Establishing Remote Connectivity
Tour de Force CRM is installed remotely on the client’s server by the CRM Environment Consultant, which requires the establishment of a high quality remote connection. During the process of implementation and while providing Post Implementation Support, it’s very important for the CRM Project Team to have direct access to the client’s servers for the installation, configuration, and support of the Tour de Force CRM application.
If a client chooses to restrict the remote access capabilities and requires the CRM Project Team to coordinate all remote connectivity through the client’s IT department, the implementation timeline will need to be extended. Additionally, ongoing support may be hindered as a result.
The CRM Project Team realizes that network environments vary in configuration and we support components running on different computers. It is recommended, however, that the Tour de Force CRM Administrator Console and the supporting Microsoft applications are installed on a single server.
Before the Base Installation and Configuration milestone can begin, a few tasks may need to be performed by the client. These items may include installing software, creating user accounts, and configuring remote access settings on the network.
Base Installation and Configuration
The Base Installation of Tour de Force CRM is performed remotely by the CRM Environment Consultant.
Once Tour de Force CRM is installed, the CRM Business Consultant can log into the system of the client remotely to configure the folder structure and forms associated with Tour de Force CRM according to the Implementation Questionnaire.
During the initial remote set up and configuration of Tour de Force CRM, the CRM Environment Consultant works closely with the CRM Business Consultant to insure that the initial installation and configuration meets the goals and objectives of the client. The CRM Business Consultant uses the information provided in the Implementation Questionnaire to complete the Base Configuration of Tour de Force CRM.
Following the Base Configuration of Tour de Force CRM, the CRM Environment Consultant trains the Client IT Administrator on the process of installing Tour de Force CRM on the laptops and workstations of the Client Project Team in preparation for the Discovery Phase of the project.
Installation and Set Up of the BSI Connector and BSI Sync Process
Once the Base Installation and Configuration milestone has been completed, the BSI Connector and BSI Sync are installed and configured on the client’s system in order to populate the database with all Account and Contact records from the ERP/business system. During the process of setting up the BSI Connector, all of the sales data that is available through the BSI Connector will be populated in Tour de Force CRM in preparation for the CRM Business Consultant arriving on site for the Discovery Phase.
During the initial set up and configuration of the BSI Connector, the sales data will typically not be expected to balance or reconcile to the existing sales reports that the client is accustomed to viewing. When the BSI Connector is initially set up, the process of compiling sales data will not take into account any of the client’s specific business rules that impact how sales numbers are reported. Final reconciliation of the sales data will take place after the CRM Business Consultant is on-site during the Discovery Phase and is able to spend time with the Client BSI Specialist walking through the business rules that impact the reporting of the sales data.
Conversion of Account and Contact Records
The Conversion of Account and Contact Records Milestone contains many variables. The CRM Project Team invoices the conversion based on the actual time spent performing the work, as the time required to perform the data conversion can vary greatly from client to client, and is largely dependent on the level of participation by the client. There are also cases in which the Data Conversion may need to be performed multiple times throughout the project due to the unexpected discovery of additional data sources, typically Contact records.
In general, all Account records that need to be imported into the Tour de Force CRM database are imported automatically based on a set of comprehensive business rules set up within the BSI Account Sync. If the business/ERP system is the primary source of Contacts, then the BSI Contact Sync also imports the Contacts into the Tour de Force CRM database. Once the initial set up of the BSI Sync is completed, it is critical that the client take the time to validate the information that is created by the BSI Account and Contact Sync.
One of the most common mistakes clients make is assuming that everything is correct at first glance and not taking the time to closely validate the accuracy of the information before going live with Tour de Force CRM. Over time, as changes occur in the business system and additional fields from the business system need to be mapped to the Account and Contact records in Tour de Force CRM, the CRM BSI Consultant will work with the client to make modifications to the BSI Sync mappings to properly reflect the changes requested.
In cases where the BSI Account Sync is not being used by the client and legacy databases are being used as the source data, additional variables exist that may impact the time required to perform the data conversion phase. In most cases, clients perceive the integrity of the source data to be much better than the data actually is. As a result, in most cases, only Accounts and Contacts end up being converted from these legacy databases and the time required to properly cleanse the source data is more extensive than when the BSI Sync is used with your ERP system.