So there’s this great new book out there, The CRM Field Guide, How to CRM like and MVP with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The list of authors is a who’s who of global CRM all-stars. Scroll down for the details and some fun stuffs about the project. Follow the book on Twitter @CRMFieldGuide

www.crmfieldguide.com

Like always, great discounts for readers of my blog:

JulieYackMVPBoth
JulieYackMVPEbook
JulieYackMVPPrint

This project started in December 2009 when MVP George Doubinski sent out an email to get interest in what was at the time The CRM MVP Cookbook. We had a couple of false starts, lots of great intent and missed deadlines. But we are here now. 1029 days later. So what happened in that 1029 days? Well, some of the authors were not yet awarded MVP at the beginning, but then came thru and added great value to the book. We have five new babies (and a couple of grandbabies I think) and two more babies on the way. We’ve had kids grow up and move out, my daughter was a high school freshman when we started and this week applied for college. We’ve had heart, liver and kidney transplants for one in our family. It took longer to make this book than it took for me to get my MBA.

So what do we do the next 1029 days? That puts us at July 27, 2015. I for one am planning my around the world trip and hope to touch Antarctica by then, it’s the only continent left that I’ve not visited. I’m not a huge goals person, I’m just always trying to become a better version of myself, a little every day.

What does the next 88,905,600 seconds bring for you?

The authors

Joel Lindstrom| Richard Knudson | Donna Edwards | Julie Yack

Pablo Peralta | Rhett Clinton | Jakub Skalbania | Feridun Kadir | Shan McArthur | David Berry

Larry Lentz | Leon Tribe | Scott Sewell |Alex Fagundes | David Yack | Neil Benson

Mitch Milam | Jerry Weinstock |Giorgio Garcia-Agreda

The chapter summaries

Chapter 1 - Building the Foundation – This chapter lays the groundwork for understanding the various terms and parts of a CRM Organization. It includes helpful tips not covered elsewhere in the book.

Chapter 2 - CRM Server Installation & Configuration – Learn the requirements, the planning steps, and the process for installing and configuring your CRM server.

Chapter 3 – CRM Outlook Client Installation & Configuration addresses the different choices and troubleshooting techniques for installation and configuration of Dynamics CRM Outlook Client.

Chapter 4 - CRM 4 Upgrade to CRM 2011 – In this chapter you’ll learn the software and hardware requirements, develop an upgrade plan, prepare your database, upgrade customizations, perform and test the upgrade and train your users,

Chapter 5 – E-mail Router Installation & Troubleshooting covers the necessity of the e-mail router, the deployment wizard, the configuration manager, hardware and software requirements, installation and configuration and user settings for the e-mail router.

Chapter 6 - Security Best Practices covers the why and the how of security in Dynamics CRM, including the security tools already built in to CRM as well as a look at special case handling.

Chapter 7 - Sales Management Best Practices examines critical success factors for sales management, activity and lead management, customer, opportunity and pipeline management, and workflows and sales processes.

Chapter 8 - Service Management Best Practices explains the optimal use of cases, contracts, articles, service scheduling and the service calendar.

Chapter 9 - Marketing Management Best Practices is a detailed look at the benefits of CRM’s marketing tools, including marketing lists and campaigns, as well as campaign reporting.

Chapter 10 - The Power of CRM & Outlook explores the benefits of integrating and synchronizing CRM and Outlook and explains how to make it happen and make the most use of the combined tools.

Chapter 11 – Dynamics CRM Goal Management is an in-depth look at the foundations of goal management, ranging from Sales to Marketing to Service and beyond.

Chapter 12 – Processes delves into the power and scope of Workflows and Dialogs, how they work and how you can use them for maximum benefit.

Chapter 13 - Aligning Reports to the Audience helps the reader understand and meet the needs of different users and stakeholders by exploring the varying needs and expectations of users and using the array of out-of-the-box tools.

Chapter 14 - Report Development shows how to create the best (read: most useful) reports by utilizing SQL, FetchXML and other tools to build custom reports in CRM.

Chapter 15 - SharePoint & CRM: Better Together discusses the benefits of SharePoint collaboration tools being integrated with CRM in order to provide the 360° view of the customer, including how to set up integration and how to access CRM from SharePoint.

Chapter 16 - CRM Outlook Optimization & Troubleshooting examines what you can do to optimize the performance of the Outlook client and how to troubleshoot CRM for Outlook.

Chapter 17 - CRM Server Optimization, Maintenance & Monitoring covers CRM server, IIS, and SQL server optimization, as well as maintenance and monitoring of the servers.

Chapter 18 - Data Management Best Practices explores using the Data Import Wizard, duplicate detection, and bulk deletion, plus best practices for ensuring high-quality data in your CRM system.

Chapter 19 - User Adoption shares key concepts and strategies for encouraging and improving user adoption within you organization.

Chapter 20 - Customization Strategies discusses a variety of strategies that can be used to customize CRM to fit your business needs and reviews the solution architecture and management.

Chapter 21 - Introduction to Solutions gives details on custom solutions and components, managed vs. unmanaged solutions, the importing and exporting of solutions, deleting solutions and managed properties.

Chapter 22 - Solution Management and Troubleshooting is a more in-depth look at solutions, covering import behavior, managed properties, layering strategies and tips and tricks to get the most out of your CRM solutions.

Chapter 23 - Dynamics Connector - From Zero to Hero, in this chapter, you will learn what some of the considerations are when combining CRM with other members of the Dynamics family, what options are available, how to choose and implement the best option or combination of options, and some helpful resources for reference.

Chapter 24 - Rapid Development Best Practices is an overview of the strategies of preparation, planning, execution and delivery of customizations in an efficient and effective way that meets the needs of the client without reinventing the wheel.

Chapter 25 - Community Resources is a plethora, a veritable cornucopia, of resources from the global community of user groups, users, MVPs, Microsofties, social media masters and blogs that can help you maximize your CRM skills and guide you to the answers you seek.