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August 19, 2008
CRM Reseller Customer Effective Partners with ExactTarget
By David Sims, TMCnet Contributing EditorCustomer Effective, a reseller of Microsoft (News - Alert) Dynamics CRM, announced a partnership with ExactTarget, a vendor of on-demand, e-mail and one-to-one marketing products.
With this partnership, Customer Effective officials say, the company will provide a product that "helps businesses target customers and prospects through integrated e-mail campaigns within Microsoft Dynamics CRM."
Clients of both Customer Effective and ExactTarget can use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to collect information to create e-mail marketing campaigns, company officials say — "Using ExactTarget's suite of marketing applications and Microsoft Dynamics CRM software, businesses can use information from departments such as customer service, sales and marketing" to design e-mail templates and timely communication.
Peter McCormick, co-founder and vice president of Partnerships for ExactTarget, called the partnership "unique," because "organizations now have the ability to reinforce customer relationships with personalized e-mails based on recent company interactions."
Using these two products in tandem, marketers can send event-triggered communications, as e-mail delivery, design and compliance are managed through the ExactTarget software.
Last month Customer Effective announced that it had earned the 2008 Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle distinction, placing it in "the upper echelon of Microsoft Dynamic's value added resellers and independent software vendors," company officials say.
According to Microsoft officials, member companies of the Inner Circle consist of the top one percent of all Microsoft Dynamics Partners worldwide, based on sales and new customer adds. Circle members are given opportunities to attend executive retreats and increased interaction with Microsoft executives.
Inclusion in Microsoft's Inner Circle also automatically confirms Customer Effective's membership status in the Microsoft President's Club, which recognizes the top five percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide for fiscal year 2008.
Scott Millwood, CEO of Customer Effective, said since 2002, Customer Effective has done projects for the Microsoft CRM Platform. The company sells business process automation, collaboration products and has engaged in "hundreds" of Microsoft CRM implementation projects.
In June Customer Effective announced the release of its User First Design Formula, the company's CRM implementation approach for delivering project objectives.
The User First Design Formula "focuses on user adoption as the single most critical aspect of CRM software implementation from smaller, single-site businesses to larger, sophisticated enterprises," company officials say.
The company's approach involves the deployment of CRM software in four phases. First is the defining phase, which involves getting needs defined directly from the users themselves, as opposed to IT or Sales Management alone. Second is the design phase, where Customer Effective's CRM team designs simple workflows and management dashboards.
Don’t forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users. Today’s featured white paper is Jim Cossetta, President, CEO, 4What Interactive, Creators of The VoIPTrainer, brought to you by 4What Interactive (News - Alert).
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David�s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.