Software Information

Microsoft CRM and Great Plains Implementation: Freight Forwarding Business Automation Example


Microsoft Business Solutions offers several ERP applications: Great Plains, Navision, Solomon and its own CRM solution - Microsoft CRM. Targeting to automate all business operations, Microsoft CRM is now integrated with Microsoft Great Plains and in the close future it should have integration with Microsoft Navision. In this small article we'll show you business automation example, where Microsoft CRM and Great Plains are integrated and customized to fit Freight Forwarding business processes.

? CRM. Central Customer and Vendor records place. Assuming you have agents across the USA and internationally - CRM, being web-interface application and so, could be used across the globe with good internet connection. The nice features of this product are central emailing - you send email from MS CRM and receive responses from your clients back in CRM, where they are permanently stored and documented. You can issue Quote and Sales Order directly in CRM if needed or could have them issues in Microsoft Great Plains with propagation to Microsoft CRM (deploying MS CRM-Great Plains integration tool - BizTalk based connector).

? Accounting/ERP. Microsoft Great Plains could play this role, being integrated with Microsoft CRM and with industry-specific business system. In the case of Freight Forwarding/Transportation - this business system could calculate fees and charged, associated with MBL/HBL and posted against agent accounts. You could deploy SQL triggers for instant integration or stored procs for scheduled batches.

? Great Plains Customizations. Freight Forwarding specifics require Shipment tracking with SOP and POP invoices posted and tracked against the shipment and probably regular/monthly Agent Settlement report, where you match customer and vendor invoices, associated with the agent shipments and create AR or AP document, depending on positive or negative balance. This is Great Plains Dexterity customization or web-development (if you need your agents lookup features from remote locations)

? Microsoft CRM Customization. Assuming that you have Shipment Tracking system, which might be SQL or Oracle based - you need shipment lookups for your order takers and customer support personnel from Microsoft CRM screens. Being designed for easy web customization - Microsoft CRM allows you to incorporate .Net web application into its screens, such as Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity, etc. You use Web Forms and Microsoft CRM SDK to penetrate into MS CRM security realm and then ADO.Net to call third party MS SQL Server or Oracle data

? Implementation Advices. Microsoft CRM should be probably tried as in-house pilot implementation with 5 users license and then you can purchase additional license as you have your users trained. If you need MS CRM SDK C# or VB.Net programming - you could subcontract. Great Plains requires consultant help to be implemented and integrated, because it has sophisticated tables structure and documents flow mechanism.

? Data Conversion. We recommend you to deploy Great Plains Integration manager to import Vendor and Customers plus open documents. Historical transactions, if needed - should be moved by outside consultant. Microsoft CRM has import tool - try it first and subcontract more complex - attachments, for example.

Good luck with implementation and customization and if you have issues or concerns - we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Minnesota, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. You can contact Andrew: andrewk@albaspectrum.com


MORE RESOURCES:

ABC News

Apple unveils software updates, new laptop
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 8 hours ago
The presentation included updates to the iLife and iWork software suites, a new 17-inch MacBook Pro with an 8-hour battery and a new digital rights ...
Video: Steve Jobs Weight Loss Due to Hormone Imbalance AssociatedPress
Apple's Macworld Surprise Is the Software PC Magazine
Apple updates Mac software in trade show finale The Associated Press
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Reuters
all 2,828 news articles


Times Online

ITunes embraces 3-tier pricing, will remove anti-copy software
Los Angeles Times, CA - 10 hours ago
Apple also updated much of its software. The latest version of iPhoto scans for individual faces so computer users can label photos of friends or family, ...
Macworld goes for the soft sell with budget-minded software USA Today
Apple removes protection software from songs TourDates.Co.Uk
Apple changes iTunes pricing CNNMoney.com
Bloomberg - Shiny Shiny
all 1,024 news articles


Rediff

Indian Software Giant Admits Financial Wrongdoing
Washington Post, United States - 2 hours ago
The revelation shook India's stock market and sent shock waves across the country's booming software industry, while television commentators quickly dubbed ...
Satyam Chairman Resigns After Falsifying Accounts Bloomberg
Collateral Damage Feared From 'India's Enron' CNNMoney.com
FACTBOX - Five facts about Indian outsourcer Satyam Reuters India
Reuters - Forbes
all 1,122 news articles


BMC Software stock up after analyst upgrade
Forbes, NY - 17 hours ago
AP , 01.06.09, 06:18 PM EST BMC Software Inc. shares climbed Tuesday after a UBS analyst upgraded the business software maker, saying its cost cutting ...
BMC Software (BMC) NewsBite - BMC Upgraded By UBS Market Intelligence Center
Movers roundup: Best Buy, BMC Software Forbes
all 9 news articles


DailyTech

Apple Unveils Software, MacBook At Macworld
CNNMoney.com - 21 hours ago
The first hour of the speech was dominated by updates to Apple's software line, which remains an important element for the company, but more as a driver to ...
Summary: Software, MacBook Pro updates star in final Apple keynote Macworld
Apple rolls out 17-inch MacBook Pro, new software, iTunes Store tweaks DVICE
Apple updates iTunes, iLife, unveils 17-inch MacBook Bizjournals.com
Silicon Alley Insider - CNN International
all 230 news articles


New York Times

Data Analysts Captivated by R’s Power
New York Times, United States - 1 hour ago
R first appeared in 1996, when the statistics professors Robert Gentleman, left, and Ross Ihaka released the code as a free software package. ...


Save Mart Supermarkets Deploys Integrated Retalix Supply Chain ...
MSNBC - 15 hours ago
That's why we turned to Retalix -- for the experience of their personnel and the rich grocery functionality of the company's software. ...
Save Mart Supermarkets deploys Retalix suite to enhance business ... Trading Markets (press release)
all 8 news articles


Software maker Scientific Learning to cut 14% of work force
Bizjournals.com, NC - 1 hour ago
Scientific Learning, which makes educational software, has made top management changes recently. On Jan. 2 the company named its president and chief ...


CNET.com.au

Phoenix Software Reduces Pain From a PC Boot
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 1 hour ago
HyperSpace is new software that offers a lean, fast and friendly partner to slow-starting Windows. I've been testing it for several days, and HyperSpace has ...
Phoenix Offers Faster Boot Times for Laptops PC World
A peek at Phoenix HyperSpace eWeek
all 42 news articles


Earthtimes (press release)

IBM Lotus Delivers New "Social" Notes and Free Symphony Software ...
CNNMoney.com - 19 hours ago
At Macworld, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the availability of Lotus Notes 8.5 collaboration software with social computing features for all Mac OS X ...
Macworld: IBM finalizing free Symphony office suite for Macs Computerworld
Lotus Notes 8.5 ships, free IBM Symphony suite coming MacNN
IBM unveils Lotus Notes 8.5 VNUNet.com
eWeek - Computer Business Review
all 43 news articles

Software - Google News

home | site map
© 2006