How TD SYNNEX helps Concise CRM deliver cultural transformation
As a veteran of the CRM industry, Concise CRM’s founder and Managing Director, Steve Blunn, knows what he’s talking about when it comes to using technology to drive transformation. Having previously founded and owned two award-winning onpremise CRM practices he took a career-defining decision in late 2013: to set up a new business where CRM was delivered solely via the cloud.
An online revelation
The realisation came not at a vendor conference or briefing, but when Steve was sat in his home office downloading Office 365.
‘When I set up my previous businesses, I went through the long, drawn-out process of purchasing servers and operating systems, getting them delivered and then getting them set up. But here I was, equipped with just a credit card, and within 40 minutes I had set up a fully operational enterprise-level service that was fast, reliable and massively scalable. I knew then that my next business would be cloud-based.’
In 2014 Concise CRM was born and in the two years that followed, Concise CRM helped more than 35 businesses to successfully adopt Dynamics 365 CRM.
The Dynamics 365 Opportunity
- Mature marketplace – Office 365 has seeded lots of businesses for cloud services
- Works seamlessly with Office 365 – becoming an extension of the existing working environment
- Much of the sales process is already underway with organisations that haveOffice 365
- The broader Dynamics 365 suite offers a turnkey solution of integrated financials, sales & marketing
Tackling cultural challenges
The beauty of Dynamics 365 CRM for Steve was that it changed the conversation from being one of a software platform and compatibility, to one with more emphasis on the challenge most often faced by businesses who want to implement CRM: that of change.
‘Installing CRM is one thing,’ explains Steve, ‘getting the best out of it is another. The solution itself is an enabler to cultural change within an organisation – people don’t ask for CRM because they want new software, they ask for it because they want to be a more successful business. What we do is to firstly understand what a company needs – initially it could just be improved contact management – and from there we set their expectations and plan their CRM journey. With Dynamics CRM being so quick and easy to implement we focus less on the platform and more on the business need.’
With many of Concise CRM’s customers already well established within their field, Steve has direct experience of the kind of challenge implementing CRM can bring to employees at a personal level – and it’s this approach which takes Concise CRM beyond providing licences to providing Best Practice.
‘When you’re dealing with a successful fund manager who’s been happily working in Excel for 20 years, you can’t simply present him or her with a piece of software and expect them to immediately want to use it. With Dynamics 365 CRM being so intuitive, the conversation turns to delivering personalised benefits, not learning a new system.’
The results of a ‘perfect storm’
- 35 customers signed up within 2 years
- Protected billing relationship
- Portfolio of ‘to-customer’ and ‘to-partner’ services
- Increased margins
- Direct relationship with experienced TD SYNNEX account team
A different selling dynamic
What also appealed to Steve about Dynamics 365 CRM was that it offered a different approach to selling. With the market already mature in terms of online communication and collaboration tools thanks to Office 365, Dynamics 365 CRM becomes a logical next step in the process of increasing business efficiency and improving the ability to analyse, and act upon, valuable customer data.
‘Dynamics 365 CRM is a great fit for any business using Office 365, it plays so nicely that it’s a natural extension of a user’s existing environment.’
The right partnership
With the decision taken to get the business on Dynamics 365 CRM, the final component for Steve was in finding the right purchasing partnership, which is where TD SYNNEX stepped in.
‘Maintaining the billing relationship with customers is vital to the success of any business and the old CSA way of licensing didn’t allow me (or the rest of the partner community) to do so. Fortunately, shortly after Concise CRM came to the market, the CSP programme was launched and Microsoft put us in touch with TD SYNNEX.’
Advice for the Channel
- Deploy your internal use licences so you can live the customer experience
- Speak to Concise CRM to understand how to make the most out of your entitlement
- Have a business-led conversation with your customers to define the CRM journey required
- Engage with TD SYNNEX to understand the CSP offering
Opportunity for all
With a range of distributors offering the CSP programme, Steve was under no obligation to follow Microsoft’s recommendation but, two years on from the initial meeting, he’s still pleased with his decision.
‘What works for me about the TD SYNNEX relationship is that they give me a personal interface into what some people would describe as the ‘massive machine’ of Microsoft. They understand that not every issue is black and white and that sometimes you need to have a conversation – the people I deal with get the complexities of business and go out on a limb to make things right.’
A ‘perfect storm’
‘The way I see it, we’ve got a perfect storm: a mature marketplace that’s ready to consume more cloud services, an exciting offering in the broader Dynamics 365 suite of solutions and a licensing model that means you can retain the customer billing relationship. If you’re selling Office 365 then you should be selling Dynamics 365 CRM – it requires a more business-orientated conversation but you shouldn’t be fearful of it.’
A culture of success
Working with TD SYNNEX to provide Dynamics 365 CRM via CSP means that Steve and the Concise CRM team can focus on helping their customers with the most important part of CRM – leading them through a cultural change that will drive greater business success.
Working with TD SYNNEX could be your catalyst for change. To find out more contact Dwayne Earl, Business Unit Manager atdwayne.earl@techdata.co.uk
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