Professional Advantage Blog

Learning keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 may take some time to learn, but will eventually save you time once they become a part of your routine.  Here is a list of 15 keyboard shortcuts I compiled designed specifically to help you navigate Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.

1. Mobility
   Microsoft CRM Mobile will allow users to access their internet facing deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 through their favorite mobile devices including: Window Phone, Apple iPhone 3GS+, Google Android, Blackberry, and Apple iPad and iPad2.
2. Browser Flexibility
   Along with new mobility options, you will now be able to access Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in multiple browsers. After R8 has been deployed on your server, you will be able to view your CRM 2011 data on the Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari platforms.
3. Enhanced Social
   The new activity feeds feature was rolled out in the November Service update or R7 with social integration through CRM 2011. (Learn more about Activity Feeds) R8 brings enhanced social functionality to the table with features such as: comprehensive filtering and the “Like” and “Unlike” options.
4. Industry Templates
   Coming soon to the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace, CRM 2011 will now offer new industry specific templates. According to the R8 Release Preview Guide from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM website, the first templates that will be available with R8 include Life Annuity Insurance Sales, Non-Profit, Health Plan Sales, and Wealth Management.
5. SQL Server 2012
   If you are planning to upgrade your CRM deployment to SQL Server 2012, R8 will provide key features to take advantage of SQL Server 2012’s new functionality. Some of the new capabilities will include query performance boost, a new Reporting Services Add-in called Power View (for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010), and much more.
6. Certifications
   The Q2 2012 Service Update will include several certifications for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Service and Microsoft Data Centers.  These certifications are: ISO27001, SAS 70 Type II, SOX, SSAE 16 SOC1, Safe Harbor, Data Processing Agreement, EU Model Clauses and HIPAA compliance.

We look forward to the R8 arrival and the continued Microsoft Dynamics CRM investment. To see the full details of the Microsoft Q2 2012 Service Update download the R8 Release Preview Guide from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM website.

Looking for CRM software for the Staffing Industry? 
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It’s a busy time year. Many savvy Microsoft Dynamics GP users are fast at work with numerous activities centered on closing General Ledger, Payables Managements, and other various modules in GP. The climatic end may have arrived for some, but other are still vastly awaiting the dust to settle and/or Chuck Norris to show up in your server room to execute a few round house kicks. Regardless of your status, there are some good year-end maintenance practices you may want to look into after year-end closing.

A group of us went out after work last week and as I was passing through the office to see if anyone else wanted to take advantage of a drink on the company Amex card I noticed one of our testing machines furiously flashing through screens in our Microsoft Dynamics Staffing Software - far faster than any human could.  Here is a quick video showing the automated testing process and just how fast you can test the functionality of a product when you have multiple computers doing it.

Very few products live to become the industry standard, but when it comes to spreadsheets, Microsoft Office Excel, wears this title with honor.  With its repertoire of tools, Microsoft Excel 2010 and Microsoft Office suite in general, continue to dominate their competitors.  Excel brings to the table many great features including pivot tables, formulation, graphing tools, and much more, making it the undisputable number 5 pick for what I feel are the top 5 Microsoft technologies for the staffing and recruiting industry. If you missed the previous top picks, please visit my first four blog posts for picks #1-#4 of the top five Microsoft Technologies catering to the staffing industry:

Many staffing software solutions integrate with popular email clients like Microsoft Outlook 2010.  Some even design their own email functionality, but few are designed to function from within email clients, let alone the most versatile and widely used business email system, Microsoft Outlook.  This is the fourth of a series of five posts on what I feel are the top 5 Microsoft technologies for the staffing and recruiting industry. If you missed the previous top picks, please visit my first three posts:

Managing documents within your organization can be difficult without proper search and sharing capabilities. Enter Microsoft SharePoint. With tools like Business Connectivity Services (BCS) in SharePoint 2010, you are able to use Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Search software to connect to external data, such as your Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 database, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 database, or 1Staff staffing software. This is the third of a series of five posts regarding what I feel are the top 5 Microsoft technologies for the staffing and recruiting industry. If you missed the first two posts, please visit my #1 pick and #2 pick for the top five Microsoft Technologies catering to the staffing industry.

Software is an ever-evolving, infinite world of new releases, updates, and service packs. Why should your organization be left in the dust when your software provider fails to deliver enhancement? Microsoft has provided and will continue to deliver cutting edge technologies that consistently add value to your software investment. This is the second of a series of five posts regarding what I feel are the top 5 Microsoft technologies for the staffing and recruiting industry. If you missed the first post, please visit my #1 pick for the top five Microsoft Technologies catering to the staffing industry.

Microsoft Corporation has long been a front runner in the software, computing and general technology industries. With its impeccable history of delivering sustainable value with its technology developments, users can breathe-easy knowing their Microsoft investment comes with a deserving enhancement security. This is the first of a series of posts I will deliver regarding what I feel are the top 5 Microsoft technologies for the staffing and recruiting industry.

Simplify Your Recruiting and Sales Process
One exclusively notable new feature rolled out in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 November update is the Activity Feed feature.  This powerful tool allows users of an organization to communicate, collaborate, and update information for a particular record inside Dynamics CRM and 1Staff, then monitor that record, through a Facebook-like user interface.  The application includes a main record wall, where updates are posted from a collection of records you wish follow, and a record wall for each particular entity activity feeds are configured.  (See my previous post for configuration and setup of the Activity Feeds)