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Web Analytics Integrates with CRM for More Effective Marketing, Sales and Service
WebTrends, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, provides enterprise-class Web analytics and marketing performance management solutions to marketing professionals worldwide. Established in 1995 and now a veteran in the Web analytics industry, WebTrends still sees tremendous opportunity ahead for enterprise marketing technology.
Business Needs
One of the most valuable opportunities for improved enterprise marketing is the integration of online and offline customer data, or the tying together of Web analytics with customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning systems. “Even though customer online activity is relevant and valuable to sales, service, and executive management, Web analytics has traditionally been a marketing-only operation,” says Tom Williams, Business Development Manager for WebTrends. “We wanted to build a comprehensive marketing system that maintains best-of-breed functionality.”
Solution
To extend the value of its Web analytics solution, WebTrends worked with Microsoft Gold Certified Partners ExactTarget and Customer Effective on tie-ins for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers ISVs (independent software vendors), VARs (value added resellers), and business analysts a business application platform upon which they can build a wide range of applications. WebTrends and its partners are also working with a pre-release version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, code named “Titan,” to ensure their integrations will work with the upcoming version.
The WebTrends integration takes Web analytics data from the WebTrends Marketing Warehouse, based on Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005, and makes relevant customer online activity available from within Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Using the new solution, people in marketing, sales, service, and executive management see Web analytics data associated with an individual customer, an account, an industry, or geography. The new data also feeds into an “Interactions” view in Microsoft Dynamics CRM (built by Customer Effective) that incorporates all points of customer contact, including Web interactions, telephone calls, e-mails, and Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 meetings and notes.
Using Windows® Workflow Foundation, part of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0, the WebTrends integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM also automates the routing of customer leads and requests for information to appropriate salespeople or service representatives. For example, when a visitor to a company’s Web site requests information about a product, that request is automatically routed to a salesperson in the appropriate geographic region or product group.
The WebTrends integration takes Web analytics data from the WebTrends Marketing Warehouse, based on Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005, and makes relevant customer online activity available from within Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Using the new solution, people in marketing, sales, service, and executive management see Web analytics data associated with an individual customer, an account, an industry, or geography. The new data also feeds into an “Interactions” view in Microsoft Dynamics CRM (built by Customer Effective) that incorporates all points of customer contact, including Web interactions, telephone calls, e-mails, and Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 meetings and notes.
Using Windows® Workflow Foundation, part of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0, the WebTrends integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM also automates the routing of customer leads and requests for information to appropriate salespeople or service representatives. For example, when a visitor to a company’s Web site requests information about a product, that request is automatically routed to a salesperson in the appropriate geographic region or product group.
Benefits
The WebTrends solution, based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, solves one of the core difficulties of enterprise marketing by pooling customer data into a single repository for a complete view of customers. With a 360-degree view of customers in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, companies can close the loop on online leads more intelligently and faster.
“If you listen carefully, customers will tell you how they want to interact with your company. WebTrends and Microsoft Dynamics CRM make it easier for companies to take action on these requests,” says Williams.
Easy Integration with Existing Services
WebTrends took advantage of the Web services and other interoperability capabilities supported in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to build a solution that is robust and easy to implement.
“Microsoft Dynamics CRM lowers the barrier for integration with existing technology, both technically and through support from Microsoft,” says Williams. “The Microsoft Dynamics CRM team was engaged and proactive, and made the project incredibly collaborative. Comparatively, we felt other CRM vendors did not provide the same level of support.”
Flexible Deployment
The software as a service (SaaS) option for Microsoft Dynamics CRM “Titan” fits with WebTrends’s strategy of providing scalable, cost-effective services that quickly demonstrate value to customers. “Hosted solutions have worked well for us and allowed us to support departments within enterprises,” says Williams. “We expect the SaaS option for Microsoft Dynamics CRM to show the same results, allowing departments with limited budgets to get the service they need without the complexities of an on-premise deployment.”
Increased Workflow Automation
“Windows Workflow Foundation in Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows us to eliminate the paper trail and speed responses to customers. Instead of someone having to filter customer requests manually, requests are automatically routed to the right people,” explains Williams. Similarly, WebTrends takes advantage of the role-tailored views for marketing, sales, and service personnel in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to route only relevant data to people in those roles.
“If you listen carefully, customers will tell you how they want to interact with your company. WebTrends and Microsoft Dynamics CRM make it easier for companies to take action on these requests,” says Williams.
Easy Integration with Existing Services
WebTrends took advantage of the Web services and other interoperability capabilities supported in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to build a solution that is robust and easy to implement.
“Microsoft Dynamics CRM lowers the barrier for integration with existing technology, both technically and through support from Microsoft,” says Williams. “The Microsoft Dynamics CRM team was engaged and proactive, and made the project incredibly collaborative. Comparatively, we felt other CRM vendors did not provide the same level of support.”
Flexible Deployment
The software as a service (SaaS) option for Microsoft Dynamics CRM “Titan” fits with WebTrends’s strategy of providing scalable, cost-effective services that quickly demonstrate value to customers. “Hosted solutions have worked well for us and allowed us to support departments within enterprises,” says Williams. “We expect the SaaS option for Microsoft Dynamics CRM to show the same results, allowing departments with limited budgets to get the service they need without the complexities of an on-premise deployment.”
Increased Workflow Automation
“Windows Workflow Foundation in Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows us to eliminate the paper trail and speed responses to customers. Instead of someone having to filter customer requests manually, requests are automatically routed to the right people,” explains Williams. Similarly, WebTrends takes advantage of the role-tailored views for marketing, sales, and service personnel in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to route only relevant data to people in those roles.
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