The way we work is changing.  The ongoing evolution in the access to mobile solutions, new collaboration tools and the increase in reliance on cloud-based applications has radically changed where and how we work and even what we produce. New technologies are increasing our expectations of the availability of applications and the speed with which we can receive information.

I’ve recently been exploring this subject with companies operating global customer service operations. They’re recognizing that these changing expectations are occurring among both their customers as well as their employees and that the contact center systems we provide need to align with these new expectations.

One of the conclusions we’ve come to is that the agent experience has a direct impact on the customer experience.  Applications that don’t perform well, systems that are designed to lock agents into a fixed process, solutions that don’t allow agents to share and grow their expertise no longer meet the needs of today’s contact centers. More importantly they no longer meet the expectations of customers and the agents serving them. We’re helping leading companies redesign their work by deploying scalable contact center solutions for use across their service operations, something I discussed last week on a webinar hosted by MSDynamicsWorld.

At the recent Argyle Executive Forum focused on Customer Care, I had the opportunity to represent Avanade and the work we are doing around contact centers leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM. We spoke with senior leaders in charge of customer care for enterprise organizations; companies that are engaged in raising the level of customer satisfaction. You can take a look at the perspectives we shared at this event by checking out the conversation paper.

Going into that Argyle Executive Forum event on customer centricity, I’d half expected my thoughts on the importance of agent experience to receive a tepid response. But the theme of agent experience arose again and again. Panelists and speakers across industries highlighted the importance of proper training, tooling and motivation among their customer facing workforce.  It was clear that the success that we’ve had as an industry in embracing self-service technologies has changed the nature of contact center work. Where customers once expected only speed and rapid fire, low skill service, they now expect expertise and flexibility in problem solving.

The redesign of the contact center has forced us to rethink what it means to be customer-centric. With gamification, peer based coaching tools, social collaboration and high performance user experiences, Avanade is helping organizations elevate their most important customer interactions – the ones between their customers and their employees.

How are you transforming your customer interactions?

A view of the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Seattle is a town that loves its professional sports teams and April means the beginning of baseball season when hopes run high…but disappointment is not far off. Maybe that sounds a bit like the expectations companies have when it comes to choosing and implementing a CRM system–the visions of success can all too soon be overtaken by a “slump.” It’s been interesting for me to track how many professional sports teams around the globe are starting to use CRM, and it’s not just pre-season hype…it’s fundamentally changing the game for spectators and the boardroom (even if not always changing the results of the score board!)

You will find Microsoft Dynamics CRM being used across the major sports leagues in the United States—NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB—as well as minor league teams and non-US sports clubs.  The focus is on creating new ‘sticky’ experiences for the fans (and it’s not with the cotton candy). Teams have different programs whether for ticketing, merchandise, or newsletters, etc. Bridging the gap for customers helps streamline marketing and selling opportunities. But while optimizing and integrating systems is certainly a valuable component, some teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder are using the opportunity to enhance the personalization experience for fans. Or there’s also the Cincinnati Reds who are using CRM information and ticketing data to spot trends and create targeted offers.

This focus on the customer experience is what many companies are using to increase competitive differentiation and create business value. Forrester Research writes about customer experience discipline this in a recent piece on CRM trends in 2013. And in fact Avanade’s own recent research also reveals how the customer-centric business is improving sales and profits while enabling greater agility in responding to the market…something we’ve labeled Work Redesigned.

Baseball or basketball not your game? Well, then take the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) where Avanade recently helped deploy Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With 102,000 members plus the responsibility for running the largest sporting stadium in Australia (the Melbourne Cricket Ground), tackling member management and the event experience was critical. Now MCC can better track what activities members participate in and drive more targeted communications.

Hmmm…now can someone bring me some peanuts and cracker jacks?! How have you changed the customer experience in your company?

On the roadmap to customer relationship success is the intersection of customers and insights. This large category of technology discipline involves business intelligence, predictive analytics, and, of course, customer relationship management solutions. Businesses know their customer data is a strategic asset. How they turn that data into insight through CRM analytics ─ to address typical scenarios such as identifying and addressing churn, or determining what might be the next logical purchase ─ is critical to gaining a competitive advantage. Ruben Overkemping does a great job connecting the business issues with current technology solutions in his paper, “Controlling Your Data: Build a Customer Insight Platform for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.”

While CRM analytics guide us toward greater customer understanding and decision support, the tools are not the strategy. That’s why Gartner agrees that the next wave of business intelligence will be anchored around predictive analytics as the market for BI will grow 9% year-over-year in their analysis. This final transformation of data into insights gives businesses a foundation of knowledge to act with speed, innovate with agility, and anticipate with accuracy.

But let’s not forget that the customer experience is the guiding North Star. All is for naught if the analytics don’t connect back to improving this engagement. For example, understanding the warranty claims across various segments of customers can help drive the strategy around offers or discounts, or even help predict when the next spike in claims might be expected. Then bridging the experience gap with proactive measures to at-risk customers can drive loyalty. Further, equipping even the front-line service personnel in this example with accurate status information and resolution options will add efficiency to the process. This is where, as Ruben also notes, the shift toward self-service BI is empowering people with data-driven decision-making at the key junctures…and that is the point of the whole journey.  Where do you think the intersection of BI and CRM will go? Where are you in the customer insights journey?

There has been a lot of talk about what role gamification has and will play in the areas of CRM and especially, contact centers.

Gamification is commonly defined as the “use of game-thinking and game mechanics in a non-game context (such as in contact center) in order to engage users and solve problems.”  Pew Internet has published a terrific article on the mechanics and psychology of gamification that you might find interesting. Avanade’s focus on gamification is how to use game-thinking and game mechanics to drive improve agent productivity and performance in the contact center.  

Barry Givens, Director of Product Management for Avanade CRM, leads Avanade’s charge in understanding how to apply gamification in the contact center. You can better understand how Avanade is approaching gamification in these great posts from Barry: Gamification in the Service Center  and Upping the Game in the Call Center.  

Barry will continue to share more of his observations and ideas regarding the new trend of gamification and the use of game-thinking and game mechanics in order to engage users and solve problems. He will discuss the implications of gamification in the area of contact center, using real-life examples to drive home his observations in this webinar: “New Trend of Gamification in CRM” on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT.  You can  register here.  

Please join Barry and other thought leaders in discussing the impact of gamification in the CRM marketplace. If your role is to stay on top of emerging technology trends, this is one webinar you will not want to miss!

In my last post, I’ve outlined a clear case for the mobile CRM trend in the enterprise.  It would make quite an impression to customers if your salesperson schedules an appointment, creates an order, and automatically e-mails an invoice on the spot – all on their tablet PC.  This sample scenario highlights two of the most evident advantages to mobile CRM: improving productivity for on-the-go users and enhancing customer relationships.

So, as we look ahead regarding Windows 8 and Dynamics CRM, what do we know now, and what can we expect to come?

Choose Your OS: Windows 8 RT vs. Pro

Before contemplating the future of Dynamics CRM, it pays to review the hardware and OS options at hand.  Organizations must first decide which of the existing two versions of Windows 8 to focus on: the tablet-oriented RT version and the full true version of the OS –Windows 8 Pro.  The essential difference between the two boils down to one question: will your organization ever need to run legacy Windows applications?

New hardware releases like the Microsoft Surface RT permit a lower cost mobile hardware solution for your organization, but can’t run legacy applications designed for Windows 7 or older versions.  In contrast, the soon to be released Windows Surface Pro and other similar PC’s running the Pro version are true laptop replacements. Although a costlier option, it can provide tablet mobility and legacy app support without the cost of remaking your current business application environment.  Both have their pros and cons, and a review of your organization’s existing architecture should be considered before any Windows 8 implementation is begun.

Dynamics CRM Refresh: Now More Mobile Friendly

For years, Dynamics CRM 2011 has made positive waves across the business world, but Microsoft decided a “refresh” is in order to align the software with the recent release of Windows 8 and Office 2013.  So far, Dynamics CRM insiders are aware of two future releases in the pipeline.

The first and upcoming December 2012 Service Update for Dynamics CRM 2011 is no slouch.  Highlights include cross-browser support, touch optimized interface, a new “Flow” user experience to enhance workflows, native integration with social and communication apps like Skype and Yammer, a refreshed Office 2013 design user experience, and an enhanced API for developers. These forthcoming features are exciting to contemplate and they immediately prepare your Dynamics CRM deployment for the mobile future.

The next release, code name ‘Orion,’ is the second known future release of Dynamics CRM.  Not many details are currently available, but what we do know is that it is the next major release version for Dynamics CRM and is planned for the second half of 2013.  We can predict that Orion will be similar in style to the December update but powered by its own unique code base, along with expanded customization and development tools for a better mobile experience.

Better together: Mobility, Windows 8 and Dynamics CRM

In the past, Dynamics CRM offered a mobile solution but with a limited deployment and utility.  Its best experience resided primarily on the desktop.  With Windows 8, the future is a new open frontier for mobile CRM applications.  Immediately available in the Windows Store are powerful Windows 8 apps like Power8CRM, Resco Mobile CRM and Dynamics CRM KPI, which leverage all the latest features in Windows 8 to deliver compelling mobile CRM solutions.  More are sure to be available very soon in 2013.

Ultimately, the best experience for your mobile users lies in application solution tailored the way you do business. With the latest in mobile PC hardware, CRM ecosystem and infrastructure, the keys to a successful mobile CRM implementation are in place.  Microsoft Windows 8 and Dynamics CRM are now poised to bring all this technology together into an ideal solution to meet your mobile requirements and support your mobile users.

I believe that brick and mortar stores will continue to be a primary sales channel for most retailers but will also transform into a new purpose and form.  This new purpose and form will be an environment for providing customer service, not just a place to execute a monetary transaction.  This means that the store must be prepared to deliver a total shopping experience that creates opportunities to increase customer satisfaction (such as provide post-sales support) as well as opportunities for new sales  (such as facilitating up-sells and cross-sells).    This viewpoint is supported by Alexander Grünsteidl’s excellent article “Four Keys to Surviving the Future of Retail” in Fast Company’s Co.Design.

Customer loyalty is gained or lost at every customer interaction – not just the monetary transaction.  Hence, the retail store experience of the future will be one where a retail store associate can expertly handle a multitude of customer interactions beyond sales.  For example, checking on the status of an online order or checking on what promotions are available based on a customer’s rewards status.  And retailers need to equip their employees with the tools that enable them to handle each interaction – pre-sale, sale, and post-sale – with the personalization, responsiveness and convenience that builds greater customer loyalty. This is essential to surviving the future of retail.

At NRF 2013, Avanade will demonstrate its retail sales and service tools that help retailers to deliver enhanced in-store services to their customers.  These solutions enable retail store associates to deliver the exceptional experience today’s customers demand.  For example, assisted selling solutions that help customers find the right product based on the customer’s unique requirements and demands.  I invite you to visit with Avanade at NRF 2013 in the Microsoft Pavilion (booth 1005) in the Employee Engagement area where we will be showing and discussing solutions that extend back-office capabilities (typically, ERP-related processes) to store associates via mobile devices that encourage and enable store associates to deliver the services that transform the retail store experience.

They’re getting smaller, more powerful, and more in demand.   You see them on the train, at local coffee shops, even at your favorite dive bar.  Every day we face increasing evidence that tablets and other mobile devices are the future.  It is essential that businesses meet and support that demand by leveraging mobile CRM to their advantage.

There’s a common belief that businesses are resisting this trend and pushing back on supporting these devices in the workplace.  Perhaps at face value, it’s easy to question the value of devices that consumers use for texting, checking Facebook and playing Angry Birds.   However, surprisingly enough, data shows the opposite is true; companies are now embracing the new devices more than ever.  Integrating mobile devices with CRM and ERP systems not only helps embrace this trend, but also empowers employees to be even more productive.

1.     Mobile technology is personal

Many studies confirm what we already know: we are hooked on our mobile devices.  A recent Nielsen study discovered that smartphones now account for more than 50% of the US market.  In addition, a Pew Research Centre Study from 2010 reported that more than four out of five young adults sleep with their phone on or near their bed and “many expressed reluctance to even turn their phones off.”   The condition even has a name: “Nomophobia,” as in “no mobile phobia.”  We just can’t get enough of mobile technology.

As an owner of several mobile devices, it is thrilling and strangely addicting to have the Internet in my hands anywhere I go.  The touch-enabled interface feels natural with fingertips, and it is intuitive to use and adopt by non-technical users.  Most of us can’t remember life without them.

In light of this evidence it is clear that agile businesses will need to go where their users and customers are interacting. Mobile CRM is a crucial and natural step to meeting this goal.

2.     The Consumerization of IT

Avanade condenses the “Consumerization of IT” into essentially two observations:

• The dynamic and personalized aspects of consumer technologies have entered the enterprise
• Corporate IT has an opportunity to embrace this trend to drive business agility

Users are demanding that their personal tablets and smartphones, regardless of make and model, are supported in the workplace.  This internal demand is an opportunity for corporate IT to embrace appealing initiatives that drive greater productivity like mobile CRM. By empowering employees with access to the latest information about customers and business transactions, as well as updating them in real-time, they can react faster to customer inquiries and collect real-time data on performance.

 3.     The Technology is Here 

When it comes to hardware for mobile devices, the eco-system is fairly diverse.  They come in all shapes, sizes and operating systems; Google is even planning a wearable one.   Microsoft is now redefining what a PC is with the recently announced Surface tablet.

While current mobile operating systems primarily center on apps, the talk in technology is now focused on HTML5, which promises interoperability, the holy grail of capability among disparate operating systems.  This web standard allows users to access the same web functionality among different systems, whether on the desktop or mobile.

From an enterprise software perspective, there are new and dependable methods of integrating CRM and other business systems to ultimately let you expose and interact with data and services.  Integration tools such as Scribe provide the backbone to a powerful inter-connected mobile CRM for your employees and customers.  And bringing social networks into the fold with mobile CRM emphasizes the “relationship” aspect of CRM, which allows businesses to react quickly to customer feedback. An effective mobile CRM system needs to leverage all of this new technology.

Why invest in mobile CRM? 

Of the many advantages, two are clear:  mobile productivity for employees, and maintaining a connection with your customers.

When implementing a mobile CRM system, listening to the business’s specific mobile needs is paramount.  The technology needs to empower the way employees work.

A key to a successful implementation is to document user case scenarios thoroughly.  Mobile technology, and by extension mobile CRM, should be an interactive and seamless experience.  Like any popular app, the mobile CRM experience should make full use of touch gesture navigation, GPS mapping, photo documentation, real-time customer data, notifications, and more.  Having complete use case scenarios goes a long way to facilitating user adoption and the ultimate success of the project.

It’s amazing to imagine the possibilities that mobile CRM can enable for companies.  I welcome your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

This year’s topics are particularly interesting: social and mobile strategies, customer experience management, marketing and sales optimization, “big data” and business analytics, and intelligent service interactions. I’ll be at the Avanade booth on the Microsoft pavilion, where we’ll be showcasing our mobile CRM solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and some new social CRM features, including LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook integration.

But what I’m really excited about is the return of our famed social question and answer series, “#AskAvanade”. If you’re not familiar with #AskAvanade (as the hashtag may suggest) it’s a Q&A hosted over Twitter, as well as YouTube and the event floor.

We’re inviting event attendees and anyone interested in CRM to submit a question about CRM, Microsoft Dynamics, or Avanade. One of our experts will then reply with a personalised video response. So if you’d like to get involved, all you need to do is:

• Tweet your question to us using the #askavanade hashtag and #gartnerCRM hashtag
• Or email me: edwin.jongsma@avanade.com
• Come and visit us at the summit if you’re attending. We’re on the Microsoft pavilion.

Finally, there’s a prize drawing during the networking reception on day one (June 11), when we’ll be giving away a Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone. So make sure you drop by our stand and enter for a chance to win.

So, plenty to look forward to, and we’re getting excited already. I hope to see you there!

Everyone’s heard the old saying about customer service. On average, those who’ve enjoyed a good experience will tell one person, while those who’ve had a bad experience tell ten.

In B2C industries, companies live by this mantra. They regard customer experience as a competitive differentiator, and regularly cite its importance in decision-making and strategy. At Avanade we’re seeing a growing demand for CRM implementations with customer experience stated as their number one focus.

Traditional avenues such as contact centres are now paying close attention to customer experience. Contact centre solutions are now being developed with a customer-centric approach, letting contact agents concentrate on providing good service, not having to navigate slow and unresponsive multiple legacy systems and CRM systems.

And modern channels are jumping in. In an age where consumers can take to any one of numerous channels to voice pleasure or displeasure, social CRM, along with mobile CRM, are now very much the darlings of the customer relationship management world.

Thanks to the ability to engage with customers anywhere, and at any time, the mobility channel is already the channel we may use to respond to consumer’s complaints, but it is also becoming the future landscape of customer experience for self-service customer support.

As media platforms increase in breadth, customer service “pluralism” will continue to flourish. Targeted  and customised customer experience is set to become more and more important and this relies on a 360° customer view – it’s all about knowing your customer to better address them. Mapping customer service with sales and marketing activities is where CRM comes in and makes the difference to customer experience.

The social channel for business to consumer is becoming increasingly more important. I’ve found that it is no longer enough just to wait for consumers to call into the contact center or email with questions. Consumers are posting their experiences with businesses on Facebook, tweeting about service issues – and expecting companies to listen. We’re hearing that more and more companies are now hiring resources to help monitor these channels and build a social brand. Social is a solid extension of established Web and telephony channels. Check out this interesting research from Frost  & Sullivan about how social is impacting today’s contact centers.

From a technology perspective, it is all about combining your CRM system and social media channels to improve the quality of your customer interactions. Plugging social media activities into your CRM is necessary to help bring you closer to your customers, to listen to them, to meaningfully engage with them and ultimately bolster your customer service, brand and sales.