An international corporation uses a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 system to support global customer-specific processes. Since only a limited number of the business-related, sometimes complex processes can be covered by the standard CRM system, the system will be largely customized. The necessary adjustments will initially be driven by client-specific requirements and then generalized so that the resulting enhancements are suitable for global use by the corporation. The current project expands the possibilities of standard quotation creation in CRM to include convenient creation functions and a template-based layout.
Supplement
The functionality is reflected on the system side based on customer specifications. Where possible and feasible, the Customizing options of the CRM system are used. For complex screens such as the careful combination of offer items from the product master or existing offers, screens are created using Microsoft Silverlight technology. In this case, the programming is done in C# applying the MVVM concept. The generation of the complete offer as a PDF document is performed automatically from the CRM system using the SQL Server Reporting Services available in CRM 2011. The basis for this is the offer structure metadata combined beforehand in the screen by the user.
Subject description
Offer creation is marked by high individualization of the structure. Offer items are structured using specific criteria, which can be further nested. The structure of the offer reflects individual customer specifications such as project phases, the organizational structure of the customer, the selected product modules and the required individual adjustments. A significant challenge is the creation of international offers – up to three offer languages are managed in parallel. A Norwegian offer, for example, can be created in the language of the customer and in the language of the offer creator in Germany. English would be used when aligning the offer with the regional sales organization in Norway. Depending on the phase of offer creation, the language changes dynamically through the process from German to English and then Norwegian, and all language versions are retained and can be tracked.