Implemented on its own, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is an invaluable solution helping companies track sales, access actionable business data, and ultimately, make most of their customer partnerships. Likewise, standalone project service software is essential to success, offering everything that’s needed to plan and organize project-related resources and costs. As more project-based organizations are learning, there’s an incredible amount of power in combining the two solutions.
With Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation, project-based organizations—like those in professional services, manufacturing, and construction—can manage all of their customer-facing activities, end-to-end, with a unified single solution. The seamless, built-in connection between sales and invoicing creates a super-charged CRM solution that enables teams to communicate more effectively and deliver a complete, more customer-focused experience.
Consider these key reasons why project-based organizations implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation:
1. They want to maximize client opportunities
Business developers and customer-facing project managers can maximize the value of their customer relationships when armed with the right information. That amounts to a comprehensive view of their customers and contracts. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation, analysts and decision-makers can use their integrated dashboard and collaboration tools to estimate project duration, costs, and even projected profits. Solution selling becomes possible, as they can identify trends and opportunities—and most importantly, take advantage of them by extending value into new areas and providing customers a higher level of more timely and relevant service.
2. They want to make the most of their resources
When it comes to managing consultants, tracking utilization and forecasting metrics, the data coming out of customer relationship and project management apps are the perfect blend. Managers can use their app tools to view the skills and proficiencies of their workforce, filtering data based on skills and availability so they assign the right people to the right projects. Not only does this result in better customer service, but it increases consultants’ job satisfaction as well—strengthening the entire system.
3. They want a simpler way to manage time and expenses
Everyone on the project team collaborates within an Office 365 workspace created for their specific project, helping the time and expense processes flow smoothly. Project team members can use their web-based software or mobile apps to record time and expenses, even for multiple projects. Entries can be assigned to customers, changed, and updated before submission. Then, their managers can approve new entries and look into the financial implications of the teams’ activity.
4. They want an easier way to manage customer billing
An automated CRM and project service solution takes the customary hassle out of pouring over customer contracts in order to achieve billing. Within an automated system, project-based contracts, quotes, and orders are connected to project plans, financial estimates, labor pricing, and billing arrangements, and more. Additionally, project managers can explore key metrics, including profitability and feasibility, in their dashboards, and then generate invoices that get conveniently emailed to customers for payment.
5. They value deep analytics
The CRM and project service solution delivers a wide range of KPIs to business users; success metrics, as well as those showing the financial impact of project work (e.g. costs, unbilled revenue, and invoices) are collected and available for crunching in connected financial systems. What’s more, many of these insights can be retrieved in real-time and accessed on-demand, anytime and anyplace, with any connected computer or mobile device.
Contact us to learn more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation.
Additional Resources
Sales Force Automation in Microsoft CRM
