• How to improve operations and reduce costs- especially in today’s tight economy
• Ways to enhance your relationships with customers
• Tips to streamline processes for improved productivity

Bulletin: AT510
Summary :End of Life Announcement

Microsoft will start upgrading CRM Online accounts in November to update R4

“As part of Microsoft’s commitment to ongoing innovation and customer success, we are set to deliver our next Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service update in November 2009. This update will provide your organization with increased business benefits that accelerate time to value in areas such as:

• Access to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online through a range of mobile devices
• In-page help and how-to guidance to provide an even richer experience for new users
• The ability to add additional storage capacity to accommodate even larger customer databases
• The introduction of a Home Page dashboard that gives improved visibility into data through embedded charts
• A new release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook with improved performance and usability
• Enhanced data import capabilities through an updated import wizard experience

We will begin upgrading existing organizations in early November.”

We are looking forward to several key items included in this update:

• CRM Mobile Express now available for CRM Online – This allows users to access CRM Online from mobile devices
• Dashboards - Previously custom dashboarding was pretty technical to develop, R4 will make this much easier
• Updated Outlook client – This new client will have significant performance improvements
• Improved data import – Will make it easier to push data into CRM Online

For more information please contact us.

Eligible Salesforce.com and Oracle CRM On Demand customers can receive six months of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online at no charge.

• Subscriptions must be activated by December 31, 2009.
• Minimum of 5 users
• Maximum of 2 times the number of seats subscribed to via qualifying competing products
• After 6 months, subscription price is $44/user/month
• Contract term is 12 months
• Offer only applicable to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
• Offer only available in the US & Canada
• Eligible customers must be currently paid subscribers to Salesforce.com or Oracle CRM on Demand switching to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and must show valid proof of Salesforce.com or Oracle CRM On Demand subscription to participate

Contact us for more information or for a demonstration of Microsoft CRM Online.

Have you seen Microsoft Office Communications Server (aka OCS)? OCS is a suite of applications that integrate with Microsoft Exchange Server and offer Unified Communications functionality. Watch a video on our web site: http://www.beringer.net/ocs.aspx 

The OCS suite offers:

Outlook Voice Access – Allows users to interact with Outlook/Exchange using a telephone. Users can listen to, reply to, create and forward email messages. They can also listen to or change calendar information.

Presence – Allows a user to determine another users’ availability to communicate via a given method. Presence is determined by several factors including the users’ Outlook calendar, status of their phone and other factors. Presence is displayed in several applications such as Outlook, IM client, Microsoft CRM, the OCS client and other applications.

Instant Messaging – OCS provides a private Instant Messaging system for businesses. This platform can be used for internal and/or external communications and integrates with Microsoft Outlook. IM conversations are displayed in Outlook similarly to email and can be archived.

Conferencing – Users can conduct telephone conferences using OCS. The OCS client software allows users to schedule conference calls and manage invitations. 

Live Meeting – Allows you to hold online meetings and present your PC screen to the attendees of the meeting. There is a scheduling plug-in for Outlook that let’s presenters schedule meetings and manage attendees.

Enterprise Voice – OCS offers VoIP functionality allowing integration of voice with email, calendaring, instant messaging and conferencing. OCS can integrate with existing PBX systems allowing you to implement OCS without replacing your current phone system. Key features of OCS Enterprise Voice include anywhere access, single number reach, team calling and more.

Watch a video demonstration on our web site: http://www.beringer.net/ocs.aspx

Beringer Associates now offers an application that fully migrates Microsoft CRM data with NO TECHNICAL EXPERTISE REQUIRED! There are tools out there to allow you to migrate Microsoft CRM data, the problem is that they all require technical expertise and a lot of time. Our application is point and click with only 4 fields and a Go button.

This tool migrates data from:

• One Online organization to another
• From CRM Online to On Premise
• From CRM On Premise to Online

We developed this application to solve a challenge with a very large CRM Online customer that was presented to us by Microsoft - how to migrate them from a CRM Online Pro org. to a Pro Plus org. We evaluated all the tools available to do this and decided that we needed a tool that would not only migrate the data, but all the metadata as well. This has been used to convert this large customer and worked flawlessly.

This application reads the metadata from the source system and automatically recreates the schema in the destination system. It completely recreates the schema including custom fields, custom entities, etc. It will then completely migrate the actual data from the source system to the destination system. The application fully logs all actions as well. Furthermore it allows you to choose specific date ranges of data (based on last modified date) to migrate so you can easily perform a test migration while the source system is still in use. After the data is verified in the destination system you can run a “catch up” to grab data since the original migration. This assures there is no downtime for the customer and a seamless transition.

The best part is that it is point and click, literally. No setup, no field mapping and certainly no programming. Simply specify the source system URL and the destination system URL and click GO!

We are offering this in a software as  a service model. Partners/Resellers are eligable for a 30% discount.

Contact us if you would like more information.

As the economic environment continues to fluctuate, many distributors are asking themselves what strategies they can pursue to bring tangible business benefits while considering the current economic conditions. 

In a growth economy, businesses typically work hard to expand their customer base and spend aggressively to stoke the growth engine. When money is tight however, existing customer relationships grow in importance as organizations seek a cost-effective way to nurture business expansion.

While there is no magic pill, customer relationship management (CRM) solutions can provide the foundation for sustainable growth and enable organizations to not just survive but thrive in these uncertain times. 

Additionally businesses that position themselves now will have the tools in place to take full advantage as the economic climate improves. 

We specialize in helping distribution businesses adopt CRM technology to improve their sales, marketing and customer service operations. We offer a highly tailored version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM built specifically for distribution businesses. This solution helps solve many of the challenges that exist when not using a centralized sales, marketing and customer service system. 

Join us for a one hour web based demonstration and see how Microsoft CRM can help your business operate more efficiently and sustain growth in this uncertain economic climate. All attendees will receive a copy of “Customer Relationship Management – The Winning Strategy in a Challenging Economy” 

Registration: 

Go to www.clicktoattend.com

Use Event Code: 142253 

You can also register by calling us at 800-796-4854 or by sending an email to info@beringer.net.

Microsoft has released an adapter that integrates Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains with Microsoft CRM. This tool provides integration between CRM and GP to better manage data and data flow. When changes are made to one system the adapter can update the other system. As an example, if a customer’s address is updated in Microsoft Dynamics GP the adapter can automatically update the customer’s address in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, or vice-versa. Or if an invoice is created in Dynamics GP the adapter can add the invoice to the customer’s account in Dynamics CRM.

Best part is that this adapter is FREE!

Contact Us if you are interested in more information on this adapter

We are proud to announce that for the third consecutive year we have achieved Gold level status in the Microsoft partner program with competencies in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Network Infrastructure Solutions. Gold level is the highest level of certification in the Microsoft partner program. 

Gold Certified Partners represent the highest level of competence and expertise with Microsoft technologies, and have the closest working relationship with Microsoft. As a Gold Certified partner, Beringer has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers’ needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access to key Microsoft people and resources, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. 

“This is a significant achievement for us. It demonstrates that we have the necessary talent and resources to effectively meet our customers technology needs and bridge the gap between business goals and technology. We are very happy to be aligned with Microsoft at the highest level and leveraging this relationship to add value to the relationships with our clients.” David J. Buggy, Vice President/Partner.  

About Beringer Associates, Inc.

www.beringer.net 

Based in Pennsauken NJ, Beringer Associates has been offering IT solutions and support services to businesses nationwide since 1995. Beringer Associates core offerings include Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Telephone Systems (Voice over IP) and Managed Network Services.

 For more information contact Linda Parks – 800.796.4854 or by email at lparks@beringer.net.

Update Rollup 6

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. The update includes bug fixes and performance enhancements packaged together for easy deployment.

Update Rollup 6 is available for all languages that are supported by Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

For more information about this release, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 970148: Update Rollup 6 is available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 or Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (KB 970148)

Important: This update is not necessary for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. All updates are installed automatically.

We recommend customers install the update rollup to keep your software performing at its best. Installing previous update rollups is not a requirement to installing the current rollup.