Dynamics 365 Update Webcast 15 October 2020
This series of webcasts is intended to share the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and related ISV solutions, both from a technical, functional and business perspective.
And along the year we will keep you informed about the latest news from Microsoft biggest events like Inspire, Directions ASIA, North America and EMEA.
Topics – 15 October 2020
Part 1: Dynamics 365 Business Central Update
Dynamics 365 Business Central Update (14 Minutes)
Part 2: Dynamics 365 Update
Dynamics 365 Update (14 Minutes)
Part 3: Meet LS Express, the online Point of Sale (POS) of LS Retail, a Dynamics 365 Business Central extension to address the largest vertical in Europe.
LS Express (12 Minutes)
Dynamics 365 Update Webcast
What is the MB-800 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Exam and why does it matter?
Microsoft has launched a brand-new certification exam for Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS. This is the first certification in a long time since Microsoft decided to drop the exams for the legacy product, Dynamics NAV, back in July 2014. Microsoft Dynamics resellers have disliked the lack of certification in the last six years, as it made it all too easy for anyone to enter the implementation market without any proven “badge”. As they say, differentiation in key!
The MB-800 certification exam entered Beta phase on 6th October 2020. Only a very limited number of participants worldwide can book this exam. This is intentional as Microsoft evaluates feedback on the Beta and incorporates any changes into the final version of the exam when it goes live.
The MB 800 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Exam is focused entirely on Business Central SaaS and requires a consultant to demonstrate theoretical knowledge around implementing Business Central. This means that you cannot just rely on your legacy experience as a Dynamics NAV/Business Central consultant. If we want to use an analogy here, we could describe sitting this exam, as if you were to retake your practical driving test many decades after having developed bad habits! It is that type of theoretical exam when you really need to think back on the theory rather than the hands-on way of implementing Business Central.
The exam is made up of many dozens of questions that can range from multiple choice to sequences and drag and drop options. Also, you will be required to look at a customer case study and answer with advice based on the scenario.
The general advice from our side is to ensure you make the most of the autumn time prepping for the exam when it goes live in the new year. This ensures you get the best possible exam experience and will also receive immediate pass or fail scores at the end of the exam. This is not the case with the Beta, whereby you are not told if you passed or failed, let alone the percentage scored!
How do I get my company ready for the MB-800 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Exam?
It is wise to start planning your team’s readiness as attaining and maintaining the certification will become a regular feature of the Business Central Channel. Your competitors will also use MB-800 certifications to prove they have a variety of resources certified. You need to think about how you respond to a prospect who demands evidence that your whole consulting troops are in possession of this “badge”! You can find more information here on the Microsoft Learn site.
How can I prepare my consultants for this MB 800 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Exam?
For Microsoft resellers, we have designed a special program to prepare your team for this exam: the MB-800 Core Specialist Program – Exam Preparation Pack (1 student) . You find more info here on our training overview.
To give your consulting team a head start and to allow them to make use of this time to prepare, we have arranged a special promo: MB-800 Core Specialist Program – Exam Preparation Pack (5 students). This special offer is ideal for those with bigger consulting teams, allowing you to prepare 5 consultants with a special discount of 33.33% on RRP. This promo is active until 31 December 2020.
More information on how you can prepare for this exam, you can watch in our video on our YouTube channel:
Why improving payments has a big impact on costs
On the 22nd of October, we are hosting a webinar on why improving payments has a big impact on costs. Adam Flood, Global Partner Manager for GoCardless, who will lead the webinar said, “partnerships with platforms like Xero and Sage have been key in growing to power 50,000 customers Direct Debit payments. Now it’s on to Dynamics 365 and I’m excited about the new opportunity to work with Microsoft Partners to help us both drive value for our customers and win new businesses”. GoCardless have a new extension for Business Central that makes it easy to collect Direct Debit payments from customers worldwide, for one-off or variable amounts. The webinar will cover the following:
- Why mismanaging payments kills businesses
- Uncovering the true costs of payments
- A new ISV solution that can help – GoCardless for Business Central
- How Microsoft Partners get paid when their customers use GoCardless
Why use Azure BLOB Storage with Business Central?
What is Azure BLOB Storage and why is this a game-changer for Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS?
Let us start with a common scenario that we hear a lot about lately from Business Central Partners:
Many people are refraining from suggesting Business Central SaaS to their prospects or customers simply because of the limitation on 80 Gb free storage for a given Business Central tenant database. Azure Storage is not cheap and customers with extensive documents (binary data) to be stored can easily fill up their free storage allowance, are then forced to buy additional storage as the database increases in size. This can really be a deal-breaker if Partners don’t know how to mitigate this scenario.
Having covered the high-level “commercial” scenario, let’s take care of the technical bits first so that you can understand more about Azure BLOB Storage and how advantageous it can be, not only on the “pocket” but equally on performance. Of course, feel free to skip this part if you are a “guru” already (are you?) or if this is all “Double Dutch” to you but you have been enticed to read the rest of the article to find out why this topic is now top of the agenda for both Dynamics Business Central Partners and Customers and what we have in store at QBS Group to assist you with learning this…
{ THE TECHIE BIT! 😊
What is a BLOB?
BLOB is a technical term for “Binary Large Objects”, and it is a way of storing information in databases. A BLOB is a data type that can store binary data. This data type differs from other data types used in databases, such as integers, floating-point numbers, characters, and strings, which store letters and numbers. As BLOBs can store binary data, they can be used to store images or other multimedia files.
Because BLOBs are used to store objects such as images, audio files, and video clips, they often require significantly more space than other data types. The amount of data a BLOB can store varies depending on the database type, but some databases allow BLOB sizes of several gigabytes. SQL Server allows huge amounts of binary data to be stored and very often what happens is that customers could store too much binary data in transactional tables. Imagine the scenario with Items: you can store details of an item, such as description, unit price and other details, but you could also store images related to the same item and these, if stored within a transactional table, can cause performance issues when loading big documents to display. So, imagine if you could simply “call up” the binary data from another storage facility hence keeping your footprint on the database to a bare minimum…well you can!
Using Azure BLOB Storage instead
Azure BLOB storage allows you to store all your files in Azure, which in turn can be accessed from other solutions, such as D365 Sales or Power Platform. Whilst Azure BLOB Storage acts very much like a simplified SharePoint, it also provides a very simple file storage container. To create a BLOB storage container, you simply head over to your Azure portal and create one, and the BLOB storage also provides a simple REST interface that you can use to access your files. [RESTful API is an application program interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. A RESTful API — also referred to as a RESTful web service or REST API — is based on representational state transfer (REST) technology, an architectural style and approach to communications often used in web services development.]
What is the advantage here, then?
Well, you can control access to said binary data by creating your own Azure Function(s) that control how you access the storage and the binary data within it. What more, you can grant and restrict access via said Function(s) as a further security/access filter to this data. You, in other words, are in full control.
} END OF TECHIE BIT 😊
Where do I learn more about Azure BLOB Storage with Business Central? Does QBS run any courses on this?
Of course, we do! We have teamed up with Gunnar Gestsson (MVP for Business Central), who is delivering this course uniquely through QBS Group to educate our Partners about this topic. Here you will find the full details of the course:
Azure BLOB Storage for Business Central | Online
Learn how to use Microsoft Azure Blob storage to store business attachments and to give your Business Central access to external files
This training course is hosted by Gunnar Gestsson, who has a wealth of experience with Dynamics NAV/BC and has been awarded eight times by Microsoft MVP program.
This online course is a session about attachment storage Business Central and how to utilize Microsoft Azure Blob storage to move binary objects out of the Business Central database and into Azure Blob. The Database Storage for the Business Central database is one of the most expensive storage media available Moving the binary objects out of the database and into Azure Blob is one of the best methods to limit the database size, increase the manageability and create smaller backups.
More info on QBS Academy
“QBS group is announced by Microsoft for Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications 2020/21.”
QBS Group has achieved the prestigious 2020/2021 Inner Circle status for Microsoft Business Applications for the 7th time in a row. Since starting up, QBS Group has received this outstanding honourable award every year. Inner Circle members have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable solutions that help organizations achieve increased success.
“I am happy to inform you of earned membership in the 2020/2021 Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications. Your outstanding performance has placed you in an elite group of our most strategic Microsoft Business Applications partners from across the globe. I want to thank you for your deep commitment and devotion to your customers, as well as your commitment to business excellence. We are extremely excited to have you a part of this group!”
Cecilia Flombaum, Sr Director Ecosystem Lead for Microsoft Business Applications
This recognition of Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications came during virtual Microsoft Inspire, the annual premier partner event, which took place July 21-23.
Michael Hartmann, CEO of QBS Group says: “We are proud that QBS was again able to be nominated for this exclusive Inner Circle members club in 2020/21. QBS has achieved this award for the seventh time in a row. As in previous years, we will make optimal use of this membership to work for the QBS partner community. Our deep dedication to the Microsoft Dynamics world and our position in such a great partner community gives us a unique position that I know Microsoft appreciates and our partners can benefit from.”
Dynamics 365 Update Webcast 25 June 2020
This series of webcasts is intended to share the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and related ISV solutions, both from a technical, functional and business perspective.
And along the year we will keep you informed about the latest news from Microsoft biggest events like Inspire, Directions ASIA, North America and EMEA.
Topics – 25 June 2020
Part 1: Dynamics 365 Business Central Update
Dynamics 365 Business Central Update (13 Minutes)
Part 2: Dynamics 365 Update
Dynamics 365 Update (12 Minutes)
Part 3: ForNav a quick demo
ForNav a quick demo (7 Minutes)
Dynamics 365 Update Webcast
Dynamics 365 CRM Update Webcast 24 June 2020
Get the latest insights from Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
This series of webcasts is intended to share the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, both from a technical, functional and business perspective.
In this webcast, we present in just 45 minutes the most important updates around Dynamics 365 Customer and Field Service.
Dynamics 365 CRM Update Webcast
Best practices of migrating your customer to Business Central SAAS
“Migrating Dynamics NAV customers to Dynamics 365 Business Central SAAS – Now’s the time!”
Already several of our partners are active in approaching their customers and showing successes in their process of migrating customers to Business Central SAAS. Of course, not all the projects went as smoothly as they were planned, but all these partners have finalized their projects successfully. In this video blog Mark Brummel will share his best practices.
This vlog is interesting for all Business Central partners as well for technical people, as for sales or business owners. This video is a must-see if you want to survive in the new Dynamics 365 world.
Target audience
Sales, business owners, consultants, and developers
Learnings
After watching this video, you have learned more about the ideal migration path and it will give you new ideas on how to set this up for your own customers.
Video: Best practices of migrating your customer to Business Central SAAS
Dynamics 365 and Power Platform licensing model explained
Get the latest insights from Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
This series of webcasts is intended to share the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, both from a technical, functional and business perspective.
In this webcast, we present in just 60 minutes the most important updates around licensing and pricing of Dynamics 365 CRM and Power Platform.
Dynamics 365 CRM Update Webcast
Dynamics 365 CRM Update Webcast 11 May 2020
Get the latest insights from Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
This series of webcasts is intended to share the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, both from a technical, functional and business perspective.
In this webcast, we present in just 45 minutes the most important updates form Microsoft Business Applications Summit 2020.
Dynamics 365 CRM Update Webcast
Dynamics 365 Update Webcast 7 May 2020
This series of webcasts is intended to share the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and related ISV solutions, both from a technical, functional and business perspective.
And along the year we will keep you informed about the latest news from Microsoft biggest events like Inspire, Directions ASIA, North America and EMEA.
Topics – 7 May 2020
Part 1 : Dynamics 365 Business Central Update
Dynamics 365 Business Central Update (16 Minutes)
Part 2: Dynamics 365 Update
Dynamics 365 Update (10 Minutes)
Part 3: Power BI with HillStar – All essential reports from Microsoft Dynamics ERP are immediately available in Power BI
Birds Power BI – HillStar (10 Minutes)
Dynamics 365 Update Webcast
Stronger Together
“Resilience, Resolve, Togetherness: these are the three words I would use to describe the partners in the QBS community. It was great to see the 70+ partners who attended last week’s channel webinar or have downloaded it over the weekend. You can listen to the recording and download the resources here.
Whilst the COVID 19 pandemic changes our day to day reality I have been lucky enough to speak with dozens of Dynamics partners of all shapes and sizes in the UK and beyond. Truthfully, it has left me emotional. Not plummeting into the depths of despair; the exact opposite – I was utterly inspired. Every call I made I was mentally prepared to hear not great news – personal or business – and in many instances, I left the call upbeat. Some are having to make hard decisions, but there is the underlying common thread saying that they will get through and be even more successful once they get through. I have always respected any Dynamics entrepreneur, I did not know there were move levels to go up, I did not even know those exalted levels existed – but my respect for the community has gone stratospheric and beyond.
So, I thought I would share some of the key thoughts from those partners that I have spoken to:
· “Understand the Government funding and how it can help” – work with your financial advisors and accountants to make sure you are in a position to understand and make use of this funding.
· “Cash is King” – liquidity is vital
· “We are not a bank” – customers will ask for a change in payment terms, their first port of call should be their bank or review how to access the government funding packages
· “We want to keep our resources” – you have spent years and decades building a valuable team, whilst it is hard to predict monthly utilisation levels you are looking at ways to keep your team engaged with online training and hackathons
· “The way we communicate with our customers” – have a rhythm of customer engagement. Make sure you understand how different aspects of the customer are functioning. For example, in the last few days we are actually seeing an uptick in requests for upgrades and cloud migrations as customers see this as a “minimally disruptive” time.
· “Microsoft Teams has been a life saver” – some of the channel have become so expert at its usage that they are now offering a Teams service to their customers. Also check out Haseet from City Dynamics talking about remote working here: https://youtu.be/4YVQyWBqhpE
· BE EVEN MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL – this time of crisis will present opportunities to assist your customers. Be open to new ideas – and if assistance is needed work with another QBS partner!
So please keep your ideas coming. Keep an eye on the QBS UK Yammer feed and our COVID 19 Yammer group. We have also created a landing page on our website ‘QBS support through the COVID 19 outbreak’ where you will be able to access useful links to external Government sites with up to date information for your region”.
The top 3 reasons why existing Dynamics customers are not happy with their Current Microsoft Provider!
So you look at your monthly customer report and you are 2-3 customers down on last month, but they hadn’t said anything about switching systems and last you heard they still wanted to use Dynamics. You do some investigating, and guess what? They still use Dynamics but went to a different provider. You’ve lost a customer out of the blue, and you thought everything was fine! So what happened? In this blog, I discuss 3 reasons why end-customers are leaving their current provider and 3 ways in which you can help avoid this happening to your business. Straight from someone who talks to end-customers on a daily basis!
The first reason starts at the very beginning as they become a customer of Microsoft Dynamics, this is the implementation step. It might surprise providers that they lose customers at this very first stage when they have barely even gotten out of the starting gate. This happens for a couple of different reasons, mainly to do with the relationship between end-customer and partner. The initial trust-building is super important for not only implementation but for the whole relationship, from first meeting to support post-implementation.
The main points that end-customers inform us what happens are:
- The provider doesn’t tell them all the upfront costs – suddenly springing costs on them when they are already in the project
- The customer is told the project won’t cost a lot and then adds “extras”, each of which costs and does not always inform them of changes/difficulties in the project.
This can lead to a breakdown in communication between the end-customer and the provider, and as such, they will go and use our service at Dynamics 365 Providers to find a new provider that can help them. Be honest and upfront with them, and also make sure they are looked after.
So how do we fix this problem? It’s relatively simple, it is all about being open and honest with the end-customer. Your job as a Provider is to help them get a new IT system for their business and provide the best service that you can, while also explaining the risks/issues/problems about the system they want and manage that trust they have in you. In the end, providers are only in business because end-customers need new IT systems, they want to have it implemented and they need the support to help them keep their business growing.
This leads onto the second reason, the support that happens post-implementation, or in the cases we see, the lack of support and interaction. So, you’ve completed the implementation and the customer is up and running on their brand new Dynamics system. So what is the next step?
- Training and Support! Having a new system is fantastic, but it is only as good as it’s users, and that’s where the provider comes in as a vital cog in the machine. Too many times we have end-customers come to us with issues regarding both training and support, and the fact they haven’t received any, or that has it has been lacklustre.
- The biggest frustration with this is that the end-customer has paid the provider for this service! So they feel doubly hurt that they’ve paid for a service they haven’t received, AND now they need to find (and pay) a new provider to actually do a proper job. This doesn’t sit well with them at all and leads to a lot of unhappiness and distrust with both the provider and Microsoft Dynamics overall.
- Customers even tell us they have paid for a year of support with a provider and had not heard a single word from them, even after multiple contact attempts! No wonder they want to switch!
So how does a provider go about fixing this issue?
By regularly checking in with their customers, keeping the dialogue open and not promising more than they can deliver. Here at QBS Group we look after every size of provider, from 2/3 people, right up to huge multinationals, and each presents their own specific set of challenges. As a small provider, you want to assist your customer base as much as possible, but you only have a limited amount of people. You know all your customers personally and have probably personally visited all of them. So how do you provide support/training for all these customers? You need to be honest and open with them, discuss what it is they are looking for and help set the bar about what you’re able to help them with and how quickly you can help them in times of crisis. Trust us when we say end-customers don’t always mind if it takes a bit longer when they get personalised service. But say you’re a multinational Provider, how can you make sure companies don’t become a number, as you have plenty of support people to help out all of them? You need to set times as the owner of the end-customer accounts to check in with your customers and see if they need help and to touch-base as to how everything is going for them.
It is all about care, and people want that human interaction and to see that even though you’re a massive company, you still care about them all individually. Whether it’s once a week, a fortnight, or once a month, having that call with them will help you keep on top of the relationship (and fix the things that aren’t working!)
Both of the previous two reasons help us look at the third reason, setting the correct expectations! Nothing is worse for an end-customer than being kept in the dark, and there is nothing that destroys trust quicker than either setting the wrong expectations or not even setting expectations at all. So many times, end-customers have no idea what to expect from their provider as that boundary has never been put in place, or it has been broken multiple times and now the end-Customer is hurt/lost/confused about what to do with their system and needs help to get back on track, or risk moving to a totally different provider/system altogether!
Fixing this is the simplest of the three reasons, it’s all about setting expectations, but most importantly, actually meeting the expectation you’ve set!
- If you say you are going to do something, whether it’s around implementation, support, or even setting up that first meeting, make sure you, as a provider, actually go and do it. It is the easiest way to build their trust, and as they are the lifeblood of your business, the easiest way to keep their (and your) business moving forward and growing year on year. Don’t get us wrong, sometimes things will change, and you’ll no longer be able to meet those expectations, and that is fine, but it has to be an open dialogue with the end-customer and tell them what has happened and discuss with them what the next steps are. This is perfectly acceptable, and will actually help build trust as you were open and honest. However, if this constantly happens, we suggest making sure the original expectations next time are shifted, so you live and you learn, and you grow as a business and most importantly, you keep your customers!
So in this blog post, we discussed how the 3 reasons of Implementation, Support and Expectations can be the deciding factors as to why end-customers leave their current providers. As a provider, there are simple but effective steps you can take to make sure you don’t lose your customers to the competition and look after your install base. It focuses around open and honest communication with the customer and if you are a Salesperson, having those initial conversations will help build trust in you and the product, and help in the long run. If you are an Account Manager (and you’re not already), make time every week, fortnight, or month to check in with your customers and make sure everything is going in the right direction!
Follow these simple steps and not only will your end-customers stay with you and their business grow, but also your business will grow as a result and everyone will be happy!
If you would like to discuss joining our Take The Lead program or find out more please email marketing@qbsgroup.com
The top 3 reasons why existing Dynamics customers are not happy with their Current Microsoft Provider!
So you look at your monthly customer report, you are 2-3 customers down on last month, but they hadn’t said anything about switching system, and last you heard, they still wanted to use Dynamics. You do some investigating, and guess what? They still use Dynamics but went to a different provider. You’ve lost a customer out of the blue, and you thought everything was fine! So what happened? In this blog, we’ll discuss 3 reasons why End-Customers are leaving their current provider, and 3 ways in which you can help avoid this happening to your business, from someone who talks to End-Customers on a daily basis!
The first reason starts at the very beginning, as they become a customer of Microsoft Dynamics, the implementation step. It might surprise Providers that they lose customers at this very first stage when they have barely even gotten out of the starting gate. This happens due to a couple of different things, mainly to do with the relationship between end-customer and partner. The initial trust-building is super important for not only implementation but for the whole relationship, from first meeting to support post-implementation. The main things that end-customers tell us happens are that the Provider doesn’t tell them all the upfront costs, suddenly springing costs on them when they are already in the project, tells them the project won’t cost a lot and then adds “extras”, each of which costs and does not always inform them of changes/difficulties in the project. This can lead to a breakdown in communication between the End-Customer and the Provider, and as such, they will go and use our service at www.Dynamics365Providers.co.uk to find a new provider that can help them, be honest and upfront with them, and also make sure they are looked after.
So how do we fix this problem? It’s relatively simple, it is all about being open and honest with the End-Customer. Your job as a Provider is to help them get a new IT system for their business and provide the best service that you can, while also explaining the risks/issues/problems about the system they want, and manage that trust they have in you. In the end, Providers are only in business because End-Customers need new IT systems, want to have it implemented and need the support to help them keep their business growing and growing.
This leads onto the second reason, the support that happens post-implementation, or in the cases we see, the lack of support and interaction. So, you’ve completed the implementation and gotten the End-Customer up and running on their brand new Dynamics system. So what is the next step? Training and Support! Having a new system is fantastic, but it is only as good as it’s Users, and that’s where the Provider comes in as a vital cog in the machine. Too many times we have End-Customers come to us with issues regarding both training and support, and the fact they haven’t received any, or that has it has been lacklustre. The biggest frustration with this is that the End-Customer has paid the Provider for this service! So they feel doubly hurt, they’ve paid for a service they haven’t received, AND now they need to find (and pay) a new Provider to actually do a proper job. This doesn’t sit well with them at all and leads to a lot of unhappiness and distrust with both the Provider and Microsoft Dynamics overall. End-Customer even tell us they have paid for a year of support with a Provider, and not heard a single word from them, even after multiple contact attempts! No wonder they want to switch!
So how does a Provider go about fixing this issue? By regularly checking in with their End-Customers, keeping the dialogue open and not promising more than they can deliver. Here at Dynamics365Providers, we look after every size of Provider, from 2/3 people, right up to huge multinationals, and each presents their own specific set of challenges. As a small Provider, you want to assist your customer base as much as possible, but you only have a limited amount of people. You know all your customers personally and have probably personally visited all of them. So how do you provide support/training for all these customers? You need to be honest and open with them, discuss what it is they are looking for and help set the bar about what you be able to help them with, and how quickly you can help them in times of crisis. Trust us when we say, End-Customers don’t always mind if it takes a bit longer when they get personalised service and it’s been set out beforehand how it happens. But say you’re a multinational Provider, how can you make sure companies don’t become a number, as you have plenty of support people to help out all of them? You need to set times as the owner of the End-Customer accounts to check in with your customers and see if they need help/how everything is going with them. It is all about care, and people want that human interaction and to see that even though you’re a massive company, you still care about them all individually. Whether it’s once a week, a fortnight, or once a month, having that call with them will help you keep on top of the relationship (and fix the things that aren’t working!)
Both of the previous two reasons help us look at the third reason, setting the correct expectations! Nothing is worse for an End-Customer than being kept in the dark, and there is nothing that destroys trust quicker than either setting the wrong expectations or not even setting expectations at all. So many times, End-Customers have no idea what to expect from their Provider as that boundary has never been put in place, or it has been broken multiple times and now the End-Customer is hurt/lost/confused about what to do with their system and needs help to get back on track, or risk moving to a totally different Provider/system altogether!
Fixing this is the simplest of the three reasons, it’s all about setting expectations, but most importantly, actually meeting the expectation you’ve set! If you say you are going to do something, whether it’s around implementation, support, or even setting up that first meeting, make sure you, as a Provider, actually go and do it. It is the easiest way to build trust with your End-Customers, and as they are the lifeblood of your business, the easiest way to keep their (and your) business moving forward and growing year on year. Don’t get us wrong, sometimes things will change, and you’ll no longer be able to meet those expectations, and that is fine, but it has to be an open dialogue with the End-Customer and tell them what has happened and discuss with them what the next steps are, this is perfectly acceptable, and will actually help build trust as you were open and honest. However, if this constantly happens, we suggest making sure the original expectations next time are shifted, so you live and you learn, and you grow as a business and most importantly, you keep your End-Customers!
So in this blog post, we discussed how the 3 reasons for Implementation, Support and Expectations can be the deciding factors as to why End-Customers leave their current Providers. As a Provider, there are simple but effective steps you can take to make sure you don’t lose your End-Customers to the competition and look after your base. It focuses around open and honest communication with the End-Customer and if you are a Salesperson, having those initial conversations will help build trust in you and the product, and help in the long run. If you are an Account Manager (and you’re not already), make time every week, fortnight, or month to check in with your End-Customers and make sure everything is going in the right direction!
Follow these simple steps and not only will your End-Customers stay with you and their business grow, but also your business will grow as a result and everyone will be happy!
