K3 Microsoft CRM Seminars Highlight Importance of Centralised Customer Information
by Anonymous

April 7, 2004 -- Using the theme 'What Could Microsoft CRM do for your business', K3 speakers explained that Microsoft CRM records the interactions that take place during the lifetime of a customer or project and, being fully integrated with Microsoft Office, Outlook and Exchange, it can automatically capture vast quantities of information and build a history of every customer contact or 'touch point'.

Andy Makeham, CEO of K3 said: "CRM was first introduced to the service industries to track hundreds of thousands customers. Manufacturers are different because they have far fewer customers and more complex products, services and relationships. They also have limited capabilities for measuring customer responses, tracking leads and recording sales activities. The challenge is to create a 360 degree view of customers which gives a complete history of every customer transaction in one central place.

"Microsoft has provided this and also recognised that CRM applications cannot be one-size-fits-all. Business applications have to fit the way that individual companies want to run their operations - and that means partnering with industry experts. Using our 20 years experience of developing, marketing and supporting innovative ERP solutions for the SME sector, we have developed a unique CRM proposition for manufacturing and supply chain businesses. Our leading-edge SmartVision business solution has Microsoft CRM embedded within it to transform the relationships businesses have with their customers."

Microsoft CRM automates day-to-day tasks and helps individuals to manage opportunities to maximise business productivity. Covering sales, customer service, field service, the call centre, and marketing, it provides a central system that gives one consistent view of all the activities and transactions that take place between a company and its customers

Russell Dorset, Managing Director of K3, went on to explain how Microsoft CRM helps mid-market businesses build profitable customer relationships. Integrated Sales and Customer Service modules enable employees to share information to improve sales success and deliver consistent, efficient customer service. Sales and customer service features include leads and opportunity management, a complete view of customer history, automated incident management, and a searchable knowledge base. Microsoft CRM also includes reporting tools for accurate forecasting and measurement of business activity and employee performance.

Microsoft CRM can also identify which customers are profitable. Opportunities with new or existing customers can be tracked, from initial enquiry through all stages of the sales process, enabling companies to respond on time to meet customer expectations and develop profitable customer relationships through lead, opportunity and incident management.

Richard Thomas, K3 Marketing Director, explained that Microsoft CRM has notched up a massive 1,000 world-wide implementations in just 18 months and so is a proven system. "These implementations have created 'joined up' companies with all the information presented in familiar Microsoft Office formats that even staff who wouldn't normally look at an IT system can use efficiently. This familiarity and ease of use results in reduced total cost of ownership as implementation times are cut so enabling the system to quickly add real business value."

Built using Microsoft .NET-connected technologies, Microsoft CRM is easy to deploy, customise, and use, is accessible from Microsoft Outlook and the Web, integrates with other business applications, and scales as a business grows.

About SmartVision.
K3's SmartVision solution is a comprehensive business software solution for manufacturers developed using leading-edge Microsoft technology. It is a fully integrated manufacturing, costing and accounting system designed to address the needs of a variety of manufacturing environments, from make-to-order, assemble-to-order, make-to-stock, configure-to-order or repetitive manufacturing.

This inherent flexibility ensures that as businesses change, SmartVision can react to the fast-changing needs of companies. SmartVision is developed in the UK and is an excellent management tool, providing real-time information to the desktop within Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, or via SmartVision enquiry and reporting screens or to any mobile device using SMS, or WAP technology.

Utilising Workflow and Alert Management proactive facilities, SmartVision creates a series of checks and controls for business processes and keeps management informed of the latest status of all areas and business performance.

K3 Business Technology Group plc is a public company listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Formerly known as Kewill ERP, the company has over 1600 UK customers and is one of the UK's leading authors and suppliers of Supply Chain Management and ERP software for the SME Sector.

For further information contact:
Richard Thomas                   
K3 Business Technology Group plc           
Case House                       
85-89 High Street                   
Walton on Thames                   
Tel: 01932 251600                   
E-mail: richard.thomas@k3btg.com                            
K3 websites: www.k3btg.com and www.lenamanufacturing.com



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