Category: Industry Applications and Custom Solutions Articles

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is now available for even the smallest of enterprises. This is a proven business tool for retaining customers and adding new ones. CRM software solutions help your business by allowing you to maintain a database of information about each customer. For any business, this data can be used in many ways to improve customer service.

Now there are so many options out there for small businesses, so how do you choose? Here are some questions you need to answer before you decide to purchase:

Does the program have the ability to grow along with the business and can functions be added as your business expands?

Will your business retain ownership over all data entered into the CRM software and can that data be exported to another system when necessary?

Does it have a clear Service Level Agreement? It should clearly define commitments made by the software provider and should identify remedies if these obligations are not met.

Are there ongoing or recurrent costs associated with the program?

Is the program protected from malware or hackers? Your CRM solution providers should be able to show how your data is secured and protected.

Can a demo version be tested before buying? When testing the software, make common errors and serious mistakes in the data to see how the system handles malfunctions.

With these basic questions, you can now more or less determine if the software is best for your small business. Take note of the three most important criteria for choosing your CRM software:

Usability

The most important thing about your CRM is that it should be easy to use. If it isn’t, you could end up spending a lot of money teaching your team how to use the new system. Understand that you want a solution that works right out of the box and is easy to use with minimal training. Choose a CRM program that is designed to deliver maximum usability. It would be great if it’s as simple to use as an email program, as any team member familiar with basic email programs will be able to start using the CRM tool right away. This can save you a lot of time and money.

Functionality with your business

Successful implementation of a CRM strategy first requires an understanding of your business goals and objectives. An analysis of your business will turn up a list of the important features that your CRM software solution must have.
You have two options: Look for a program designed specifically for your field, possibly paying a vendor extra to design a program for your company, or you can opt for a commercially available program that you can customize to your needs. Find a fully customizable system that lets you set up your CRM to fit your business needs and goals. Start with your customers and your current situation and build your CRM system around that.

Conversion

Where do you currently keep your customer information? You will need to convert your current customer files into your new CRM system, so make this less tedious by choosing a system that lets you import information easily.

Do some research today to find the best CRM software for your business. Check out business sites for recommendations, visit vendor websites, look for customer reviews or testimonials, and evaluate your options before choosing a vendor. With all this information in hand, you as a small business owner can be confident that the software solution you select will do the job required for your business. To learn more about how All Covered can help with your IT and technology please contact us at All Covered or call 866-446-1133.

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What is it?

SharePoint is a Microsoft productivity tool that enables businesses to safely and efficiently share documents and information through one online access site. This collaboration program is ideal for small business because it allows project members, business partners, and clients to securely share documents regardless of location.

What does it do?

SharePoint manages documents by providing a host of tools that give project members, partners, and clients the ability to organize and share information at all stages of the project. Some of the integrated tools include:

• Check-in/check-out – this feature allows only one user at a time to access and modify any item. This feature prevents multiple copies from being created.
• Key word search – this advanced search feature will check all documents for specific words or phrases.
• Preconfigured access site – this feature allows immediate access to all tools included in SharePoint without any special installation options.
• Seamless integration with Microsoft Office 2007 – this feature allows users to create, edit, and review documents created in MS Office 2007. The enhanced calendar features allow project members to easily share key dates.
• Auto alerts – this feature sends out notifications, alerts, and RSS feeds about project changes.
• Task lists – this feature allows tasks to be assigned to specific project members, ensuring complete task ownership.
• Two-stage recycle bin – this feature helps prevent accidental deletions of important files.

How will it help your small business?

SharePoint software creates a secure connection and landing site that is affordable and easy to use. This program makes it simple to include employees, business partners, and clients on all stages of project development regardless of their physical locations. SharePoint is easily and affordably customizable due to many built in program functions – customization is a snap.

What should you do?

All small businesses need to reduce infrastructure costs and complexity – SharePoint can help your small business do this. SharePoint will reduce your needs for multiple file servers and make it easier for everyone to work together. To learn more about what SharePoint Server software solutions from Microsoft can do for your small business, please contact All Covered.

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Whether you’re hiring a new employee or switching to a new outsourced vendor, changing your current Information Technology solution can be risky business. Why? Perhaps more than in any other department, knowing what it takes to keep your technology systems running is knowledge seldom shared and rarely documented.

With our years of experience, serving thousands of clients in similar situations, All Covered knows the secrets of how to keep IT services running smoothly. Here are the 10 things you need to know before making an IT change.

1. What You Have
   Start with an inventory of your hardware and software. Or, better yet, get your current IT person or firm to document it all for you, from your network devices to operating systems and software programs.
2. Who’s Who?
   It would be surprising if you knew all your IT service providers; navigating a change is not when you want to be surprised. That’s why you need a contact list of all your providers: telephone, data access, security, website and email hosts, and any managed services. Be sure that you also have copies of all your current service agreements, as well as a clear understanding of what level of service they provide—for example, how long should it take for a response after you call.
3. How You Back-up
   Because data back-ups are among the most critical tasks your current IT person or firm handles, you could easily ask 10 questions about this area alone. How is the network backed-up? How often? What software is used, along with what hardware? Who does back-up verification? How often? Where are the back-ups stored? Who can retrieve back-ups? How are laptops included? Is there a plan for data restore? When was the system last tested?
4. The Passwords
   For many companies, the only person who knows the passwords is the now-former employee who just left. That’s why you need to know every password as well, for hardware and software. But more than that, you also need to know who has access to the passwords and where a record of the passwords are kept. Once you change your support solution, change your passwords, too.
5. Disks and Docs
   All documentation, configuration and installation disks for both software and hardware need to be collected, cataloged and contained in one area. You also need to have the product license keys and purchase information (date and place of purchase, price paid) for every copy of software that’s running on your network. These things are needed not only for troubleshooting the network but the kind of trouble your company could face if its IT systems are ever audited by the Business Software Alliance. Without this information, your company might have to pay fines and replacement costs.
6. Maintenance Schedules
   Like regular oil changes to keep your car running well, IT systems need regular maintenance to keep them from breaking. In that case, you need to know what maintenance tasks are being performed, when and by whom. Daily, weekly and monthly checklists are a good idea no matter what, but are essential during the transition.
7. Expert Inspections
   When was the last time a “second set of eyes” looked at your network? Having an independent expert, whether it’s a firm or a person, scour your computing infrastructure will ensure that your investment is protected and it may spot troubles before they start. For as little as a few hundred dollars, you could save far more in lawsuits, downtime and data recovery.
8. Are You Secure?
   When people talk about security these days, the buzz is mostly about viruses and spam and hackers. But external threats are really only half of the equation. Your IT systems are much more likely to be breeched internally. To ensure your company’s protection inside and out, have a written record of the security products and procedures, including rules of use for employees. And, finally, you need the answers to two big questions:
9. Is your system compliant with current industry regulations?
10. Where is your key data (financial, customer, legal, product) stored and who knows how to access it?

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All Covered is the only nationwide information technology services partner focused solely on the unique computing, networking, and application needs of small businesses. Serving thousands of organizations across every major industry, the company helps clients achieve their business objectives by lowering the cost and maximizing the performance of their IT systems. All Covered’s broad geographic reach, extensive knowledgebase, automated systems, proven methodology, and preferred vendor relationships meet the IT planning, design, procurement, implementation,maintenance, andmanagement requirements of both single- and multi-location businesses.

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