Monday, October 24, 2005

What's New in Microsoft CRM 3.0

What's New in Microsoft CRM 3.0
In Microsoft CRM 3.0, it has some new features such as Service Scheduling and Marketing Automation. It also includes easy deployment and management. Beside new features and simplified deployment and management, it has many enhancements in key areas such as finding data, merging duplicate records, viewing all information about account or contact, easy customization of all entities.

Service scheduling

● Track availability of service resources such as staff, work schedules, and locations.
● Sophisticated scheduling engine manages booking of appointments, service availability, and
can be tuned to optimize scheduling to reduce costs and required resources.
● Integrated with entire Microsoft CRM system so that customer history, demographics, and
preferences can be considered as part of service scheduling, and service history can be used
for data for sales and marketing processes.

Marketing automation

● Plan, create and manage a marketing campaign, including return on investment evaluation.
● List management, including creation, import, and export.
● Connection with sales and service data.
● Campaign templates that are used to drive sales activities.

Improved deployment

● Setup checks the technical environment to ensure that appropriate settings and privileges are
inplace, prior to beginning setup.
● Easier deployment of Microsoft CRM client for Outlook.
● Streamlined deployment for Windows Small Business Server 2003.
● Support for moving from test and development environments to a production environment.
● New Microsoft Exchange integration architecture allows use of existing virus and spam
filteringsoftware, routing of user-to-user e-mail, and multiple Microsoft CRM systems within
one MicrosoftExchange environment.
● Security information is stored within Microsoft CRM, rather than in Active Directory,
simplifying setup and reporting, as well as improving system performance, scalability, and
serviceability.
● Support for running Microsoft CRM in a high-availability environment, with increased
diagnostic and maintenance functions, and ability to provide fault tolerance for each potential
point of failure.

Improved management

● Customization tools now available through one consistent Web interface.
● Enhanced support for VARs and ISVs.
● Support for customizing activities.
● Support for creating new objects.
● Enhanced functionality and extensibility in workflow.
● New secured database views to allow a variety of reporting tools.
● Enhanced form customization, including support for read-only fields, additional form events,
and embedded web pages.

Easier to use reports

● Improved reporting, including parameterized reports.
● Improved report customization, including the ability to modify reports in existing Microsoft
CRMcategories, create additional dynamic and static reports, schedule reports, and e-mail
report results.

Easier to find information

● Finding records is easier, including a more powerful quick find, and an easier to use and more
powerful advanced find, including grouping and time-based queries, and the ability to save
and reuse favorite queries.
● Providing a full view of a customer, such as viewing activities from within account and contact
records, including new filters to show only needed information.
● Providing a full view of an account, including the accounts sub-account and contact’s related
object.
● Clearer view of the relationships between accounts, contacts and opportunities.

Easier to use

● Merge duplicate accounts, contacts, and leads.
● Enhanced user interface, including a new notes interface and improvements to the knowledge
base.
● When leads are converted to accounts, contacts or opportunities, associated activities and
notes are included.

Easier to customize

● Additional customization, including adding entities.
● Improved report customization, including ability to modify reports in existing Microsoft CRM
categories, create additional dynamic and static reports, schedule reports, and e-mail report
results.

For more contact mscrmexpert@gmail.com


Thanks, MVP- MS CRM / .Net