A family-owned printer required screen printing business software to better manage its sales and work orders. The company primarily provided large advertising materials like banners, signs and car wraps for a variety of industries. Each client had particular needs for products and the office still relied on a paper-based system to track the details.
After acquiring Office 365 from Red Level Networks, the printing business felt it could gain better client and project visibility through Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. The printer received a referral for the TM Group from Red Level Networks and the two companies worked together to streamline their joint client’s business processes.
The company’s issues
The printing business was happy with its accounting software. It felt it had a handle on its back-end financials, but wanted the same kind of centralized recording for its clients’ demands and ongoing projects.
Before implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM with The TM Group, the office had an archaic job tracking system on an old server. Employees would print off initial order documents and write in details by hand. They would then pass the physical sheets around the office. The system was slow and didn’t provide leadership with the capability to track jobs in real time. Information was scattered about the business and it was difficult to know which employee had what.
At first, the organization was just interested in Office 365 as a solution to their documentation management problems, but after doing some research, managers felt that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online could help them with some of their operational issues. Red Level Networks as their Office 365 provider recommended The TM Group knowing of its ability to work with a variety of different industries with unique needs.
Specialized Implementation
Since the company already had legacy systems in place it didn’t want to remove or change, The TM Group had to implement the new CRM solution to work in conjunction with the current infrastructure.
One of TMG’s CRM Consultants guided the company through the implementation process and helped design their system specifically around their printing project management requirements. The company is using accounts, contacts, opportunities, quotes, invoices, products and activities in Dynamics CRM Online to track jobs from initial prospective client interactions to finished products to customers.
The TM Group provided the printing business with some customizations by TMG’s development practice designed specifically for its industry. For example, TMG built printing product standards into the CRM solution. Employees can now use specialized merchandise templates and easily change pricing for particular clients.
Additional solutions
The TM Group’s CRM consultant also implemented the c360 Documents Core Pack360 enhancement along with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. While the company was now able to share order and project information through the CRM system, certain members of the organization – particularly those creating products – still wanted physical forms. Employees can use the c360 Documents Core Pack360 to print PDF’s of CRM job, quote and invoice documents.
Increased Visibility and Productivity
Managers can check a specialized CRM dashboard to track current projects. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution provides overseers with insight into which phase a client order is currently in and which tasks are on deck for completion.
Having complete visibility of operations allows managers to create accurate projections of expected revenue and current resource allocation. Every member of the team received improved understanding of daily activities and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution provided the streamlined project documentation the organization needed.