Cisco CRM Express Specialization Q&A

What is the Cisco CRM Express Specialization?
What is Microsoft CRM?
What is the Cisco CRM Communication Connector?
What products are included in the Cisco CRM Express Specialization?
What are the benefits of this technology to business decision makers?
What are the benefits of this technology to technical decision makers?
What are the benefits of this technology to Cisco and Cisco Channel Partners?
What are the prerequisites for a Cisco Partner to apply to the Cisco CRM Express Specialization?
What are the training requirements in addition to the prerequisite?
The Cisco Communications Connector is downloadable software, available at no charge, and does not require that I have the CRM Express Specialization. Why should I go to the effort of obtaining the specialization?
What are possible sales scenarios to help a Cisco Channel Partner understand how this is different from its usual IPC sales?
What if I am already a Microsoft CRM reseller?
What if I am not a Microsoft CRM reseller?
What is the total investment in the Cisco CRM Express Specialization program?
Why would an SMB with CRM want the IPC solution?
How is Cisco planning to promote partners who have obtained the CRM Express Specialization to customers?
What is the application process?
What is the renewal policy for this Specialization?
Is there a Cisco Qualified Specialist badge associated with this specialization?
What other resources can I use to use to accelerate my Cisco CME sales around this solution?

Q: What is the Cisco CRM Express Specialization?
A: Customer relationship management (CRM) software helps companies be more productive. When integrated with Cisco IP telephony products, even small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can harness this power.

The Cisco CRM Communications Connector, a fully-tested and fully-integrated application from Cisco Systems, integrates the Cisco IP Communications offering with Microsoft's Business Solution Customer Relationship Management (Microsoft CRM) application, providing everyone in an SMB—not only call-center agents—with an easy-to-use and more complete customer relationship management solution.

• The Cisco CRM Express Specialization will allow Cisco IP Communications Express, Cisco IP Communications, and Cisco IP Telephony Revised Specialized Partners to generate more revenue through a solution that integrates Cisco CallManager Express with the desktop CRM market. In addition, it offers Microsoft customers an integrated IP telephony solution that is more robust than its standalone product.

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Q: What is Microsoft CRM?
A: Microsoft CRM is a customer relationship management solution designed for SMBs. It is not a call-center solution, call-center agent application, nor is it competitive to any Cisco product. Rather, the CRM solution offers end users familiarity and ease of use via the Microsoft Outlook interface. The benefits of Microsoft CRM include:

• Efficient tracking of sales leads, accounts, and orders
• Improved sales force productivity
• Ability for customer service representatives (CSRs) to track and resolve service cases
• Up-to-date customer information and improved customer service

In addition, Microsoft CRM easily integrates with Cisco IP phones so that caller records quickly pop up on the screen with an inbound call. This empowers businesses of all sizes to be more responsive to customers.

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Q: What is the Cisco CRM Communication Connector?
A: The Cisco CRM Communications Connector is an application that integrates Cisco IP Communications with the Microsoft CRM application, providing everyone in an SMB—not only call-center agents—with an easy-to-use and more complete CRM solution. Designed specifically for organizations that have deployed or are considering deploying Microsoft CRM and Cisco IP Communications solutions, this solution helps organizations improve their productivity by providing intelligent telephony features such as click-to-dial and screen pops on all incoming calls. Features include:

Screen Pops

• Open contact record and create new phone call activity record as call arrives
• Support manual association of calls with existing contact records
• Support multiple matched numbers for a contact record
• Track inbound and outbound calls providing a PC-based GUI to select best match criteria or designate call as a personal call
• Allow user to set preference to automatically pop on unique match, or choose to screen calls as call arrives
• Can be created from click-to-dial calls and from manually dialed outbound calls

Click to Dial

• Can be used with a Microsoft CRM contact record
• Supported for all phone numbers associated with a contact, which include customers, accounts, or leads

Call Duration Tracking

• Accurately tracks duration of phone call and associates with phone activity record
• Utilized for accurate customer billing
• Helps improve customer service
• Can be used with Microsoft CRM Call Duration field in the phone call activity record to account for "wrap up time" associated with call

Call Information Capture

• Captures incoming and outgoing call information, including calling number, called number, and call start and end times

Customer Record Creation

• Easily creates a new CRM customer record when a new customer call arrives

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Q: What products are included in the Cisco CRM Express Specialization?
A: Cisco CallManager Express and the Cisco CRM Communications Connector application, which links Microsoft CRM to Cisco CallManager Express are included in the specialization. The Cisco CRM Communications Connector is available for download to qualified Cisco Partners at no charge and can be deployed for the customer. Microsoft CRM is sold by Microsoft and Microsoft Partners.

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Q: What are the benefits of this technology to business decision makers?
A: The Cisco CRM Express Specialization benefits business decision makers by:

• Increasing sales and service productivity as well as customer loyalty for SMBs by providing a single view of all customer communications for all employees within a company, not just call center agents
• Helping enable everyone to deliver more personal customer service from information in screen pops
• Providing ease of use and high adoption rate, because it has the look and feel of MS Outlook
• Providing ease and efficiency of placing calls with click-to-dial functionality
• Enabling accurate and complete billing with the call duration tracking feature
• Avoiding data silos inside organizations by integrating voice communications with CRM

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Q: What are the benefits of this technology to technical decision makers?
A: The Cisco CRM Express Specialization benefits technical decision makers by:

• Providing easy to install integration of Microsoft CRM and Cisco IPC that requires no new hardware beyond what is needed to deploy each standalone solution
• Helping enable the Microsoft CRM (MSCRM) client to use Microsoft Outlook or an HTML interface as the primary client for managing tasks and contacts
• Providing call center screen pop features to everyone in business without the cost of a call center

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Q: What are the benefits of this technology to Cisco and Cisco Channel Partners?
A: The Cisco CRM Express Specialization:

• Is likely to significantly increase Cisco and Microsoft Channel Partner revenue and enhance reseller margins as Partners are able to deliver a new, industry-first solution delivering compelling productivity and customer service benefits to SMBs; greater Cisco and Microsoft Partner collaboration will also positively impact revenues and margins
• Provides more demonstrations for Partners to use, which show IPC with a business application illustrating benefit of a converged network to the customer
• Creates new opportunities for Cisco resellers by associating Cisco IPC with the Microsoft CRM application
• Creates new opportunities for Microsoft resellers by referring new and existing Microsoft CRM customers to Cisco IPC
• Utilizes Partners' existing investments and infrastructure for specializations; increases productivity and profitability of sales calls with more comprehensive product and services offerings
• Delivers on Cisco's promise to offer new Partner growth opportunities to differentiate and move up the value chain by delivering business solutions
• Awards Partners with 10 points toward Cisco Channel Partner Program Certification

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Q: What are the prerequisites for a Cisco Partner to apply to the Cisco CRM Express Specialization?
A: Partners must already hold either Cisco IPC Express, IP Communications, or IP T-Revised specializations from Cisco.

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Q: What are the training requirements in addition to the prerequisite?
A: If the Partner holds either the Cisco IPT-R, IPC, or IPC Express Specialization, the account manager would also fulfill the account manager prerequisite for the CRM Express Specialization. The engineer role for CRM Express Specialization would require ONE of the following valid CQS badges: IPT Express, IPT Support, or IPT Operations Specialist CQSs. In addition, anyone else filling the IPT-R roles of field engineer 1 or operations specialist would also have the requisite training to qualify for this specialization.

The following provides other details on meeting the Cisco CRM Express Specialization exam requirement:

Free online training is available through the Cisco Partner E-Learning Connection: Cisco CRM Express for account managers and Cisco CRM Express Integration for engineers and operations specialists. One area of training is designed for the account manager, while the other, more technical area of training can be completed by either the field engineer or operations specialist. Both the account manager and the field engineer or operations specialist must successfully complete respective proctored exams. The account manager exam is 646-096, and the technical integration exam is 642-091.

Because all Partners are presumed to have sufficient expertise on Cisco CallManager Express, no lab is required to complete this certification. The new Cisco Communications Connector is covered in the training. Partners are not required to be certified in Microsoft CRM or to be Microsoft resellers. If Cisco Partners are not Microsoft resellers, Cisco will match Partners with Microsoft CRM Partners to sell and deploy the complete Cisco IPC solution.

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Q: The Cisco Communications Connector is downloadable software, available at no charge, and does not require that I have the CRM Express Specialization. Why should I go to the effort of obtaining the specialization?
A: The Cisco CRM Express Specialization is the only training available on integrating MSCRM with the Cisco CallManager Express product. This includes both sales and technical training. Partners who complete this specialization will be identified in the Cisco Channel Partner Locator and identified as Cisco's go-to Partners in this space; Cisco CRM Express Specialized Partners will also be provided with leads, when available, of other Microsoft Partners looking for linking opportunities. The training time is minimal: one hour for the account manager and 90 minutes for the engineer, and requires passing only one exam per role. In addition, by achieving the specialization, Partners will earn 10 points toward their Cisco Channel Partner Program certification.

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Q: What are possible sales scenarios to help a Cisco Channel Partner understand how this is different from its usual IPC sales?
A: Scenario #1: A customer has neither an IP telephony nor a CRM solution. The Partner is able to generate interest in both, and bring in a Microsoft reseller to the Partner on the sale of CRM if the Partner does not already possess a Cisco CRM Express Specialization.
Scenario #2: A customer already has CRM, and the Cisco Partner is able to sell the benefits of a Cisco IP telephony integrated solution to pull through Cisco CallManager Express.
Scenario #3: A customer has Cisco CallManager Express but is interested in CRM. The Cisco Partner is able to bring in a Microsoft reseller to partner on the sale of CRM.

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Q: What if I am already a Microsoft CRM reseller?
A: If so, then you will be well positioned to sell and deploy this additional revenue-creating solution. Anyone who is a Microsoft reseller can sell Microsoft CRM software. However, the Cisco CRM Express Solution Specialization helps ensure that Partners are trained in the Cisco application.

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Q: What if I am not a Microsoft CRM reseller?
A: Cisco will help ensure that you are matched with a Microsoft CRM reseller in your area who can work with you to sell and deploy the best possible CRM component of this solution. This will also create opportunities for you to sell other Cisco IP solutions such as security, mobility, and core products that customers may not think about when evaluating CRM solutions. Note: If you are a Cisco reseller who is NOT a Microsoft CRM Partner and you would like to be matched up with one, please send an e-mail to: ciscomicrosoftsmb@external.cisco.com. Remember to ask for the Microsoft CRM Partner in your area.

If you are Microsoft Partner interested in finding a Cisco CRM Express Specialized Partner in your area, send a request to: ciscomicrosoftsmb@external.cisco.com.

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Q: What is the total investment in the Cisco CRM Express Specialization program?
A: Because this training is online and is incremental to your existing IP Communications Specialization, the cost to partners is minimal. For Account Managers and Engineers, the training is available through free, respective one-hour videos on demand (VOD). Both the Account Manager and Engineer (Integration) exams can be taken through Pearson VUE testing centers at a cost of $125 each.

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Q: Why would an SMB with CRM want the IPC solution?
A: Integrated CRM solutions are a cost-competitive way to help enable businesses to enhance every facet of their customer care organization. For individual CRM users with an IP phone in SMBs or empowered branch offices, integrated CRM can provide screen pops that display detailed customer information, convenient voice-mail notification, and dial connectivity from the CRM application, as well as superior call duration tracking. When integrated with an IP Communications network, customer care solutions help enable companies to intelligently match database lookups in CRM applications with callers.

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Q. How is Cisco planning to promote partners who have obtained the CRM Express Specialization to customers?
A. Cisco will promote partners who have obtained the specialization is by referencing them on the Cisco.com partner locator those partners as CRM Express Specialized Partners.

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Q: What is the application process?
A: Please refer to the CRM Express Specialization Application for step-by-step details of the application process.

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Q: What is the renewal policy for this Specialization?
A: The CRM Express Specialization is valid for one year after acceptance to the program and execution of all documentation. After one year, the Partner must renew the specialization.

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Q: Is there a Cisco Qualified Specialist badge associated with this specialization?
A: No

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Q: What other resources can I use to use to accelerate my Cisco CME sales around this solution?
A: The following steps will be helpful in accelerating your sales:

1. Identify a Microsoft CRM Partner in your area by sending an e-mail to: ciscomicrosoftsmb@external.cisco.com.
   
   
2. Order the Cisco CallManager Express Not-For-Resale kit and download the demonstration instructions and scripts.
   
   
3. Learn about Cisco CRM Communications Connector by visiting:
   Cisco CallManager Express for Small Offices
   Small Medium Business (SMB)

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