Convergence 2013 Keynote Recap

Posted by Blake Scarlavai on March 22, 2013 in   |  Microsoft Convergence,   |  Microsoft Dynamics CRM  |  Comments (0)

The Convergence 2013 Keynote kicked off Tuesday with some exciting news of a new version of MarketingPilot that has a new UI with a Windows 8 look and feel as well as the ability to integrate seamlessly with CRM.  Microsoft then announced a Netbreeze acquisition for social tracking and analytics seamlessly within CRM as well as unveiling a glimpse into a Sales Experience app for Windows 8.

Sales Experience Windows 8 App

Towards the end of the keynote, Fred Studer gave a great demo with Revlon on a Sales Experience app for Windows 8.  They talked about a “tablet view of the world” that only focuses on what the sales teams need and not the other “noise” in the system.

The landing page is shown below, allowing easy and quick access to key information, accounts, tasks and account performance.

Drilling into an account displays important information such as related tasks, notes, stakeholders and cases.

Fred noted that the Contoso account had a related task to call Reuben to discuss a new product launch.  Fred was quickly and easily able to click a Phone icon on Reuben’s contact information from the Contoso account to launch a Skype call with Reuben.  He was then able to dock the Skype call to the left while writing notes against the Contoso account based on their conversation.  Very slick! 

Netbreeze

Fred then jumped right into a Netbreeze demo.  He drilled into a campaign which showed an overview of “Share of voice” which displays how the campaign is doing by language, channel and docs.  

Fred then drilled into the sentiment for a product.  The sentiment displays how well people are responding to campaigns.

Drilling down even further, you can look at individual tweets which are highlighted based on positive or negative feedback.  Positive feedback is highlighted in green as shown below, while product names are highlighted in yellow.  This will be a very powerful tool for measuring your campaigns and provide the ability to quickly react to the responses of your campaigns.

Fred then announced that everyone who has CRM will be able to get this as part of the product, great news!

So there you have it, another Convergence in the books!  Overall we are pleased with the new announcements and we can’t wait to get our hands on the new functionality.  The social tracking should be a great addition to help with campaign management while a Sales Experience app will help power sales teams with everything they need to succeed and grow the company. 

Convergence 2011–Submit Topics Today

Posted by Ryan Toenies on November 11, 2010 in   |  Microsoft Convergence  |  Comments (2)

Microsoft is preparing for Convergence 2011 in Atlanta, GA, from April 10-13.  You can help in that planning by submitting Topics for the conference.  Follow this link to have your voice heard for #CONV11 - Call for Topics.

Stay up to speed on all the Convergence discussions:

• Twitter - #CONV11
• Convergence Website
• Facebook – Convergence

We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta, GA!!!

Watch out NOLA, here we come!

Posted by Mike Snyder on January 27, 2009 in   |  Microsoft Convergence  |  Comments (0)

There’s been a lot of talk about Convergence and New Orleans at our office over the past week or so. First, we just sent out email invites to our customers and prospects encouraging them to attend the conference, and highlighting the benefits of attending.

Join us at Convergence 2009 New Orleans
We know that travel budgets are tight this year, so if you can only attend one conference this year we HIGHLY recommend that you choose Microsoft Convergence! This year's Convergence conference will be held in New Orleans from March 10th through 13th.

If you've never been to Convergence before, you should know this event is unique because it is designed exclusively for Microsoft Dynamics customers (CRM and ERP). With more than 10,000+ people in attendance, this is a first-class learning and networking opportunity that you shouldn't miss.

Some of the agenda highlights include:

• Monday: welcome reception at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
• Tuesday: keynotes from Microsoft Dynamics executives and breakout sessions
• Wednesday: Sonoma Partners' Customer Appreciation party
• Thursday: More sessions, networking and learning opportunities

With more than 28 Microsoft Dynamics CRM sessions already scheduled (and more to come), you won't find a better chance to roll up your sleeves and really learn the product inside and out.

Second, we’re in the process of securing a location for our customer appreciation party. We hope to have those details finalized soon, but please contact us if you’re interested in registering now. Microsoft employees are welcome to join of course. We had a great time in Orlando last year, and this year’s party should be a blast too.

Convergence is an absolute “must attend” event for me, but I’m also excited about New Orleans as the host city. I spent a weekend in New Orleans last February and I had a great time, there is really no other city like it. One of the most distinct memories of my last trip to the Bayou was this crazy “gold man” who would stand absolutely still (no blinking even) for 15 or 20 minutes at a time! I wonder if I will bump into him again this March?!

Of course, if you’re into culture and stuff like that you can always check out the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square, but I thought the gold man was way more interesting. :)