One of the core functionalities you envision for your CRM system is the ability to send emails to your leads and contact lists. This is likely a core part of your marketing plan, and a real must have. After you begin using Dynamics CRM Online to manage your sales and marketing database, take a look at the email options Dynamics CRM provides. These are as follows:
· Direct Mail to leads/contacts using Email Templates
· Mail Merge or Dynamic CRM email used with Marketing Campaigns
The send mechanisms available are either:
· Email Router
· Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook
You may find that most of your Sales Team is comfortable using the Dynamics CRM Client for Outlook, and in this case you can opt for the simpler Outlook sending option. As far the method of sending, try using a mix that works. For targeted emails to specific leads/contacts you can use the Dynamics CRM option of create an email from within a Marketing Campaign. For monthly newsletters, use Mail Merge, since this gives you the opportunity to use a Word-formatted email appropriate for newsletters, and for standard response to new leads/inquires, use the Direct Mail with Email Templates option.
What’s nice is that several options are provided, and that means you can choose the option that best suits your needs.
Something we’d like to see in future versions of Dynamics CRM is the ability to create emails from within CRM with Word-like editing tools, which could circumvent the need for using Word Mail Merge.
Eli Stutz,
Head of Knowledge and Collaboration, PNMsoft
Contact me: elis@pnmsoft.com