Dynamic, Durable CRM Solution Crafted for Education Client

The Customer’s Always Right!

Effective customer relationship management (CRM) is integral to business success. If you don’t cultivate and maintain positive interactions with customers, you don’t stand much of a chance. This is especially true in virtual business models, where your customer connection is managed through email or web contact.

Recently, a client in the education field experienced some serious challenges both with its CRM capabilities and an unresponsive resource. After visiting the MicroAge booth at an industry convention, the company turned to MicroAge to develop a credible solution. The client provides key services connecting college students to academic institutions and was experiencing difficulties in the delivery of virtual CRM. Prior to partnering with MicroAge, the client worked with another resource that could not address significant issues after repeated attempts. The problem, from our point of view, was that the client needed a customized, managed solution that met their specific needs, not a generic bundle of services.

Further, the company clearly needed a solution that could handle daily updates and which included follow-up support, both in virtual and actual terms. The client agreed, ended its previous association, and mapped out its requirements in a comprehensive, 25-page assessment for MicroAge to address.

Upon review, MicroAge Solution Expert Chris Pirwitz developed a Scope of Work to manage and deliver the recommended solution using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. Considering the project’s complexities, he invited fellow MicroAge colleague Barrett Lamothe to assist—Barrett’s specific technical expertise made him a highly valuable addition in terms of developing the CRM solution. Chris comments, “After reviewing the project assessment, we distributed our own requirement lists to various vendors specializing in the CRM arena. Within the context of the overarching Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 solution, we reached out to supporting vendors with expertise in business intelligence to further customize the client’s software and platform structure.”

A collaborative team of vendors and MicroAge project management services resulted in a dynamic, durable solution. Again, as Chris says, “After working both on and off site with the client for a number of weeks, we rolled out the CRM and virtualization solution. As virtualization required extensive training of client personnel on the various hardware and software applications involved, Barrett and I provide regular follow-up support to the client on weekly basis. And since the solution has been implemented, the client has enjoyed the consistency and reliability of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 that meets its needs without interruption.”

In fact, the client was so pleased with the success of the solution that they recently approached MicroAge to implement another IT project, which is currently under way. “This engagement was both urgent and significant—the client’s system was on the verge of failing and upon conducting a site visit, Chris and I worked on extensive planning for a highly complex solution. Project management was imperative; Chris was an excellent quarterback in moving the project forward,” says MicroAge’s Wyatt Bowman, Chief Engineer and Director of Technical Sales & Professional Services.

‘Keeping the customer satisfied’ is a tried-and-true maxim for any organization; at MicroAge, it is central to how we flexibly address every client’s needs to ensure we deliver the best possible solution.