Microsoft Dynamics Parature is a cloud-based customer service solution.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a business solution developed to offer software that improves productivity, sales and marketing for companies, all working in the cloud, so you don’t have to mess around with downloads, installations, or issues with licensing or copying the software across your whole organisation.
The aim is to improve a company’s use of data on customers in general to make customer services easier to use and thus more profitable. By creating software that can be used anytime, anywhere, consistently across a whole company, they hope to save time and money for their clients. And of course, they package all the standard Microsoft applications, such as the latest Office suite, along with CRM.
Microsoft Dynamics Parature Overview
The latest branch of CRM is Microsoft Dynamics Parature (or ‘Parature, from Microsoft’, to give it its official name). Parature, as its friends call it, is designed to integrate multiple levels of customer service. Recognising that the channels for customer service are wider and more numerous than ever before (social media, email, website, phone, in-store), Microsoft have produced an in-the-cloud software service that integrates information across all these channels, so that customer service reps throughout the business have access to the same information and can pass it on to your customers consistently.
So if a confused customer has a problem, complains about it on Twitter, checks the website, then rings the store, they’ll get consistent information across the board. And if they have a frequently-asked question, they’ll be provided with an answer before they get beyond step one.
But Parature does more than that. It has a customisable interface you can use to create a ‘mobile-responsive support channel’. Most of the work is done for you (for example, it has a built-in search function), you just have to fill in the blanks so create an easy-to-access, 24/7 resource for your customers to use. This self-service approach to customer service lowers costs (less time on the phone) and allows you to deal with frequently-asked questions easily. Not only will it save you money, customers will appreciate the ability to solve problems themselves – it virtually becomes a feature of your products or services that customers can fix them on their own terms.
Obviously there’s and advantage in having one customer service solution, rather than having totally separate services on the phone, via email, etc., etc. But how does Parature actually work?
The key to Parature is this: A consistent response across all those different channels. With all frontline customer service staff also able to access information in the cloud, you’re guaranteed to be giving your customers the same response whether they’re on the phone, on a social network, or reading the FAQ in the cloud. And with one portal into the cloud, customers only have to explain their problem once, even if they start out on the FAQ, then ring up to book an appointment down at the store, they can pick up where they left off each step of the way. The possible permutations of how this can work are endless: Your customer reads the FAQ on their laptop, follows up on their smartphone and turns up at the shop knowing exactly what to expect – and your employees know, too.
What This Means For You
The advantages for customers and businesses are obvious. Customers spend less time complaining and more time actually using your products and services, while you are able to deliver information consistently to all your employees and thence to all your customers. With a single point for information, everyone knows where to go, however they choose to get there. So whether it’s a quick fix or a major problem, everyone knows where to get answers quickly.
In the Cloud
Being in the cloud is key Parature’s success. It scales up easily with your business (if you buy a new set of computers all they need to do is login to Parature – no installation required); it’s accessible from multiple routes; it works well alongside social networking.
Because it’s all online, you can customise it’s interface to match your branding, so customers move seamlessly across platforms, getting a consistent user experience along with consistent information. And because all the nuts and bolts are already in place, your customers can start using Parature at almost the same time you do. There’s no expensive overhaul of your website to make a good mobile friendly version: It’s all laid out for you.
You can take a Test Drive to check out how it all works at parature.com, with a number of ways in to the software presented that you can select depending on who you are and what you need to know. Parature’s website, incidentally, is excellent: This is always a good sign in a business, especially a web-based one: It’s the 21st century equivalent of keeping the store clean.
Because it’s developed by Microsoft, you know it’s coming from a company with years of successful software solutions behind it and you know, too, that it’s not going anywhere any time soon. Try it out today and find out how Microsoft Dynamics Parature can empower your customers, integrate your knowledge-base and increase your profitability.