Automation and Integration Through Your CRM

Last week, I wrote about “Selecting a CRM and Automating Your Data Mining.” This week, I’ll continue to focus on automation, but will focus more on automation with integration. While getting data and using technology is essential to using it effectively, the fact is that not everything you have is in a CRM, so integrating with various systems saves you time and money and allows your automation to work more effectively for you.
Let’s Start at the Very Beginning …

OK, so you’re sick of hearing me say that everything revolves around “data, data, and more data.” I understand, but cannot stress how truly important it is; and if we are going to start by talking about data, then the real question should be … where is your data? Data comes in from leads and internal systems, both of which will live outside of your CRM … thus, the topic of integration.

As this blog is labeled eBizlessons, you know that I will concentrate with inclusion of online data, but not limit the discussion. Online, we have data coming from online forms, eMails, surveys, social media, and much more. To capture that data, you should review your “arsenal of weapons” and set up common integration methods between them. This is where a very knowledgeable IT tech or an outside vendor comes into play. They’ll review the various entry points, discuss current and future plans and provide pros and cons for the integration into your CRM. I would highly suggest that this person or persons should be your best friend as you can concentrate on your marketing campaign and they can concentrate on how it will interact.

I wrote about some of the key items to capture in a previous blog, so I won’t spend time on that, but will say that as you review the data it’s important to know when the data was captured, what source (or marketing initiative), obviously the customer data, and more. If you can map this data effectively in your CRM, you’ll be able to take your marketing to a new level … this why database administrators are SO VALUABLE!


Leveraging APIs


While it is important to use the knowledge of your IT tech or outside consultant, it is also important to save money. This is where a well established service provider justifies their benefits to a company. Not only do have unique, specialized experience in a particular medium, but most develop APIs (Application Programming Interface) that allow much easier integration between systems.

An example of how to use an effective API is through eMail and CRM. I’ve been open about the fact that I have experience with ExactTarget and Microsoft Dynamics CRM and am very pleased with the integration that they have already provided to their customers. In the case of ExactTarget and Microsoft CRM, the actual eMail is built using the ExactTarget tool; however, when you are ready to send your eMail, the send is based on the API and is coordinated through Microsoft CRM. This allows easy updates to my marketing list, flexible customization through CRM data (i.e. personalizing eMails using dynamic content with the CRM data, and more), but more importantly capturing from the results of the eMail send (like click-through-rates, open rate, links chosen, and more). This also showcases the flexibility of two-way communication between the two systems based on well-built APIs.


Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still need a good IT tech or consultant to set up your APIs effectively, but if you spend some time with them, it will pay off dividends in the future.
Finally, a well thought through process will utilize workflows to trigger a process. In the “Selecting a CRM and Automating Your Data Mining” blog, I wrote an example of how a completed web form could trigger a response via eMail. That’s a very common example, so let’s take that example to the next level. What if the data captured from that web form was associated with a well established customer. Wouldn’t it be nice to create a workflow that could alert certain representatives within your company (maybe a salesman, account or branch manager, or even your service or accounting departments)? Their involvement in the early stages of a sales call could save valuable time and money through early credit check, alerts on service issues, etc. In addition, if APIs are set up between various systems, you could integrate your data to set up alerts via eMail or SMS. The possibilities are only limited by the integration that you have as that is where automation features begin or end.
Final Comments

I would like to end with a problem that exists as customers that won’t be solved unless you speak your mind. The problem is that not all APIs are set up between every system. In fact, I have grown to have a distaste of an analytic provider that I’ve used called Omniture. While Omniture is a very good company, their lack of integration between Microsoft CRM and ExactTarget has caused a loss of analytic data. For three years this request has been made while their integration remains in place between a different CRM system and ExactTarget. You as a customer cannot remain quiet about your needs as APIs are not build unless the vendors here of your needs.
Finally and as I ended last week, if you are interested in more information and can attend the Microsoft Convergence conference in Atlanta, GA on April 25 - 27, I’ll be speaking on the topic, “Unleashing the Power of Marketing Automation.” Also, don’t forget to send me your comments or questions and remember to follow my Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/ebizlessons or my FaceBook feed at http://facebook.com/ebizlessons for daily updates to complement this blog.