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January 15th, 2021 by Jessica Wert
Let’s take a look at some of the common road blocks we hear the sales team say: “I have been selling for years just fine.” The seasoned sales professional is sometimes the toughest to bring onboard with CRM technology. They often see the tool as a waste of time because they, “already know how to sell”. CRM isn’t about teaching you how to sell or making the sale for you. So be sure to show how it can help you sell more without working harder. Activity Management is one of the best ways to get a sales person comfortable with CRM and show how it helps them sell more. Stop using post-it notes covering your desk or pads of paper all over your car. Simply open up your laptop, tablet or even mobile device, and have a complete customer profile in your hand. Reminders will auto populate that it’s time to call the prospect back on the quote you sent. Get you mobile phone out and see what leads or customer are within five miles of where you are so you can fit in more sales calls efficiently. “It takes to long, I don’t have time for CRM.” The key here is TRAINING! You can’t just train one time and send the sales team out there. Technology is about committed regular use. You know the saying… use it or lose it! Make sure to have regular team trainings to show them tips and tricks to get faster at using the tools. Be sure to set them up for success with default settings and group creations for faster access, especially on the mobile client. “I want a personal relationship with my customers.” This is absolutely key to a great customer experience and you want your sales team focusing on their customers. A big part that’s missing is how CRM can help create and foster an even better relationship with the customer. CRM can track and remind you of critical customer data such as, service lifecycles, purchase anniversaries, bid deadlines, contract expirations, and more. Now, the team will never drop the ball and forgot check-ins and follow-ups. They can walk into a customer site fully prepared and make a lasting impression. “I have no idea what to do in it besides look up my customer contact information.” Ok, this goes back to all the items mentioned above, especially training. Showing sales team members the benefits of using CRM to better engage and follow-up on potential sales will help them see the value in using it. If left untrained and with no clear expectations of what they need to do in there, they simply won’t use it for anything more than a virtual rolodex. To recap, here’s the top 5 things to start doing: 1. Train them properly and often The best thing you can do to help your team be successful with CRM is to remove the roadblocks. So start the year off right and make a plan to create success in CRM! Would you like to discuss the bigger picture with Infor CRM at your company? Connect with a Simplesoft Consultant at support@simplesoft.net
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. is a customer relationship management (CRM) business consulting and software development firm in Cincinnati/Dayton region with offices in Cleveland, OH and Charlotte, NC. We provide implementation, integration, development and training for Infor CRM. We have built our business on an ability to creatively adapt CRM to meet the varying needs of our customers’ businesses. We have been helping our customers develop stronger relationships with their customers through improved sales, marketing, customer service, and support processes since 1994. Comments Off on Top 5 reasons sales teams reject CRM – Overcome them!
September 4th, 2020 by Jessica Wert
A key to CRM success is defining your users. There are several types of Users that we commonly see our customers need; however, you may have more or less depending on your company structure. This is an important step in the set up of CRM but can be adjusted after deployment if necessary. Here’s a look at the most common types of Users companies have: Data Steward: This user keeps the data clean and promotes the standards for data entry. Sometimes the data steward is also the Admin user. Power User: These are your users who are the expert level in CRM. They do all the training and stay up to date on how to navigate and use CRM. These users should also help you in promoting user adoption to the other users. Standard User: These are all your daily users; they have standard roles assigned to them. Marketing User: These users are creating the campaigns, landing pages, and other marketing efforts in CRM. They should be making sure to create access points in CRM for all other users to see the marketing analytics. Administrator: This user is typically someone in IT. They would have access to everything in the database that you never want other users having, such as Delete, Merge, Pick List editing, etc. Keeping these functions locked down will contribute to data integrity. Again, depending on your company structure some of these roles may be combined or expanded on. Many of our customers have leadership that have to wear many hats. CRM is ideal to help in streamlining your duties. There are different types of users even at leadership level; read more in our white paper. Would you like to discuss the bigger picture with Infor CloudSuite CRM at your company? Connect with a Simplesoft Consultant at support@simplesoft.net
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. is a customer relationship management (CRM) business consulting and software development firm in Cincinnati/Dayton region and offices in Cleveland, OHÂ and Charlotte, NC. We provide implementation, integration, development and training for Infor CloudSuite CRM. We have built our business on an ability to creatively adapt CRM to meet the varying needs of our customers’ businesses. We have been helping our customers develop stronger relationships with their customers through improved sales, marketing, customer service, and support processes since 1994. Comments Off on Infor CloudSuite CRM – Types of Users
August 7th, 2017 by Mark E. Perone
 Business Progress is the alignment of Marketng, Sales and Customer Service activity, creating more revenue at lower operating costs.
Deciding on a product for managing customer account information is not as easy as it would seem. Considering all the advertisements claiming “Ease of Use” and “Quick Implementation” CRM should run itself. Many times these descriptions tap into what you think you want, headed up with glossy advertising. If you want an easy, disengaged system, staying with the current approach to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or whatever method you consolidate customer information, is probably the best option. The truth of the matter is, you will spend alot of time and money on a system you will never understand. Recreating the current style of contact management in a new product is a failing endeavor. How you approach a CRM purchase drives the outcome of system use. Let’s look at how the majority of companies add CRM to there suite of company software.
Buying a Customer Relationship Product (CRM)  Canned Salesforce.com Sales Process to sell a CRM product After doing some light searches for “Account information management, Contact Management, Customer Relationship Management, CRM” or any other variation, you happened on a number of highly marketed CRM software products. Salesforce.com was probably at the top of most of these searches. After a “Contact Us” page was submitted, the $8.3 Billion company, Salesforce.com played you a canned sales process, consisting of your self described pain points. The SF.com representative prospected you with your own biggest issues and limited the discussion for as little time as possible. Generally a series of soft closes are used handle resistance and perception check your readiness to purchase. After consistent, persistent follow-up a CRM product sale is made. CONGRATULATIONS! You are ready to work better, faster, stronger, longer with greater results! Salesforce.com is the best CRM product marketing company on the planet. They have grown exponentially since 1999. The sheer volume of CRM sales, in a multitude of front office applications, is astounding. They service organizations from small business, impulse CRM product purchasers, to enormous enterprise implementors like Victoria Secret. Salesforce.com has “Seamless” third party connectors, certified to a professional standard, endorsed by Salesforce certification. With all of this information and all of the companies purchasing Saleforce CRM product(s),why wouldn’t this Customer Relationship product be the answer?  CRM Strategy starts with understanding what business consulting is needed to align Customer Relationship Management with business case use
Finding a CRM Solution, Not Just another Mediocre Product Unfortunately, there is a disconnect in the software industry. CRM and software providers on the whole, sell products. They are especially good at selling CRM products to people representing organizations buying products. A CRM product sale is convenient and instantly gratifying, especially when a consumer is convinced a product is what they should buy. Understanding business doesn’t know, what it doesn’t know is the first step in the right direction. Taking a look at the affects of CRM on an organization from all levels redefines the type of software purchase. The unique position of the customer relationship software is not academic,like accounting software, and generally encompasses 3 critical divisions in a company; Marketing, Sales and Customer Service. Because customer “Relationship Management” spans Marketing, Sales and Customer Service, the categorical information governing processes is wide and deep. Understanding all three departments have unique workflows specified over the life of the organization can help companies understand front office workflow. Where accounting software is generally following academic principles, influenced by industry (Manufacturing, Distribution, Hospitality, Retail, etc….), CRM is consolidating information from a framework unique to the relationships between Marketing, Sales and Customer Service. Aligning a company so Activity = Progress An unrecognized gap always exists for the CRM user client and the IT product/service provider. To deploy CRM correctly companies need to design workflow that leverages CRM functionality;
Seeking complimentary Front Office/Back Office solutions takes a collaborative effort and the understanding:
To create a solid customer database with logical contact and account management there are some questions to prepared to ask and/or get answered. These questions should be “Discovery” for the organization purchasing CRM software. At the same time Customer Relationship Management product and service providers should be building of working concept of your organizations front office workflow tol compare current work flow to future job task assignment. This may mean:
Understanding Customer Relationship Management is a strategy to execute assigned tasks to a focused end will help you crusade to your organizations goals. Because CRM encompasses Marketing, Sales and Customer Service management best practices gathered over the last 40 years many complimentary workflows have been combined. This helps freate a starting point for business to run previously unknown workflow to attain various business types defined goals. By taking a high level approach, working from executive management perspective down business can create an effective framework for product purchase. Once this type perspective is defined, understanding the system from the user perspective to facilitate buy-in from front office business case users. The rubber meets the road where users want to participate in the active management of a CRM system. Knowing software companies will sell you what you want to buy and business trying to purchase a plug and play product without much organizational change is half the battle. Do not let your organization fall into buying a front office organizational product without consultative leadership. This will guarantee a slow return on investment and cause attrition amoungst your tenured employment.
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August 23rd, 2016 by Mark E. Perone
This is the scene in the majority of CRM deployments. Why?
Fully developing a CRM Solution has 4 parts:
Process: Activity to Progress First Steps: Know the strengths and weaknesses of your workforce. Once you decide who is going to be in your work groups and an impromptu assembly line starts to establish itself. Aligning people by job task for practical efficiency isn’t the simplest of change management exercises, but it is the most effective way to evolve progress without squandered activity. By assigning people similar duties, each person should start to depend on the information presented by the person preceding their job task. This creates a natural course of accountability and helps you stay more focused on comparative job task analysis. You might consider outside help with the breakdown of organizational activity to guide process orientation. Because our products have intelligent flexibility native to their functional workflow, nearly any company can adapt current workflow into our software solutions. Built into our software suite is the unique perspective of the user from varying organizational silo’s accessing our solution. The Simplesoft Solution is positioned to leverage the activity of your company from the top down or bottom up. What this means to you: System use for every representative level in your organizational hierarchy is provided a place at the enterprise software table. We have high level big data visibility down to work in progress insights to orient standard users on predetermined key performance indicator dashboards. Many of our clients have found the starting point for CRM implementation is mapping out organizational processes. Mapping out your process Look for more articles in our series “The Rear View Mirror” and learn more ways to improve CRM adoption from Simplesoft Solutions. We will focus future articles on each pillar of Strategy, People, Processes, and Technology. If you need help upgrading to Infor CRM v8.3.0 or Mobile 3.4.0, let us know! We can assist in a minor capacity or provide all the technical heavy lifting. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland CRM Users Group Events.
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June 6th, 2016 by Mark E. Perone
This is the scene in the majority of CRM implementations. Why?
Have a Vision and Know Your Processes to Maximize CRM Utility The most important part a decision maker can play in any software implementation is to make sure all stakeholders are considered in the CRM decision making process. Requiring the organization to document its day-to-day operations is a critical step in making sure all stakeholders and their current processes will be supported by any new enterprise software. There are a number of qualifying questions all company leaders should be asking regarding the way business is being done today. Questions to ask as you develop a CRM implementation Strategy:
By choosing a new CRM solution, the course of business will change forever for all employees.  Yes, ALL employees. Whether directly acting in the CRM solution or using information contained in the system, organizations are forever changed when consciously reorganizing customer information under a CRM. Involving frontline users in the definition of software requirements and even in the selection process will improve the ease of implementation and adoption. The idea of implementing a CRM, after all, is streamlining employee interaction with customers and developing a detailed method to study your customer relationships. Specifying who will do what, when, and why are the precursors to generating a process orientation. As a tenured Infor CRM channel partner, Simplesoft Solutions has driven business solution implementations and training for companies large and small. Throughout our 20+ year history, we have determined a company’s vision statement for CRM is the first step to comprehensively defining the framework for the entire solution. We work with our clients using a Balanced Scorecard focusing on four pillars of Strategy, People, Processes, and Technology. Proper planning and implementation in all four areas is key to strong CRM engagement. Look for more articles in our series “The Rear View Mirror” and learn more ways to improve CRM adoption from Simplesoft Solutions. We will focus future articles on each pillar of Strategy, People, Processes, and Technology. If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events.
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January 5th, 2016 by Paul
I am looking forward to 2016 as I look back to positive strides that Infor has made to the Infor CRM product stack. I thought I would mention a few highlights as we begin 2016. 1. Mobile continues to be a cutting edge toolset for Ipad, Iphone, and Android. 2. Purpose built applications (PBA) will continue to be improved and have international capabilities. – Xbar 3. Browser compatibility continues to keep up and improve. 4. Web client continues to be improved and refreshed with Infor’s Hook and Loop designs. 5. Infor CRM v8.2.x LAN client is stable and the v8.3 release is around the corner. 6. Cloud continues to expand offerings (from Single tenant models to multi-tenant) to lower the entry points. 7. Integrations are becoming more available with ION and Sdata for the Infor ERP offerings and other Accounting systems. 8. Tools to help automation tuning and performance of Windows components. 9. Released and updated Advanced Analytics for metrics visibility and decision making. So here is to 2016 and the positive changes that Infor will continue to bring to our customer base. As we begin to look forward here are a few items I believe are on the horizon with Infor CRM: – The strategic emphasis on micro vertical markets and industry solutions. Attend the Q1 Heartland Users Group Meeting on Tuesday, January 12th and learn more about Infor CRM for 2016! Click to register – Planning for an Agile Enterprise with Infor CRM. The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. – Abraham Lincoln If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events.
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November 30th, 2015 by Paul
In every industry there are proactive actions which can be taken to keep the customer from having to “wait” or while waiting help them feel like they are being served with care. In restaurants for example, it is common practice to get water or drinks ordered and placed on the table right away. Additionally, some casual restaurants will put out chips/salsa, bread, peanuts, or another form of quick bite to keep you occupied if your meal is taking a long time to be served. This strategy helps the customer feel taken care of and offers the customer a good experience, which is why they keep coming back. The tasty food helps a bit too! I recently had a wonderful dining experience at a quick serve restaurant where I would rarely frequent for lunch, which is Applebee’s. A coupon gave me an incentive to eat there.  Normally, I do not go to sit down restaurants for lunch instead, in order to save time, I eat at home, pack a lunch, or pick up something quickly to eat while I work at my desk. The main reason I am hesitant to dine out is the potential time wasted because of how long it could take to be served. Applebee’s did a great job putting the meal together quickly and offers a nice touch on their takeout options. They have tasty food and I will consider eating there again for lunch. Thanks Applebee’s of Springboro! I thought about two things in my “restaurant” experience that apply to almost any kind of business in principle. First, restaurants need to deliver high quality food, serve it fast, and deliver good customer service because it is so easy for patrons to switch dining preferences. Second, restaurants need to be innovative and to look for ways to serve customers better. Have you been to a restaurant where you can get “in line” via a web page? I love the idea of not waiting for a seat.  Mobile check-in is very innovative because it means less waiting for customers and good use of mobile technology. In environments where there are options for customers to move your business to another provider what are some actions your business can take to keep customers longer and repeat business?  According to an Accenture study, we are in a “switching economy” where customers can pick a new provider fairly easily. This “switching” effect is having a 1.6 trillion dollar impact to our economy. Without going into a diatribe on the ins and outs of the winners and losers when customers switch and why, let’s review some easy items to avoid a bad experience in our day and age. 1. First, don’t make customers wait. The analogy is to put the water on the table and provide your service. At least share expectations so they can decide intelligently. 2. Keep interactions with customers positive at every touch point. Anytime you provide the customer with control of the waiting and being served, the better for the relationship. 3. Provide tailored customer experiences. Maybe your signature is to add a pickle to your delivery. If your customers do not want pickles offer them a carrot or celery. In the software business, help the customer in how they operate and not the way you operate to meet their needs successfully. The principle is to be customer centric. 4. Keep your promises based on your brand. If your brand promises the Taj Mahal, do not deliver Hotel 8. It is much better to under promise and over deliver the other way around. 5. And most of all – communicate all the above items! Anticipate your customer’s needs every chance you can! Send regular updates, statuses, and information in timely and value-added communications. Do make sure to give specific information, a deadline that is nearing, an estimation of a milestone, etc. Customers will appreciate being informed. The article’s intent was not on Applebee’s and their ability to deliver great food and service solely, but rather any business trying to find, keep, and service their customers. In today’s internet “ecommerce world” it is more important than ever to have good customer service. Instead of a bad experience being told to ten others, it can now be published to the World Wide Web via social media. Today, businesses need to work hard to keep their customer’s by delivering on their brand promises and providing the right service to keep their customer relationships strong. Quote: We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better. Jeff Bezos If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events.
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May 19th, 2015 by Paul
Infor CRM is an incredible system that allows for customization flexibility and process management.  However, if you unleash a system to users without any guidance or usage basics there will be consequences for storing all that mismanaged data.  Through many unintended actions you will have created a hot data mess.  A hot data mess can dramatically affect your bottom line in expected and unexpected ways. It is already a challenge when introducing a new system to users so make sure that you have put some thought into how you are launching and the process to make it more manageable.
How does an Infor CRM Administrator or an application Data Steward manage the expectations upfront and create a well-oiled machine (to prevent a nightmare on Elm St)? • Have a governance plan in place
• Identify a Data Steward
• Build a set of policies and procedures
• Configure the system tools
• Train to the usage procedures (initial, refresh, new employee)
• Monitor the results (using tools like KnowledgeSync, or data cleanup tools like DQ Global)
• Offer incentives for winning (keeping customers happy with high quality results)
With interactive systems, like CRM, we are constantly adding, removing, updating, and importing records. This is called Data Management and your company should have a plan in place to make sure the data changing is not causing the system usage issues.  This will have a positive impact on acquisition of new customer as well as maintaining profitable relations with customers, partners, and vendors alike.  If you find yourself unsure about where to start, we are encouraging our customers to start by identifying a Data Steward for each user group of CRM within their organization. The Data Steward can begin to define the data requirements for their user group and then work backwards to clean up what has gone astray.  If you need assistance from Simplesoft, we have various levels of Data Cleanup Services. Data management does not have to be complex, but it does need governance and care. Taking care of data is one of the three pillars to CRM success that helps to support user adoption. CRMs are always pushing the limiting of technology and with platforms expanding (mobile, tablets and others) we must make sure the tools keep step with the users to enhance productivity. Good things will happen when CRM is put into place with users trained, processes documented, and a data maintenance plan in place.
“Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don’t worry…I’m here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you. -Charlie Brown to Snoopy”
— Charles M. Schulz
If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events.
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April 7th, 2015 by Don
We have a current client who knows the amount of time and touches to clients will grow revenue.  They have categorized their clients into levels based on current spend and potential wallet share. Each account category has defined sales activity goals or minimum number of sales touches.  They use the Web Dashboards in Infor CRM to show which accounts are falling outside of the activity goals.  Everyone is viewing the same dashboard so no one wants to have their accounts show up on this list falling outside of the required time-frame. This is just one specific example of how important it is for your CRM users to see their daily, weekly, and yearly goals tied to their use of CRM. Stay tuned for the next in our series of “Have Your Asked the Right Questions for CRM Strategy”. If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Users Group Events.
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October 23rd, 2014 by Paul
Data does not have to be perfect all the time, but does need to be fit for use in your sales operations cycles. Even if your CRM platform is backed up, updated, and managed on your behalf, your data management is an area that needs to be maintained and included in your CRM strategies.   A CRM tool is the central repository for the lifeblood of your business – sales. When your business is using your CRM tools (Mobile, Web, Social etc) well then it becomes a tool where dashboards, data lists, reports, become a way to help your teams win the heart of your customers. What is clean high quality data? The top five characteristics of high quality data are:  Accurate, Complete, Consistent, Unique, and Timely. These items can all be addressed with a system usage guide (user policy document) to ensure that everyone knows what is expected. Data are of high quality if “they are fit for their intended uses in operations, decision making and planning.” (J. M. Juran) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_quality Practical Steps to help your situation
We’re entering a new world in which data may be more important than software.  Tim O’Reilly If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events.
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