Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 has been out for several months now, and there has been plenty of discussion about new features from a user perspective; dashboards, the ribbon, processes (wizards) - and yes, all of these are great features. However, there have also been a number of behind-the-scenes changes which affect developer interaction with the product and I thought I'd share my thoughts on two of them.
 
Previously in CRM 4.0, developing JavaScript for entity forms was a little painful. Reuse was impossible to achieve in a supported manner. If you had to utilise the same code in multiple field events, it was a case of copy-and-paste; thus duplicating code and creating a maintenance nightmare if logic required changing. In CRM 2011, Microsoft have introduced the idea of JavaScript Libraries. This allows us as developers to create reusable chunks of code in a single place, and include them in multiple entity forms. Changes to the JavaScript library automatically update all the other forms, so no more multiple updates! It also opens up the possibility of including publicly available JavaScript libraries (JQuery for example), to make tasks easier, such as interacting with web services.
 
Another excellent addition to CRM 2011 has been the OData web service endpoint. In CRM 4.0, the only way of querying data from JavaScript without writing our own web service, was through building up XML-based web service requests and processing the XML response. In CRM 2011, we can write a small OData query which is sent as part of the URL and actually get the result back as JavaScript objects (JSON) - so no more XML to process! This allows us as developers to more quickly and easily query CRM data from JavaScript within a CRM form - which is a very good thing considering a large proportion of CRM development involves querying data from other (related) entities, or validating inputs against existing data. It's also worth mentioning that the introduction of the OData web service makes it much easier to extract CRM data from a non-.NET environment, opening up further integration possibilities.
 
So, from a developer perspective, those are a just a couple of new features which make working with Dynamics CRM a more pleasant experience. There are plenty more: .NET Workflow 4.0, Sandboxing, Solutions, etc. - but it's safe to say that the JavaScript changes and OData web service are the two that have saved us the most pain so far! More importantly though, these features provide clear business benefits due to reduced maintenance time, easier development, and greater interoperability.
 

We all know that business intelligence can be the key to a successful business and a healthy bottom line –but it only takes me a trip to my local Tesco for me to really appreciate the power a CRM system truly has. Through my Clubcard I give away all of my purchasing secrets willingly. I do this because I know that soon a Clubcard statement will land on my doorstep and give me coupons for money off the products I regularly buy. There is value in this relationship for me – and for Tesco the information they hold on me is absolutely  vital to making me loyal to them, and increasing my lifetime value as a customer.

Love them or hate them, I don’t think anyone can deny that Amazon are also using CRM to have an amazing impact on their business. They know exactly who we are, what we have bought and what we might want to buy in the future. This allows them to send perfectly timed, relevant and personal e-shots  that we actually want to read...and makes cross sell and up sell opportunities almost endless.

Of course every business does not have the £ multi – million marketing budget that our favourite retail  giants have – but a CRM solution can be of real benefit to all types and sizes of business, allowing prospects to be turned in to customers, and customers in to friends. Consolidating all contacts with a customer or prospect on a CRM system means that there will be no duplication of work, and no customer will be contacted inappropriately, and of course CRM can be used to ensure your business complies with data protection laws by storing customer mailing preference data... Absolutely vital in today’s digital age.

The software however is only part of the answer...and of course targeted marketing campaigns can only have an impact if there is a great product and fantastic service.