Without changing a thing, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is extremely powerful, but sometimes you need CRM 2011 customizations to really unlock CRM’s power. That may sound strange since CRM is already good at tracking accounts, contacts, sales, marketing campaigns, service tickets, etc. Still, few businesses don’t need a few CRM 2011 customizations.
What are CRM 2011 Customizations?
Before diving into the topic, let’s first address what we mean when we say “CRM 2011 Customizations.” At their most broad, CRM 2011 Customizations include adding new fields to capture data points that Microsoft CRM doesn’t capture automatically, building workflows which enact business processes (for instance, “When an order is entered for more than 50 units, alert the warehouse.”), enforce business logic (for instance, all accounts need a tier rating or no tier D customer can buy on credit) or invent entirely new data input screens. CRM can do all this, mostly without writing a line of code.
Why the Need for CRM 2011 Customizations?
Every business model is a little different. Even amongst the same industry, data requirements vary, business rules are different, and the workflows that drive a company’s activities differ. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s just the nature of business, but the good news is that CRM 2011 can adapt itself to you.
Even better, if you own Microsoft CRM 2011 or are thinking about it, there are a number of methods of creating CRM 2011 customizations for you to employ. Most don’t require any knowledge of coding and few require anything but a few clicks and keystrokes.
Methods of Applying CRM 2011 Customizations
The best part about Microsoft CRM is how easy it is to customize. To add a new field or new data entry form, all you need to do is point and click. Enter the name of the new field or data type and CRM does the rest. (That may not sound like a lot, but to add fields via traditional programming requires numerous lines of code and at least an hour of labor to design, code, and test.)
Advanced CRM 2011 Customizations
Of course, customizing Microsoft CRM 2011 isn’t always a walk in the park. There comes a point where you need some advanced customizations (for instance, totaling all the orders for a given account, applying an address change to all contacts of a given account, additional autonumbering, or integrating with third parties) or when you need to respond to user input (for instance, hiding/showing a field based on entered data). The good news is that Microsoft CRM can support these customizations, too, though they require some programming.
If this is the level of customization you need, there are many great resources for how to do that (including this blog!) However, you can always give us a call (1-877-276-1411), or sign up for One Hour of FREE Consulting and we’ll map out a great plan for your business.
Happy customizing!