In the past, one huge knock of older CRM applications was the inability to modify the end user experience in order to better match the company’s requirements and particular business needs. With the new technology, you’ll no longer have to conform to out of the box functionality. In other words, deliver the requirements and Dynamics CRM can be transformed to meet those requirements. Let’s discuss a few examples in more detail.
In one recent customer installation, there was a need to capture a large amount of sensitive information regarding Contacts which was to be shared with only a fraction of the total number of CRM users. The solution was simple. Create a custom object which could be launched from within a Contact record. A custom security role was created and defined whether a CRM user could create and view this new object. In doing this, only those with the proper security rights were allowed to create and view this sensitive information. No custom code was needed to meet this requirement. It was all done with the use of the customization tool found within Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Another requirement from a Logan Consulting customer was the ability to store a large amount of purchased sales and marketing information from a third party vendor. The goal was to avoid cluttering the Account (business) record while at the same time making the information easily accessible and “read-only”, so as to keep end users from altering this data . Once again, the solution was to simply create a new, custom object entitled “Marketing Details” and link it to the standard Account record. Through the use of a custom security role, we were able to limit who could create these records and for all remaining users, they were granted “read-only” rights, to guarantee that field values could not be altered by end users. All of there purchased information was one click away from the Account record.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you to add an unlimited number of custom objects which can be parental or referential in nature. One of our customers created over 20 custom objects during the implementation process in order to have all data in one single database which could be queried for analytical and marketing purposes. None of these changes affect the ability to upgrade or in any way affect the robust functionality that Dynamics CRM provides.
The ability to configure Dynamics CRM with ease is attracting more companies to who may have thought a completely custom, “written-from-scratch” application was necessary. Logan Consulting recently completed an implementation of Dynamics CRM for a global media communications group who customized Dynamics CRM to track dialogue with reporters and writers across the globe, capturing relevant stories and dialogue for historical purposes while conveying a global, unified message to the outside world. Modern CRM applications like Dynamics CRM not only work well for service and manufacturing companies, they can meet the needs of any business which seeks to track company, contact, activity and any other information they would choose to capture through the use of custom objects.
Contact Logan Consulting if you’d like to learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be customized to meet the exact needs of your business.