As your business grows in size and complexity, the tools that once supported you may now be holding you back. You’re faced with an important decision: replace your basic accounting software or continue down a path that leads to dissatisfied customers, lost sales, and the risk of falling behind your competition. If you recognize any of these warning signs, the time has come to make a change.

1. Your accounting software’s older than the college grads applying for jobs with your business. If you have fond memories of Y2K-proofing your current accounting system, it’s clearly past its prime. Today’s digital native workforce expects technology to support how they want to work, not limit functionality.

2. You are losing sales to competitors with inferior products. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best of the best—if you can’t provide visibility into available stock, account information, or self-service options, customer service and sales will falter.

3. You spend more time hunting for information than you do planning for ways to grow your business. You got into business to innovate for your customers, not spend endless cycles digging for details buried in disconnected applications. If strategic thinking and growth planning are taking a back seat to an ever-growing to-do list, it’s time for your technology to step up.

4. Your ordering process still requires a telephone or fax machine, and no matter how many employees you hire, you just can’t keep up with demand. Outdated technology can’t scale to meet the growth rate of today’s businesses, and customers that don’t get served quickly and conveniently (or can’t serve themselves easily) usually don’t come back.

5. You would rather take your chances with a pit full of rattlesnakes than your impending audit. If you do not have an audit trail, or workflows in place to protect your assets and keep you compliant with industry regulations, your company could be at risk.

6. The high and lows of your cash flow cycles make you wonder if a Magic 8 Ball might be a better way to manage your financials. How many details about expenses or past-due accounts end up only jotted down on sticky notes or captured in one-off spreadsheets? Without an accurate, comprehensive view of where you’re spending and earning, knowing when and where to cut costs is going to take more than luck. Before implementing a cloud-based Microsoft business solution, Georgia Swarm Lacrosse was unable to utilize data like player stats, game stats, and player costs like payroll and travel expenses. Now, with the ability to analyze the cost per player, per game, they are able to operate much more cost-effectively.

7. You’re “pretty sure” that you might have that product “somewhere” in your warehouse.
If your system can’t tell you what is in stock, what is on order, and what is allocated to a customer, you’re not alone. Surprisingly, many highly visible and sophisticated companies operate without a firm handle on their inventory—often to unfavorable results. If your software doesn’t easily provide you with this information, it’s time to upgrade.

8. Every news report on a data breach has you thinking it’s just a matter of time until you face the same scrutiny. You lose sleep worrying about malware, back-ups, security breaches, and fraud. The idea of your sales team’s laptops and devices getting stolen fills you with dread that critical business data may be compromised or forever lost.

9. You are doing more accounting outside of your accounting software than in it. Outdated or ill-fitting accounting systems tend to spawn one-off lists and manually updated spreadsheets that are disconnected and hard to reconcile. Without a centralized, holistic view of your data, future growth is stifled, and making educated decisions about new product lines or locations is nearly impossible, not to mention risky.

10. You are green with envy when watching others run their businesses from a smartphone. When answering a customer’s question means having to first go into the office or call someone else to help, you’re losing credibility. You need true mobility to be able to respond to new opportunities and customer expectations.

You may have outgrown your accounting system, but finding the right fit is easy. Explore how a business solution from Microsoft can improve your business today and help you achieve your ambitions for tomorrow. For further inspiration, be sure to check out The SMB’s Guide to Replacing Accounting Software, and get ready to reap the benefits of a complete, trusted, and familiar business solution from Microsoft. 

The post Top 10 Reasons to Replace Your Accounting Software appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Mobility is no longer a future trend. It’s an undeniable fact of business today. Not only have mobile devices infiltrated our lives, they’ve brought a whole range of activities—previously limited to desktops and laptops—to our fingertips. More essential than ever, mobility is a powerful tool for startups and growing businesses to empower workers and connect with customers.

To succeed in this new cloud-first, mobile-first reality means more than just allowing your employees to bring their devices to work. Your mobility strategy needs to connect your people, data, and business systems in a way that enables sales growth, reduces costs, delights customers, and puts you ahead of the competition.

Components of a winning solution. Connected mobile solutions are more accessible to small and midsize businesses than ever before. To compete and win, here’s what you need as part of your mobile strategy:

• Remote access to business applications. Business happens everywhere. No matter where you are, you need secure access to your financial and customer relationship management data.
• Data analysis tools. The data you’re collecting from sales, finance, customers, and operations management systems is only as good as the insights you can glean from it.
• Business-class communication and collaboration. Effective collaboration relies on secure email, calendar, real-time communication (voice, instant messaging, and online meetings), shared workspaces, and internal sites.
• Content creation applications. Look for familiar, standard tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other business communication components.
• Storage and synchronization. Enterprise-grade cloud storage keeps your information protected, accessible, and synchronized across devices.

A solid mobile strategy starts in the cloud. Cloud-based business applications and productivity tools offer better economics, convenience, capabilities, and security while enabling your mobile and remote workers to achieve more. Customers, partners, and employees increasingly demand anywhere, anytime access to data and content—think mobile-first, cloud-first to deliver what they need.

All the right pieces come together. What should you be looking for in your cloud solution? Piecemeal solutions or consumer-oriented tools may offer compelling features, but the added complexity and greater risks can lead to hidden costs. To succeed, you need business-class performance, comprehensive capabilities, familiar and consistent user experience, and enterprise-grade security, all from a single, trustworthy cloud provider.

Take a guided tour to see how a cloud-based business solution from Microsoft can help you more effectively manage customer relationships, financials, and operations from anywhere. For more tips on developing your mobile strategy, be sure to read The Cloud as a Platform e-book.

The post How the Cloud Levels the Playing Field for Small and Midsize Businesses appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Today’s business landscape is a far cry from that of only a decade ago. With the rise of mobile devices and cloud-based tools and applications, the way we interact with customers and manage operations has changed dramatically. New trends have emerged that can greatly impact the success of your business. Are you prepared to respond to these trends and turn them into a competitive advantage?

1. Keeping pace with a mobile workforce. Anywhere access to relevant business data (inventory, account status, purchase history) is the new normal—your customers expect it!
2. IT moves to the background. Gone are the days of making decisions based on what your technology can handle; business systems take a back seat to business outcomes.
3. The “Internet of Things.” Information is everywhere and is being used to spot patterns, trends, and buying behaviors. Are you tapping into data from all your appliances and devices?
4. Security across devices and the cloud. Loss or theft of devices can be crippling in today’s increasingly mobile workplace. Cloud-based protection keeps your data secure.
5. Ever-changing compliance regulations. While there’s no crystal ball to anticipate regulatory changes, a cloud-based solution is flexible enough to adapt quickly and keep you in check.
6. Digital natives move up the corporate ladder. Today’s workforce expects technology to support and grow with them, not to limit what they can offer to customers.
7. The age of data analysis. Collecting data is one part; understanding it is another. Harnessing your business data brings you valuable insights that help you get and stay ahead.

From challenge to advantage. Capitalizing on these industry trends is easier than ever before with powerful, affordable, enterprise-grade business solutions from Microsoft designed for small and midsize companies. The cloud is leveling the playing field, allowing businesses of all sizes to compete effectively and grow efficiently.

Gaining an edge in the cloud. Construction firm Antana reduced costs and boosted workers’ confidence by moving to a Microsoft cloud-based solution that automated formerly manual processes and increased the mobility and productivity of its salesforce. And WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems is using the Microsoft Cloud to power its rapid growth while strengthening company culture, boosting worker capabilities, and saving money.

Read the 7 Game Changing Trends for SMBs white paper to learn more about how Microsoft is helping small and midsize businesses turn these industry game-changers into a competitive advantage. And see how a business solution from Microsoft can help you grow sales, manage your financials, streamline your operations, and delight your customers. 

The post 7 Game-Changing Trends for Small and Midsize Businesses appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Your business is blossoming. You’ve watched it grow from a blip on the economic radar to a serious local contender. You know it’s time to expand, but the phrase “growing pains” doesn’t exist without reason, and many small and midsize business (SMB) owners seem to flounder just when prospects look their best.

An expanded business needs more comprehensive solutions than you may be used to. The good news is, since yours isn’t the first company to transition from “small fry” to industry competitor, there’s no reason that you should have to make the same mistakes others have. In this article we’ll cover three of the most important goals to keep in mind (and the challenges they present) as you take your business to the next level.

1. Improve customer retention. Believe it or not, the best way to expand your business is to make sure your existing customers are loyal and happy. BIA Kelsey reports that returning customers tend to spend 67 percent more on average when compared to first-time shoppers, and for SMBs like your own, this repeat business can actually account for over half of your profits.

So how do you improve customer retention during a period of expansion? You adopt new tools that help you manage contacts, prioritize leads, and drive sales. You deploy them in a way that works seamlessly with tools you already use, saving your agents training time and showing your customers that the new face of your business is centered on them.

2. Attract new customers. Every expansion brims with the prospect of potential customers. But if you want their business, you need to personalize their experience with your company. Send tailored offers to the customers you know will appreciate them, when you know they’re most likely to buy. Then make sure your sales staff has enough data to speak to a customer’s individual needs.

The combination of entering new markets and speaking directly to customer requirements can have a profound effect on your business. When interest in your business surges, you’ll want to be sure you have the bandwidth to handle all the attention. The economical way to do this is to use a cloud-based solution that expands if needed, but otherwise keeps your data costs low.

3. Increase revenues. The above goals and solutions mean nothing if they don’t lead to more money coming in. That’s why it’s important to focus on the right customers and priorities. Organize your sales process to nurture opportunities and drive sales. Review your sales pipeline to spot trends, then improve your sales process to win more deals and increase revenue. As your business grows, you may also need to better manage your financials, inventory, and operations.

While your customer and analytical data can be your edge as your business develops, it can also expose both your company and customers to new risks. A robust and reliable security solution that grants you access to your data but keeps unwanted visitors out is now more important than ever. Again, your best bet here is the cloud, where enterprise-grade security is the standard.

The decision to expand your business is a big one, and equally important is how you go about making your vision come to fruition. For a more in-depth look at whether your business is ready for solutions like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, check out the SMB Group e-book, How to know if your business is ready for CRM. You can also take a personalized, guided tour of Dynamics CRM Online to get started.

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The post 3 Important Goals and How to Meet Them as Your Business Expands appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Your goal is to wow your customer—innovating is why you’re in business. But the more manual steps between idea and customer—from balancing the budget to managing the supply chain—the harder it can be to stay relevant and keep costs in check. Are time-consuming processes and disconnected systems holding you back?

Look to cloud technology to support your growth and innovation every step of the way. Microsoft cloud-based business solutions can relieve the burden of technology management and help you automate manual processes, build in efficiencies, and gain insights from your data—so you can focus on getting from idea to sale faster and more cost effectively.

Transform how your business operates. A business solution from Microsoft frees you to work anywhere, anytime, across your devices. No matter how you access and use your systems, you get the same seamless experience and enterprise-grade security to protect your business and customers. Designed to get you up and running quickly, it’s a platform that fits your needs today and can efficiently adapt as your needs change.

Trade tech headaches for business efficiencies. Finding a common language between various business work streams can drastically increase operational efficiency, saving time and money. Pall-Ex in the UK is a prime example of solving this communication barrier and seeing time savings and cost reductions by standardizing in the cloud. By networking their 90-member organization, they can now roll out new processes and systems to everyone at the same time and give everyone access to the same operational data in real time. As a result, they’re serving customers faster and more reliably, and cementing a trusted reputation for the business.

The right path for success. Another example of a company using a cloud-based business solution to accelerate transformation is Onduline. What started as a small family business grew organically into a global sales and manufacturing organization with little IT standardization. Moving to the cloud connected everyone across the company with the information they needed to respond faster to customers and market changes. Now rather than making expensive bets on disparate business systems, they’ve got a flexible, data-driven solution that keeps them ready for what’s next.

Microsoft Dynamics and the Microsoft Cloud free your team to focus on what they do best—delighting customers. Learn more about how the cloud can act as a transformative amplifier for your business and put you on the right path for the future.

The post The Dollars and Sense of Business Applications in the Cloud appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

The New Year is a perfect time for a fresh start and renewed focus, not just for yourself, but for your business. Whether your goals are to increase sales, build deeper relationships with customers, or maximize financial resources, you need a business solution you can rely on to get you there.

Basic accounting software and legacy systems can’t keep up with the evolving needs of today’s businesses, and they could well be hurting you more than helping. It’s time to make the smart move, to replace harmful old habits with healthy new ones—increased flexibility and mobility, customer-focused analytics, streamlined accounting and inventory management. With the right tools, your team can not only DO more, they can ACHIEVE more.

New beginnings, trusted tools. Updating your accounting and operations management software doesn’t mean investing in all new tools and training. A business solution from Microsoft works with what you already know and use—like familiar Office products—and extends functionality to help you stay connected and get more done from the locations where your teams need to work.

Familiar interface, more powerful engine. When Georgia Swarm Lacrosse made the move to a Microsoft business solution, they experienced a smooth transition with no big roadblocks, and found training to be simple and intuitive. Plus, the productivity tool integration and real-time data analysis have increased team performance and operational efficiency.

Insights to help you navigate your year. What can a Microsoft business solution help you achieve this year? Better insights from connected systems and reporting that is easy to create and share. Streamlined accounting and inventory management. Better customer experiences when your back-office applications keep your frontline sales and service teams informed. Anywhere access to the data you need to close more business and make profitable decisions. All with the agility and ease of management of the Microsoft Cloud.

A resolution you can stick with. So many resolutions fail because it can take a lot of time and effort to produce even a little result. With the increased functionality and enhanced process efficiency of a Microsoft business solution, you’ll see immediate improvements in how you operate. And with the insights gleaned from real-time data coming from all parts of your business, you won’t know how you managed without it.

Make this New Year a turning point for your business. Review the 15 Red Flags Your Accounting Software is Hurting your Business white paper then download The Cloud as a Platform e-book and learn how Microsoft Dynamics and the Microsoft Cloud can help you achieve more.

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Cloud computing and big data are no longer just buzz words, they are driving business transformation even for small and midsize businesses. By bringing together business applications and familiar productivity tools, the Microsoft cloud offers the insights you need to better understand your customers and drive your success.

Intelligence as an advantage. Everything around us is measured, effectively making every business now a data-driven one. How can that be used to your advantage? Intelligent business solutions combine people, data, systems, and processes for a real-time view of what’s going on. Watching these data shifts leads to more successful decision-making, such as where and how to engage customers and which services to offer.

Clear view of business performance. Microsoft Dynamics and the Microsoft Cloud bring together operational power and customer insights to give you a holistic view of the data that makes up your business and your customer decisions. With that 360-degree view, you can identify time and cost savings, areas for performance boosts, and manual processes that can be automated for efficiency.

Transforming your business with data. Health food manufacturer and distributor, Bounce Foods‘, rapid pace of growth was causing some business challenges and turned to Microsoft to deliver a complete solution for their business to keep track of processes, resources, and information that supports great customer service. Now questions are answered faster, a real-time view of their inventory reduces out-of-stocks, and internal processes are much more efficient. 

Are you ready to use data to transform your business? Microsoft solutions for small and midsize businesses help you get more out of the data you already have and put it to work for you. Learn more about the power of the cloud for gaining key business insights.

The post Demystifying Cloud Computing and Big Data for Small and Midsize Businesses appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Researching enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions while running your business can make you feel equal parts overwhelmed and uninformed. We understand, and we’re here to help. Out of context, the words “enterprise resource planning” may not mean much to most people. Here’s what an ERP from Microsoft Dynamics really means: a comprehensive, yet easy to use business management solution that helps companies that are outgrowing their current accounting software achieve their growth ambitions.

Now that you know what it is, let’s focus on what Microsoft Dynamics ERP does. Microsoft Dynamics ERP and the Microsoft cloud go beyond traditional ERP to bring business applications together with the productivity tools you use every day including your calendar, email, data, and documents. The result is a familiar, trusted solution that helps your people do and achieve more. Here’s how:

Streamline your business processes. As your business expands, the day-to-day work involved in keeping it running grows. Stay ahead of the curve by letting your ERP solution take care of the mundane. With automated tools that keep track of demand, inventory, and ordering, any supply chain woes you might have had will go the way of the dodo. Automatically generated reports on your sales figures give you real-time financial insights. With its familiar, simple interface, Microsoft Dynamics ERP helps you take care of mundane operations in a flash, allowing you to focus on what’s next for your business.

Improve your productivity. Thanks to the Microsoft cloud, your business doesn’t have to be tied to your desk any longer. Capitalize on new opportunities as they happen by working across all of your devices, from desktop to mobile. This flexibility means that you’ll be able to forge connections with new customers as you place orders, share data, and create profiles for them on the fly. You’ll also be able to manage every aspect of your business remotely, giving you control and peace of mind when you’re away.

Transform data into insights. Once your ERP system begins taking charge of your data entry, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. Your data can give you insights into everything from overall business performance to the status of your finances and supply chain. Once you can check your inventory and gauge demand at a glance, issues like selling out-of-stock merchandise and production schedule delays become things of the past.

Plan for today, and for tomorrow. Whether you’re just opening up your second location or looking for technology that allows you to compete on the global stage, there’s an ERP system out there for you. If you ask us, the best way to prepare for the future is to choose a scalable solution which lets you start by meeting your current needs and then grows alongside your business.

Save time, money, and worry. Along with new capabilities and a familiar interface, your new ERP can be deployed in the cloud. No longer will you and your team need to be in the office to get the insights you need from your data. The cloud will also help reduce your infrastructure and IT management costs. And with Microsoft Dynamics ERP, you’ll get the peace of mind that comes with strong security and privacy controls.

So, what is ERP? It’s the hardworking, dedicated business partner that makes everything about your business more awesome. Check out this video if you’d like a quick recap of what ERP can do for you. 

The post What the heck is ERP for SMB? It’s what helps you achieve more! appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Running a growing business is never easy.  As many small or midsized manufacturers and distributors well know, changing economic conditions, evolving customer demands, and unreliable suppliers are a few common supply chain disruptions.  Identifying weak links is the key to making course corrections before your customers are left dissatisfied and your profit margins get squeezed.  Get greater control over the many moving parts of your supply chain and avoid disruptions with a business solution from Microsoft.

A comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution can provide the control and insight you need to manage an efficient supply chain as well as be prepared for potential supply chain interruptions.  View the infographic “Five Ways to Make Your Supply Chain More Dynamic” and learn how a business solution from Microsoft can help you:

• Base decisions on more than a hunch
• Embrace changing customer behavior and needs
• Avoid disruptions to your business
• Work from actuals, not guesstimates
• Know what your customers want before they do

In addition to gaining insight into your supply chain, a business solution from Microsoft offers powerful predictive analysis tools you can use to create ‘what if’ scenarios to see how certain fluctuations can impact your ability to manufacture or distribute products to your customers.  You can manipulate a number of variables to see how changes to your supply chain can impact open orders, delivery times, inventory levels, and cash flow.  Once you know what can happen, you can develop strategic plans to outmaneuver these potential risks.

Turn your supply chain into an in-stock, on time, everything is where it needs to be operation with a quick to implement, easy to use business solution from Microsoft and reduce the chance for disruptions that can halt production and lead to unsatisfied customers.  Take a test drive today and register for our live or on-demand webcasts to learn more about our solutions for small and midsized businesses.

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The use of cloud technology is growing rapidly. In fact, its growth is already five times faster than the IT industry overall. More than 80 percent of midsize businesses are expected to use some form of cloud computing by the end of 2014, and many are choosing Microsoft as their cloud provider. The Microsoft Cloud provides a connected platform built for your business that helps automate your core processes, transforms data into the insights you need to make better business decisions, and helps you grow efficiently by easily scaling up or down as your business changes.

Drive Business Efficiency and Growth

Microsoft Dynamics ERP is one part of a business solution from Microsoft that helps growing businesses manage their financials, supply chain and operations. Running your business application in the cloud helps you focus less on your infrastructure and more on the strategic needs of your business.

A business solution from Microsoft including Microsoft Dynamics and Office 365:

• Brings your email, calendar, and files together with your data, reports, and business management software.
• Shares the big picture then gives you one-click access to the details. 
• Keeps you productive with security-enhanced anytime, anywhere access with an Internet connection.
• Simplifies your day with one password, one user experience.

In addition, Microsoft Dynamics and Office 365 give you the ability to visualize and interact with data in real time from virtually anywhere, helping your team share, connect, and collaborate regardless of where they need to work.

The Microsoft Cloud has the flexibility to help your business grow efficiently. By using the cloud, you can control software and hardware costs, scaling as your needs change. This makes your monthly expenses more predictable. Start with what you need today, then easily expand as needs arise.

In a recent study by IDC, 63 percent of respondents said they expect to use a single Cloud Service Provider, and 67 percent said they would purchase a range of services from that provider. Microsoft meets the needs of businesses by uniquely bringing together the tools you need to manage your business, keep your people productive, and bring you closer to your customers. The Microsoft Cloud provides a connected cloud platform that gives you the freedom to deploy and use technology in the way that makes the most sense for your business. It also keeps your IT manageable so you get the most out of your investments.

Businesses innovate, grow, and prosper when they unite their people, processes, and technology. Learn more about Microsoft’s accounting software and get a guided tour of our integrated solutions for small and midsized businesses.

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