Top 5 features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 release has many new and improved features, which presents great improvements in how we can utilize the platform better. The updates will enable marketers to plan and execute marketing campaigns better, track impact, and strengthen collaborations with the sales process.
Customers today have higher expectations from businesses and to meet these needs, it’s mandatory to collaborate and bring in solutions which will help to reduce the gap between divisions which work towards customer satisfaction.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 is set to release in Q4 2014 (December). And as we studied the new release, we realized there are a few features which will bring about a change, in the good sense, for all users.

Product Families

• Suggestions: Cross – selling or up- selling requires related product linkages, or formation of product families. Opportunity and customer records can help sales professionals bring in better conversion/customer when products are correctly categorized
• Bundling: Products can be bundled and offered as packages, for discounts and offers
• Regional pricelist: Products can be bundled and offered as packages, based on regional requirements and assessments
• Product properties: Increased number of parameters for a product. Though these can be achieved through customizations in Dynamics CRM 2013, product properties will give more flexibility in various in-house processes
• Import/Export products: Configuration migration tool, introduced in Dynamics CRM 2013 has been improved to support product migrations in Dynamics CRM 2015

Guided Sales Process

• Further improves the business processes introduced in Dynamics CRM 2013 to enable organization implement complex business processes
• Conditional branching has brought about more specificity to business processes
• As compared to the wizard in Dynamics CRM 2013, Dynamics CRM 2015 offers custom programming options bringing in the possibility of implementing complex business logics

Mobile Enhancements

• Offline draft capabilities on mobile devices which are synced when the user is back online
• All dashboards are available on tablets

Case Management

• Different Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to bring in flexible support and service requirements
• Pause and Resume SLAs to track time efficiently through system settings
• Track and analyze each key metrics and individual SLA

Search

• With the new release, search within Dynamics CRM 2015 will be simpler and will allow for the usage of asterisks as wildcard characters
• Search is customizable and configurable. The search can be across multiple record types.
• Search can be configured on specific fields of preferred entities, improving search performance

One of the smaller (for now), enhancement which has been brought in, is Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1 devices, using which, users will be able to talk to the customer relationship management suite. Setting up meetings/reminders, searching contacts, accounts or activities, creating new records, etc. will be a breeze using Cortana.
All the features which have been added to Dynamics CRM 2015 suite is in line with the push by Microsoft to ensure the system is simple to use, and works to streamline the life of its users. Microsoft is also continuing to expand its global availability. 17 countries were being serviced till last August, and with this release, Microsoft announced it has added another 17 countries to Dynamics CRM Online’s roster, making it available in over 65 markets.
Nalashaa has been pioneering in various Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation and we offer a fixed price CRM upgrade for customers who would like to upgrade their system to Dynamics CRM 2013. Know more about our Microsoft Dynamics CRM works.
Contact us for further queries on Dynamics CRM implementation or Support.

Rozgar Pakistan: Pakistan’s First Online Marketplace For Freelancers and Recruiters

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is now a $150 billion industry, growing at 6% per year according to a report. Online workplaces and freelance market places have completely changed the recruitment dynamics around the world. Pakistan, being one of the most important emerging markets from Asia, has colossal talent and substantial contributions to the freelance industry.
However, the need for a local platform like oDesk or Elance has always been felt and there is an interesting new service which might fill this void. It is called Rozgar Pakistan and it is using the model of well established freelance services.
To get started with the service, you sign up as either a “Freelancer” or an “Employer”.

Freelancer accounts can be linked with “Companies”. Company name and description will appear with the credentials of the freelancer in a GIG. Freelancers can also “Add Services” by specifying the exact details about the offered GIG. Once you publish the service, you will be notified via SMS that your GIG is live now.

Employers On Rozgar Pakistan

Employers can sift through different categories of Rozgar Pakistan and search offered services from different freelancers. There is a diverse range of categories like WordPress, Web Development, Virtual Assistant, Blogging, Apps etc.

Payment System and Fee

Rozgar Pakistan uses an “Escrow Funding” mode. An employer can fund the escrow at the start of the job. The service claims that the funds are released at the choice of employer, when the job is completed. The service also claims that payments are 100% secure. Freelancers can receive money in PKR in their accounts via Wire Transfer payment method.
What is surprising for me is that the company deducts $8 per wire transfer. That does not include 3.75% deduction from each package that is finalized. So let’s say you have done a deal of $100. At the end, you will get around $88 in hand. That is more than what should be charged for a local service.

Disputes

Disputes can be filed in case of problems between freelancers and employers. Rozgar Pakistan will ask the freelancer to produce the proof for the dispute. All disputes are solved within 4 days after filing according to the service.

Problems With Rozgar Pakistan Platform

The website lacks portfolio management and clarity. Almost all the freelancer profiles I saw had no rating. Most of them were incomplete profiles, having no or very little information. But we are hoping that this will change with time as more data will be populated along the days to come.
One of the major flaws of Rozgar Pakistan is the one sided recruitment model. If I am an employer and want to put a job description with an offer on my own terms, Rozgar Pakistan seems to have no option to take care of this. An employer will have to sift through all the services painstakingly, negotiate and ask for specific details to match their requirements. However, this is something that is promised in future updates.
Another very confusing thing is that Rogzar Pakistan states that buyers will have to use “PayPal” service to buy any GIG. Yep, PayPal isn’t yet available in Pakistan. The whole concept for a local service goes out of the window if you are alienating local buyers. We hope this is fixed fast otherwise the venture is doomed to fail.

Verdict

Rozgar Pakistan is a step in the right direction. Pakistan badly needs recruitment ventures like these in order to integrate open marketplace trends of the world. Local freelance hubs are a nascent market and Rozgar Pakistan has the chance to be get a foothold in the field but they have plenty of issues to sort out before that happens. You can visit the site here.