The landscape of business decision-making is undergoing a profound transformation fueled by the intersection of technology and geography.
Today’s organizations are swiftly recognizing the pivotal role of geospatial insights in amplifying their strategies. When it comes to Dynamics 365, integrating map capabilities has emerged as a game-changer.
This fusion doesn’t just represent data; it revolutionizes how businesses interpret, act on, and derive value from it. The concoction of geospatial intelligence with CRM systems is unlocking unparalleled opportunities. Keep reading to unlock insights.
Understanding the Problem
Today, businesses rely on CRMs to store customer’s data and every interaction that happens with them. CRMs like Microsoft Dynamics CRM are an excellent way to store customer details like names, contact information, purchase history, and address.
Going through all this data in a table format can be confusing. Interpreting the data becomes difficult. Although having a CRM is the best for any business, it has its drawbacks when you deal with large amounts of data. The first challenge is the difficulty in visualizing the geographic distribution of data. How will you form a cluster when you don’t have clarity on how many customers live in particular areas? If you have clients spread out all over the place, visiting them would be time-consuming. Your on-field sales team will have to travel more to cover them all.
With a list, it is difficult to realize if there are any nearby customers you can meet and make the best of your visit.
However, there are plugins that can help you overcome this challenge of visualization.
Dynamics 365 map plugin: A geolocation intelligence tool
An ideal solution would be visualizing the CRM data on a map. The map would be actionable, where users can see all the details about the customer, make routes connecting client locations, make territories or clusters for campaigns, and much more.
The geospatial visualization of data gives a better understanding of how your customers are distributed geographically. You can identify patterns and make plans that bring maximum output.
The Dynamics 365 map plugin can not only help you visualize data on a map but also comes with features that help you optimize routes to maximize the number of visits and reduce the traveling time.
- Route Optimization
If we look at the processes followed by the marketing and sales team, the marketing team makes a list of qualified leads and passes it on to the sales team. The sales team approaches them virtually and/or in person as required. If it requires in-person meetings, the list is assigned to on-field sales representatives.
When visiting clients in different places, there’s a lot of traveling between areas. But with the Dynamics 365 map, they get the best routes that take them everywhere they need to go quickly. This route also helps them avoid traffic, tolls, highways, and closed roads. So they can travel faster and avoid things that cause delays.
- Data Plotting
Using graphs and charts helps in making plans for the future. Just having a long list of data can be confusing since there’s so much information. It is hard to focus on one detail when trying to plan for a particular product or group of customers.
But by adding a map to the mix, all the details in the CRM can be seen in context. For instance, if you are planning a marketing drive in a certain area, you can select that spot, look at specific regions, or even draw on the map to get what you need. You will have all the information you need from that selected region on the map.
The other benefit is that it makes giving tasks to your team straightforward and ensures your advertising efforts work well.
- Proximity Search
Managers often have meetings or need to visit clients. Imagine if they could find nearby clients for a quick meeting? Sales reps can strengthen their bond with clients. This can help the company build a strong relationship with clients for repeat business.
This is where the proximity search feature shines. It lets managers see clients close to their present spot. So, if they have a bit of free time, they can check out other client locations. The tool enhances work efficiency and makes the most of their time.
They can adjust the search based on distance or travel time. On the map, they will see circles made based on time or distance provided earlier.
- CheckIn/CheckOut
Ever tried reaching a team member only to realize they’re in a meeting? Tired of waiting all day to get meeting updates to plan your next move? Feel that clients might not be entirely transparent because your sales rep might not have met them?
Not getting feedback or getting incomplete information hinders a company’s efforts to refine its product assessment process. This is where integrating your CRM with Dynamics 365 map comes in handy. It allows you to monitor the start and end times of meetings. As sales reps enter a client’s vicinity, the map plugin auto-logs their check-in. Post-meeting, they can check out and instantly update their reports via their mobile app. This not only provides you with reports but also gives insights into meeting duration.
- Analytics Dashboard
For a business to thrive, it’s essential to have ample data to identify effective and ineffective processes. Such data is important for shaping future marketing plans, especially when deploying a sales team in the field. Regular reviews, whether daily, weekly, monthly, or annually, enable swift action when needed.
With Dynamics Map’s analytics dashboard, you can make better business decisions, review the performance of sales reps, analyze sales figures, and more.
Conclusion
A mapping tool allows businesses to display Dynamics data on a map and provides a chance for companies to visualize customer data, streamline planning, and tailor their interactions with customers.
A mapping tool can change a company’s approach to customer visits. In this age of decisions powered by data, solutions like geolocation mapping tools help understand and employ data, which is crucial for thriving in business.
