Magnetism Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Starter Packs

Colin Maitland, 05 June 2012

Over the last two weeks I have been involved hands on in a Magnetism CRM Starter Pack deployment for a new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online customer.

Out the box Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is not ready for immediate deployment without the need for additional expertise and investment in the areas of planning, requirements analysis, solution design, configuration, customisation, testing, training and post-go live support.

For small organisations and businesses that want to get up and running with a working business usable implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM within a short fixed period of time, and at an affordable fixed up-front known cost, the Magnetism CRM Starter Packs are a Magnetism distinctive.

The Magnetism CRM Starter Packs are quick start implementations of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online, or optionally on-premise, that allow you to get up and running with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 with your users configured, core client data loaded, company branding added to standard reports, key standard customisations added, additional customisations added, security configured and the option to include additional pre-built add-ons provided, services, and access to “Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011” (Microsoft Course 80442) training provided by Magnetism.

One of the key standard customisations, not available out of the box, but provided in the Magnetism CRM Starter Packs is the NZ Post compliant addressing functionality added to the Account, Contact, Lead areas in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Depending on the address type selected (Street, Rural Delivery, PO Box, Private Bag, International/Other) the correct addressing fields and captions are displayed for entering the address. With the addition of the optional Magnetism mPost Add-On that provides real-time checking of addresses against the NZ Post address database this is a great feature for ensuring that the address being entered or updated is formatted to the NZ Post addressing standards.

 

 

The time to deployment for the Magnetism CRM Starter Pack deployments range from 5 days to 15 days depending on which deployment you choose. They deployments are CRM Starter 1, CRM Starter 2 and CRM Starter 3. The standard times to deploy are 5, 10 and 15 days respectively. This means that you and your users can be up and productively using Microsoft Dynamics CRM within a very short time frame. The number of users you can deploy is between 1 and 10 depending on the Starter Pack, with the option to include additional users if required.

Core Features (All CRM Starter Packs)

The core features of the Magnetism CRM Starter Packs are:

• Branded Quotes, Orders, and Invoices
• Configuration of role-based security
• Follow-up workflows on Activities
• Industry Lists loaded (included industries and sub-industries)
• Key Client Data Imported
• NZ regions loaded
• Security Roles Configuration
• Ticket to attend “Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011” (Microsoft Course 80442) training including Microsoft Course Book and Certificate of Completion.
• Time-stamp on Activities
• User Configuration (from 1 to 10 users depending on the CRM Starter 1, 2, or 3).

Core Features (CRM Starter 2 and CRM Starter 3)

The core features of the Magnetism CRM Starter 2 and CRM Starter 3 packs are:

• NZ GST add-in to calculate GST on an Invoice and Quote
• Preview tool to preview email history in CRM
• Auto numbering tool for more flexible numbering of records
• Needs Analysis days. Normally a day of needs analysis days (either 1 or 2 days). The needs analysis and reporting is completed by an experienced Business Analyst.
• Customisation modules. i.e. Additional entities views, fields and workflows

Extras and Add-ins (All CRM Starter Packs)

The Magnetism CRM Starter Packs also include the following optional Extras and Add-ins:

• Additional customisations (e.g. Entities, Forms, Views, Fields, Workflows etc.)
• Additional Needs Analysis days
• Configuration of extra users
• Configuration of SharePoint Integration for Office 365 SharePoint
• Data migration for CSV, Excel, and XML
• Deployment to on-premise rather than on-line
• Full-day training on-site
• Half-day training on-site
• mBank Add-on – Checking of NZ Bank account numbers
• mPost Add-on – Checking of Addresses against NZ Post database in real-time
• mSMS Add-on – Allows sending of SMS messages from CRM
• MYOB connection Add-on
• Outlook Contact Migration for CRM
• Tickets for 1-day training courses at Magnetism
• Xero Connector Add-on

Conclusion

I am impressed with how quickly Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 can be deployed using the Magnetism CRM Starter Packs and the added value that they add to an out of the box implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. Contact us to find out how a Magnetism CRM Starter Pack can be used to get you up and running with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.