit Management
• Trade Management
• Property Management
• Agency Management
• Vendor Management
• Real Estate Finance
Further benefits of Microsoft xRM
Because xRM works with recognised technologies such as the Microsoft® Office system, Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server, Microsoft SQL Server®, Microsoft Visual Studio®, and Microsoft .NET Framework, you can create and manage many line-of business (LOB) applications using common licenses, and resources.
Improvement of IT Efficiency
Streamline your IT operations through a common LOB application platform that allows you to maximise your resources and reduce time and effort associated with development, testing, release management, change management, and administration.
Increased ability to adapt and innovate
• The ability to adapt when the market changes thanks to dynamic applications and highly flexible data architecture.
• Spend fewer resources on the development of custom applications so your business can focus on prestigious high end goals.
Increased productivity and business decisions
• Allow your IT to be the cornerstone of your differentiation by constantly delivering outstanding capabilities.
• Increase potential productivity by providing the end user with unified and familiar tools such as Microsoft Office to do their job.
• Inform decision makers by utilising the ability of differing LOB applications keeping them better informed of business processes and performance.
Furthermore, Microsoft xRM is built upon Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the familiar software that fits with your systems and enables your staff to unleash sales, marketing, service potential, and much more. With many businesses striving to gain an advantage over the competition Microsoft xRM provides an inexpensive and fast way to take your Microsoft Dynamics CRM to the next level.
Pythagoras is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner who can help you customise your Microsoft CRM solution even if you need integration with third-party applications. Call us on 0845 850 1550 if you would like to discuss your requirements, or email us at info@pythagoras.co.uk.
Pythagoras is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner who can help you customise your Microsoft CRM solution even if you need integration with third-party applications. Call us on 0845 850 1550 if you would like to discuss your requirements, or email us at info@pythagoras.co.uk.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Celebrating our 10 year anniversary
2009 saw us reach an important milestone in our history. This year, Pythagoras celebrated ten years of offering expertise in evaluating and implementing CRM, Business Intelligence and ERP solutions.
Over the last 10 years Pythagoras has successfully implemented many projects across a wide range of more than 25 industries including financial, public sector, healthcare, banking, high street technology and many service-based organisations; more than 400 organisations worldwide have experienced how our approach can add great value to their business with a range of CRM, Business Intelligence, Accounts ERP Software and IT Hardware successfully provided.
Looking forward, our 11th year looks set to be our strongest and most successful year to date with a record number of new clients being added over the last year and further investments being made to our customer service and support staff to help further increase our customer satisfaction levels.
As Christmas approaches we would like to thank all our staff and clients who have helped to make the last 10 years so successful as we look forward to further growth and success.
Pythagoras is one of the top Microsoft CRM Gold partners in the UK with more than 100 Microsoft CRM clients. As a Sage Accredited Business Partner Pythagoras has over 300 Sage customers nationwide.
Over the last 10 years Pythagoras has successfully implemented many projects across a wide range of more than 25 industries including financial, public sector, healthcare, banking, high street technology and many service-based organisations; more than 400 organisations worldwide have experienced how our approach can add great value to their business with a range of CRM, Business Intelligence, Accounts ERP Software and IT Hardware successfully provided.
Looking forward, our 11th year looks set to be our strongest and most successful year to date with a record number of new clients being added over the last year and further investments being made to our customer service and support staff to help further increase our customer satisfaction levels.
As Christmas approaches we would like to thank all our staff and clients who have helped to make the last 10 years so successful as we look forward to further growth and success.
Pythagoras is one of the top Microsoft CRM Gold partners in the UK with more than 100 Microsoft CRM clients. As a Sage Accredited Business Partner Pythagoras has over 300 Sage customers nationwide.
10 reasons to upgrade to Sage 200
The growth of businesses through means such as employee numbers and product ranges has put pressure on their existing software packages. Sage 200, the natural progression from Sage 50, 100 and MMS software provides businesses with the ability to achieve greater effectiveness by interconnecting data and processes across their departments. We explore below 10 potential reasons to upgrade to Sage 200.
1 Business growth
Many companies software is being placed under strain from expansion and business growth. Sage 200 allows greater effectiveness by interconnecting data across departments such as the fusion of accounts and Sage CRM data
2 The increased need for individual system customisation
The increased ability of Sage 200 to customise systems recognises that every individual business needs are different; as your business needs change so can your individual Sage 200 customisation. Financial and commercials forms have in depth customisation options which allow default field values, field level security and individual user permissions among many more options are available to the Sage 200 user.
3 Enhanced currency functionality
Sage 200 allows for far more functionality and handling of foreign currency compared to previous versions. For example the ability to specify exchange rate for given date ranges allowing customers the option to pay in more than one currency, negating the need for separate bank accounts.
4 Enhanced efficiency and convenience of sales order processing
Sage 200 delivers total control for the sales order process with margin and discount analysis and processing of foreign currency being just two of many key benefits. With the Sage 200 purchase order processing module repeat order processing is greatly more efficient with just a few keystrokes needed for re ordering via the rapid entry mode.
5 Greater control over accounting periods
Accounts can be opened, closed and re-opened with Sage 200 allowing up to 20 definable periods previously unavailable with Sage 50 which featured 12 set opening periods. Greater accuracy with reporting and enhanced flexibility is just two noteworthy benefits
6 Enhanced stock control
Sage 200 provides users with greatly advanced stock control; businesses with more than one location can operate independently with regards to sales, stock taking, replenishment and reporting. The ability to record batches by serial number or allocation will improve efficiency and stock traceability as does the ability to assign “sell by” and “use by” dates for items.
7 The ability to easily manage prices and discounts across your consumer base
Your price bands may vary according to target markets, standard price bands or discounts. Sage 200 can support these types, allowing easy management of your customer base through a price matrix within the Sage 200 Commercials module.
8 Enhanced performance through unlimited transaction numbers
Opposed to archiving data and causing the system to potentially lose performance Sage 200 has an unlimited number of transactions that can be held which enables potentially key report data to be saved as well as greatly improved performance.
9 Sage 200 bill of materials module
The Sage 200 bill of materials module allows a business with engineering or assembly operations to control virtually all aspects from the initial quote and discussion to the final invoice. Key advantages of this module include precise costing, easy management of multiple bills of materials and flexible build options
10 Deeper and more flexible reporting of business performance and trend analysis
The business intelligence module from Sage 200 offers more in depth and flexible analysis of business intelligence and market trends. This gives management a competitive edge and allowing for faster more informed and confident business decisions.
About Pythagoras
Pythagoras is an experienced business solutions provider for Sage 200 and Microsoft CRM with offices in Maidenhead, London and Manchester. More than 300 Sage customers nationwide have discovered how Pythagoras’s approach adds value to their business. These are drawn from a diverse range of sectors and markets and we have specialist teams with specific expertise in each.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Ten reasons why your CRM should be Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft CRM has recently reached an important milestone by passing the 1 million user mark. Organisations worldwide are taking advantage of the power of choice, and deploying fast, flexible and affordable CRM and xRM. We explore 10 top reasons why people are migrating to Microsoft CRM.
1 -Turns Microsoft Office Outlook into the one place where you can manage both customer data and communications
Microsoft Outlook messaging and collaboration client is already the world’s leading tool for customer communications. Microsoft Dynamics CRM extends the reach of Microsoft Outlook by turning it into a tool to manage customer information. It puts lead information, marketing pitches, and sales call information into once central location for your sales and marketing staff.
2 -Works tightly with Microsoft Office Excel so businesses can make decisions on the fly
Microsoft excel spreadsheet software is a powerful tool for turning data into information that can be analysed and shared. Microsoft CRM features an always on connection to Excel that enables you to quickly turn customer information into dynamic snapshots or PivotChart dynamic views. These views can help you understand in seconds how a sales increase or company expansion can benefit the business.
3- Improves Operational efficiency through the standardisation and streamlining of processes
The Microsoft CRM adaptive workflow engine enables a business to automate business processes in ways that employees can use each day. Microsoft CRM can relieve staff of mundane but vital work. It can automate time-consuming repetitive tasks, warn staff of open customer issues, and automatically send important email messages to customers and partners. So customer requests and orders don’t fall through the cracks.
4 -Works the way your business works with Point and Click system customization
Microsoft CRM can be tailored to work the way you business already works. Microsoft Dynamics CRM forms, relationship links, and customer views can be designed and modified without complicated programming.
5 – Gives the right information to the right people
Certain employees need certain information. With Microsoft CRM, system administrators have the tools to make sure the right information is delivered to the right people, whether they are using Outlook or the web.
6 - Targets your marketing campaigns so you’re always in touch with the right customers
Today is more important than ever customers’ know about special offers and new services a business offers. Microsoft CRM offers a marketing automation module that simplifies the following tasks: Building customer and lead lists, developing marketing campaigns targeted at specific customers, measuring the results of these campaigns, and developing follow up marketing efforts.
7 - Simplifies service scheduling to keep customers satisfied
One of the most challenging aspects of delivery great customer service is ensuring you never let customers down by missing a service call or appointment. Microsoft CRM provides a centralised, all in one view of all customer service requests and service professional calendars.
8 - Integrates with your existing systems to help break down information silos
Microsoft Dynamics CRM harnesses the power of web services through the Microsoft .NET framework. The latest generation of Microsoft technology enables businesses to connect isolated, legacy business systems and applications
9 – Enhances offline communications so everyone can be productive regardless of location
Microsoft CRM has been designed so your staff can be productive both in the office and on the road, even if they are not connected to a network. Information is filtered so that people receive only the information they need such as meeting updates and sales figures.
10 - Builds on the power of SQL server reporting services to create insightful business reports
The SQL server reporting services engine is a powerful analytical tool for the business. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM embedded reporting engine integrates smoothly with Microsoft SQL server to generate compelling data reports for business decision makers.
About Pythagoras
Pythagoras is a company that is experienced in providing Microsoft xRM (Anything Relationship Management) and Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Accounts and integrated business solutions for businesses across a broad range of industries and products. Pythagoras is a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Partner with offices in London, Maidenhead and Manchester.
http://www.pythagoras.co.uk/microsoft_crm.aspx
1 -Turns Microsoft Office Outlook into the one place where you can manage both customer data and communications
Microsoft Outlook messaging and collaboration client is already the world’s leading tool for customer communications. Microsoft Dynamics CRM extends the reach of Microsoft Outlook by turning it into a tool to manage customer information. It puts lead information, marketing pitches, and sales call information into once central location for your sales and marketing staff.
2 -Works tightly with Microsoft Office Excel so businesses can make decisions on the fly
Microsoft excel spreadsheet software is a powerful tool for turning data into information that can be analysed and shared. Microsoft CRM features an always on connection to Excel that enables you to quickly turn customer information into dynamic snapshots or PivotChart dynamic views. These views can help you understand in seconds how a sales increase or company expansion can benefit the business.
3- Improves Operational efficiency through the standardisation and streamlining of processes
The Microsoft CRM adaptive workflow engine enables a business to automate business processes in ways that employees can use each day. Microsoft CRM can relieve staff of mundane but vital work. It can automate time-consuming repetitive tasks, warn staff of open customer issues, and automatically send important email messages to customers and partners. So customer requests and orders don’t fall through the cracks.
4 -Works the way your business works with Point and Click system customization
Microsoft CRM can be tailored to work the way you business already works. Microsoft Dynamics CRM forms, relationship links, and customer views can be designed and modified without complicated programming.
5 – Gives the right information to the right people
Certain employees need certain information. With Microsoft CRM, system administrators have the tools to make sure the right information is delivered to the right people, whether they are using Outlook or the web.
6 - Targets your marketing campaigns so you’re always in touch with the right customers
Today is more important than ever customers’ know about special offers and new services a business offers. Microsoft CRM offers a marketing automation module that simplifies the following tasks: Building customer and lead lists, developing marketing campaigns targeted at specific customers, measuring the results of these campaigns, and developing follow up marketing efforts.
7 - Simplifies service scheduling to keep customers satisfied
One of the most challenging aspects of delivery great customer service is ensuring you never let customers down by missing a service call or appointment. Microsoft CRM provides a centralised, all in one view of all customer service requests and service professional calendars.
8 - Integrates with your existing systems to help break down information silos
Microsoft Dynamics CRM harnesses the power of web services through the Microsoft .NET framework. The latest generation of Microsoft technology enables businesses to connect isolated, legacy business systems and applications
9 – Enhances offline communications so everyone can be productive regardless of location
Microsoft CRM has been designed so your staff can be productive both in the office and on the road, even if they are not connected to a network. Information is filtered so that people receive only the information they need such as meeting updates and sales figures.
10 - Builds on the power of SQL server reporting services to create insightful business reports
The SQL server reporting services engine is a powerful analytical tool for the business. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM embedded reporting engine integrates smoothly with Microsoft SQL server to generate compelling data reports for business decision makers.
About Pythagoras
Pythagoras is a company that is experienced in providing Microsoft xRM (Anything Relationship Management) and Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Accounts and integrated business solutions for businesses across a broad range of industries and products. Pythagoras is a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Partner with offices in London, Maidenhead and Manchester.
http://www.pythagoras.co.uk/microsoft_crm.aspx
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