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Peoplesoft CRM

Businesses rely on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to manage relationships and interactions with current and prospective customers. Choosing CRM technology for your business is a key decision, as the systems support sales management, offer insight, integrate with social media campaigns, and help team members effectively communicate.

How Do you Develop your Requirements for a CRM?

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Image via Unsplash by Marvin Meyer

Each business has its unique and often complicated requirements for effective operation. Choosing CRM software is a key decision that begins with identifying your business requirements. Requirements gathering is necessary, as with all business decisions. Gather stakeholders to create a requirements document starting with a template; prioritize features and functionality, and prepare a summary to help with final decision making.

Basic requirements to consider include contact management, tracking of customer contacts, database management, marketing management, sales lead management, sales automation, workflow automation, employee management, report generation, knowledge management, required functions, and security features. Conduct a needs analysis and write down your goals for the CRM software. Consider the size of your business, as some setups work better for small or large businesses. Look for features that cater to your industry.

List key requirements for a CRM software set-up. The following are common CRM requirements:

  • Contact management is the collection, storage, and data generation from customers, vendors, colleagues, and sales leads. Each contact profile can be associated with interactions, connected to files, and contain other information like appointments.
  • Client interaction allows businesses to manage interactions between their business and the customers. Data for tracking by the CRM system includes invoices, prior purchases, and order status. This information can be essential for targeted advertising campaigns when filtered.
  • Database management ensures the security and integrity of data in a centralized location. It ensures data is available companywide and effectively maintained.
  • Campaign management includes mass e-mailing to targeted contacts and integrating multi-channel marketing, such as integrating website content with the CRM system.
  • Lead management encompasses generating the leads and managing them. Leads are then available to be filtered and distributed as needed.
  • Sales automation helps sales teams manage leads from initial contact to completing a sale.
  • Workflows can be automated, and employee management features can be added to track performance and store records, schedule and track tasks, and maintain employee records.
  • Business intelligence like customer satisfaction ratings and sales forecasts can be output to reports.
  • Knowledge management helps companies standardize processes, reduce errors, and scale operations.
  • Technical requirements include integrating with e-mail systems, chat support with artificial intelligence, and telephone services.
  • Whether it is web- or cloud-based, or a combination, the environment is important to consider.
  • Security and support are key considerations and ensure vital data is safe and always accessible.

What Are the Basics of PeopleSoft CRM?

PeopleSoft has a 25-year history of providing CRM services to businesses. Oracle Corporation acquired PeopleSoft in 2005. It can be configured to meet the unique needs of businesses to deliver a personalized experience that increases productivity. Customized versions of PeopleSoft are cost-effective to build, maintain, and update. They are adaptable as updates and new features are added to PeopleSoft rollout.

Configuration can be done without coding and has numerous options that allow administrators to streamline how users navigate the system and perform actions. Costly customizing with coding and other expensive development isn’t necessary. The configured system is easy to maintain and can be aligned to the needs of the business.

PeopleSoft can be customized by end-users, allowing them to become more productive and use the system’s interface more effectively. Users can create custom home pages that feature tiles of features and sites they use most. Personalized navigation bars also allow individual users to streamline their PeopleSoft accounts. Individual end-users can also adjust settings to adapt to their unique needs, including accessibility, display options, and time-saving auto-complete. Rights set by administrators govern individual customization.

Users of PeopleSoft can use the system with Microsoft Windows or through a web application. Mobile applications for Apple iOS or Android are not provided.

Are All Versions Cloud-Based?

PeopleSoft has focused on creating a cloud-based model in recent years, recommending the platform be set up on the Oracle Cloud. It can run on public or private cloud storage systems or operate on a business’ premises. Cloud-based setups have advantages like cost savings, increased security, flexibility, loss prevention, and automatic software updates. Cloud computing may have an initial cost, but that added cost can be made up through advantages like ease of access, pay-as-you-go services, and the ability to keep vital information safe.

What Are the Recent PeopleSoft Updates?

PeopleSoft has been enhanced in recent versions through improvements to areas including Global Search, Dashboard, and WorkCenter. The improvements streamline interactions and workflows. The user interface also has new features, including the PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface, Activity Guides, and Train Stop. PeopleSoft touts this as the most advanced user interface in the marketplace. PeopleSoft allows users to set their budget and schedule to adopt new features and maintain their systems. Called PeopleSoft Selective Adoption, businesses can decide when and where to apply software updates. Updates and feature rollouts may be immediate, on a regular schedule, or annually.

PeopleSoft’s features are adaptable to company strategies and budgets. Consider adopting high-value features for your business, track usage, and ensure maintenance is conducted appropriately. Business leaders and staff like technical analysts and business analysts should be included in discussions involving CRM system interfaces, updates, features, and management. PeopleSoft Selective Adoption offers agility through easy adoption of features and maintenance, following company strategy, schedules, budgets for updates, and the ability for companies to be selective in which updates are chosen and when they’re implemented.

Business leaders and information technology staff can stay up-to-date on updates and new features through several resources, including an information portal, update manager, a cumulative feature overview, planned features and enhancements, and an update manager dashboard.

PeopleSoft CRM has features and flexibility for a wide variety of businesses with diverse needs for managing vital data. As with any business decision, a comprehensive set of business requirements is needed to ensure the system meets business needs and the budget. Numerous software systems, including CRM, are moving to the cloud. Businesses can take advantage of the agility of cloud-based systems like PeopleSoft to efficiently manage customer and sales information to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. If you’re interested in learning more about how PeopleSoft can benefit your business, contact Dimension Systems today.