Windows 10 Sets is an upcoming feature of Windows 10 that just might change the way I work.  See, I often write 5 or 6 proposals for clients a day - and they all start with Word.  BUT, they don't exclusively rely on content from Word.  I navigate web sites, my own marketing materials, Microsoft and Salesforce Brochures, and so-on in order to combine all the information I need in order to make a rock-solid proposal.  BUT, the issue is - where do I keep all of that "data" when the customer asks me to revise the proposal months later?

​Enter Windows 10 Sets - and here are 5 reasons I can't wait for this feature:

Microsoft keeps enhancing its Outlook app for iOS and Android. And now, they've integrated Outlook Add-Ins into the Mobile Experience as well.

So now clients can "track" an email into Dynamics 365 CRM directly from the Mobile App.

You can check out the announcement here:
​https://blogs.office.com/2017/02/02/outlook-mobile-turns-2-and-now-comes-with-your-favorite-apps/
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Join us Thursday, November 17 as we continue our Free Training series at our new Training Center facilities located in Wixom, Michigan.

If you want to know the secrets to leveraging OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office 365 Groups, this class is for you!

Click here for more details and to sign up!

http://conta.cc/2fSpwIz

Recently, AIIM (The Association for Information and Image Management) released a new report that outlines the challenges of implementing SharePoint Online.  The report cites "User Adoption" as the major issue - poor or inadequate training seems to be the main complaint.

​At Traction, we believe so much in SharePoint, we leverage our entire company on it.  It has changed the way we are working.  No longer are we tied to our desks or VPNs.  SharePoint allows us to open, edit, and share files on every device we own - laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets.  It empowers us with "one source of the truth", ensuring we are all working from the same data, in real time. 

Our proposals and documents are "alive" - with workflow steps that ensure proper routing and visibility.  They are secure by utilizing Azure Rights Management and DocuSign.  They are visible to users both inside and outside the organization through Document Sharing.  They have a life expectancy by leveraging Office 365 Security & Compliance features.

​Simply put - in SharePoint we have found a tool that not only works the way that "we want to work", but ensures continuity and discovery of information throughout the organization to make sure we are all on the same page.

​If you'd like to hear more about our journey to SharePoint, or how Traction Training Services can help your organization implement SharePoint utilizing our real-world best-practices, please shoot us an email and we'd be happy to explain how we can help your organization break free of File Servers and Email.

Microsoft is releasing their "Spring Wave" update for Dynamics CRM starting June 1, and one of its primary new capabilities is Project Service.  With Project Service, Microsoft is aiming on giving you a complete end-to-end system inside Microsoft CRM to manage the entire Quote-To-Cash process for project-focused companies.

With it, you can turn a Quote into an Order, then generate a Project Plan based on that order.  Resource allocation can be scheduled based on availability and individual skills matrix.  Time and Expenses can be captured by resources in real-time utilizing the mobile application.  And finally invoicing and ROI can be generated using either T&M or Fixed Fee schedules.

Working directly inside CRM means your entire team - from Sales to Operations to Finance - collaborate seamlessly in real-time as project conditions change.  Working with the CRM Workflow engine, Sales staff can be immediately informed on major milestone completion and progress.  Change Orders that are "yet to be approved" can be reviewed by project managers to make them aware of potential upcoming scheduling changes.  Pretty much anything you can dream of from a "project communication" standpoint can now be realized within a single tool.

As I've told many of my clients - we moved our entire ERP system over to Microsoft CRM back in 2010.  CRM is more than just a "Sales Tool".  Now, with integrated project management and invoicing, it can support many more organizations as well - right out of the box.

Microsoft CRM already has some good collaboration features built into the product - Posts allow you to build a "conversation stream" on any record, while the Social Dashboard feed provides an aggregation of conversations plus activities for those accounts that I have an interest in.

But what about when you want to extend those conversations across the organization - to coworkers who don't work inside CRM? 

​Microsoft's answer is to leverage Office 365 Groups.  With o365 Groups, your entire organization can share conversations, appointments, files, and notes while CRM users can associate these groups with their Accounts and Opportunities within CRM.

This simple add-on can help break the silo of CRM conversations, and engage your entire organization in client conversations.

Something is stirring in the tech market.  Microsoft, Salesforce - heck, even Facebook - are all investing heavily in AI, and delivering this intelligence wrapped inside the idea of "Bots".

​A Bot can be thought of like Siri - the ability to "respond" intelligently to questions and commands you may have.  Think of it as Google Search on steroids - instead of just putting in a few keywords, you could type things like "Book me a meeting with Jim Brown at ABC Corp sometime next week."  That simple request would initiate a bot, and that bot would act on behalf of you - reviewing your calendar, finding open dates and times, sending the invite with those times to Jim, processing his responses.  Finally, after a day or two, the bot would simply reply "Your meeting with Jim Brown at ABC Corp has been scheduled for next Tuesday at 9am.  Jim would like you to send him an agenda before the meeting". 

​Think about that for a moment - the ability of an automated agent to help streamline the mundane, eliminating the "busy work" from your life.  Productivity is about to reach a whole new level in businesses in the years to come.

of it's largest handicaps by allowing for one-click Word and Excel merging.

Simply make a template, upload it to CRM, and the next time you create a quote simply click-to-merge.  That's it.  The function even lets you upload multiple templates - so different quotes with different terms and conditions is not a problem.

The one-click merge works with just about all entities - so Contracts, Orders, Invoices - all benefit from the one-click function.

If you'd like to know more about CRM 2016, or this function, please send us an email.

To help "de-fog the glasses", and get everyone on the same page, Traction is introducing our Employee Performance Management solution for SharePoint and SharePoint Online.

This simple system allows management and employees to align, defining clear and measurable goals all the way up the chain of command.  Its this clarity of a "done / not done" tracking system that gets employees focused on the prize, and removes the emotion from regular progress huddles and employee reviews.

And with our integrated Power BI Analytics, managers can lead by exception, rather than micromanaging the day-to-day just to see how things are going.

So if your team is a little down, or just lacks the clarity and engagement to get behind the company's vision, then ask us today how our Employee Performance Management solution might benefit your organization.

Microsoft has released its Matter Center for Microsoft Office 365 - a solution developed by Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs group to help improve collaboration for legal professionals.

Specifically, it aides in Document Management and Collaboration across legal teams and matters within your organization.