CWR Mobile CRM 4.0 launched at the Convergence in Orlando

CWR Mobility will launch their new CWR Mobile CRM 4.0 product at the Convergence 2008 in Orlando, Florida.

CWR Mobile CRM is a rich PDA client for Dynamics CRM 4.0 running on Windows Mobile powered devices.

"We are really excited about this new release." says Erik van Hoof, CEO of CWR Mobility BV, "We have implemented the major features of CRM 4.0 in our new release to enable full support of the powerful customization options. We have added the multi-lingual screens, multi-currency and the possibility to install the mobile application on a multi-tenant partner hosted environment."

"Another exciting new feature is the integration into Pocket Outlook. You can now access CRM directly from your Outlook Contacts, Appointments and Tasks." added Erik van Hoof.

The full version will be available for download at the end of March by Partners of CWR Mobility BV.

More information can be found at: www.cwrmobility.com -> products -> CWR Mobile CRM

CWR Mobile CRM at Microsoft Norway Partner Community Day

Microsoft Norway is having a Partner Community Day in Oslo on November 19th.

A few selected partners will be presenting their Dynamics CRM add-ons to all attending CRM partners. CWR Mobility will be presenting its CWR Mobile CRM solution.

Norway is one of the leading countries when it comes to mobility. According to a survey conducted by Radar Group International 77 % of all Norwegian customers have the intention to implement mobile CRM over the next 12-24 months.

So, if you're a Norwegian Dynamics CRM partner and haven't registered yet, contact your local Microsoft representative and we'll see you there!

T-Mobile Shadow, my next device?

Now this is a great looking device!

Microsoft developed the T-Mobile Shadow together with T-Mobile and the result is really nice!

This picture really doesn't do it justice, you have to look at the video here.

I like the iPhone, but it's nice to see the iPhone is getting some competition from devices like the T-Mobile Shadow and the HTC Touch.

I think I need a new test device because my "old" Qtek S200 is starting to look a bit out dated :)

Microsoft launches System Centre Mobile Device Manager 2008 (SCMDM)

Now that's an acronym. Repeat this quickly 5 times: Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008.....Let's just call it Mobile Device Manager.

While we were at Convergence Copenhagen Microsoft announced this at the CTIA Wireless conference in San Francisco. Not long after that, in the session that Barry Givens and Erik van Hoof presented at Convergence, they were able to give a quick overview.

In short, this product enables administrators to manage and secure mobile devices. It can be used to enforce Active Directory policies on the mobile device or to deploy applications to devices. Next to that you can setup secure connectivity over VPN with session control and quick reconnect.

You will have to wait a while before you can actually use the full benefits of it, because only new and future versions of Windows Mobile will support MSCMDM. That's Windows Mobile 6 and beyond.

We have been looking at MSCMDM and basically for us this means that instead of using our installers to install or update CWR Mobile CRM, administrators can also use MSCMDM to deploy our application to multiple devices. Next to that you can setup secure connectivity between the mobile device and you internal networks in an easy way. So, we're already fully compliant with MSCMDM :).

For more details, read here and here.

Sonoma mobility webinar ft. CWR Mobile CRM

Mike Snyder from Sonoma Partners just blogged about their mobility webinar in which they presented several CRM mobility solutions. The verdict?

If you want to use CRM data extensively (logging calls, adding notes, etc.) on
your mobile device: Buy CWR Mobile if you have a Windows device.

You can read the full post here. And view the recorded webinar here.

Disclaimer: we did not sponsor this webinar ;)

UPDATE:
Just a little update after reviewing the webinar.

1.
One of the 'cons' of our application is that you need to cradle the device to install the software. Technically this is not correct. You can install the software over-the-air (OTA) just fine. However, the software is about 2 MB so downloading it may take a while over a slow connection. You should be fine though when using something like UMTS.

2.
Another 'con' is that there's no out-of-the-box activity tracking of emails and phonecalls. E.g. that when you call someone, a phonecall is automatically created and prefilled for you. It is true that this functionality doesn't exist out-of-the-box. Erik shows in this blog post how easy it is to build this functionality using our SDK. So if you buy the product and you need this functionality, it's already there!

I hope that's a little les 'con' :).

Video: Automatically create a phonecall activity when making a phonecall

The second video on how to work with CWR Mobile CRM will demonstrate the possibility to automatically create a phonecall when dialing a phone number from within a record.

The functionality that is being demonstrated is based on our custom control extension model.

The 'phonecall' control will dial the phonenumber and open a new phonecall record, automatically filled with the sender and the receiver, the phonenumber and the duration of the call.

Whatch the video on Soapbox:


Video: Create phonecall on CWR Mobile CRM

Free license for Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVP's (Most Valuable Professionals)

Being a Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVP is already an accomplishment and an honor, but now it even got better!

We all know how much time and effort MVP's dedicate to the CRM community; sharing their knowledge in newsgroups, user groups and in many other ways. As a token of our appreciation to the community of MVP's CWR Mobility offers a free CWR Mobile CRM license to any Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVP!

How to request a license?
To request your license please send an e-mail to support@cwrmobility.com and include your name, e-mail and a proof of your MVP status. We will then contact you to setup your free license.

UPDATE: Go here to request a free MVP license.

How do I know if I qualify for a free license?
If you're a Dynamics CRM MVP then you probably know you're one :). But in case you're not sure, take a look at https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Microsoft+Dynamics+CRM to see a list of Dynamics CRM MVP's.

Just our way to say thanks to all Dynamics CRM MVP's.

CWR Mobile CRM 1.2 released!

After months of hard work we are pleased to announce version 1.2 of our CWR Mobile CRM application!

Some highlights of this version:


Graphical sitemap configurator

This means, no more xml editing your sitemap, just click or drag 'n drop. Heck, Dynamics CRM doesn't even have that! ;)



Graphical filter configurator

Create your synchronization filters using a fully graphical filter editor!


Choose your Lookup entities
For Lookup fields you can choose which entities you want to show in the lookup window and in what order! Take for example this Regarding field:

Yeah, we think it's cool too :)


Highly improved synchronization

Limites bandwidth usage and improves synchronization time by 400%. Yes, we listen to your feedback :).


Real Windows Mobile experience

Context sensitive menus, keyboard navigation.

The most common action is located at the left menu, other actions are located in the right menu.

Since pictures say more than a thousand words, here's some pictures...
Using the left/right and up/down buttons you can quickly navigate through the menu groups and menu items.

Convenient access to related entities using the right menu.

Easy switching between views using the right Views menu.

Switching between Agenda, Day, Week and Month view using the Left menu.

Webinars
We will be scheduling some webinars that will showcase our CWR Mobile CRM application. More information coming soon!

Windows Mobile device with Seiko Kinetic technology

Unfortunately it isn't here yet, but knowing that mobile devices still struggle with battery life, it sure sounds like a good idea! http://blogs.msdn.com/lokeuei/archive/2007/08/16/all-windows-mobile-phones-should-have-seiko-kinetic-technology.aspx

Mobile CRM in Simplified Chinese!

Together with our business partner Exakis we have made a translation of CWR Mobile CRM into simplified Chinese for one of their customers in China.

Doesn't it look great!

Currently available languages for Mobile CRM:
- English
- Dutch
- Portugeese
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Chinese (Simplified)

- more to come...

If you would like to assist in any translation work, please send an email to either myself (vanhoof at cwrmobility.com) or our support team (support at cwrmobility.com)

Mobile CRM on Smartphone

As we are approaching the release of our new version 1.2 I want to show you one of the biggest new features:


Smartphone
The new version will be working on a Smartphone and Windows Mobile 6 Standard device.
The biggest change to accomplish that was to fully implement key navigation.
This had a big impact on how the application behaves and navigates.


Screenshots

Information
If you are interested in learning more about our software, please visit http://www.cwrmobility.com

CRM App Dev session at MIX07

I just ran across a post from Ben Riga where he talks about a session he did together with Jason Hunt of Invoke Systems at MIX07 about:

How ISV's can use the Dynamics CRM platform to build all sorts of wild and
wonderful line-of-business apps.

It looks like it's becoming a trend to talk about Dynamics CRM as an application development platform instead of just a CRM app and I like it. The reality already is, I haven't seen a single customer that uses Dynamics CRM without any custom entities.

The session is pretty cool, really shows the strengths of CRM. You can view it here. Cool detail: it's available in Silverlight!

Now, wouldn't it be nice to do a demo/workshop on using Dynamics CRM as a (mobile) application development platform? I'm just thinking out loud here, but it sure would be cool to do a showcase on how to build a custom app from scratch using Dynamics CRM and then mobilizing that app using CWR Mobile CRM in a matter of hours! (disclaimer: obviously, building a complete app including business analysis, design, etc. etc. would take much longer, but I hope you get the point...).

Anyway Ben, if you're interested, let me know! WWPC anyone? ;)

Las Vegas, MEDC, MIX and Tao

So yesterday I had my presentation at MEDC together with Kevin Quan from Microsoft. Michael Rich wasn't able to make it, so Kevin took over.

The presentation went fine despite a minor technical difficulty. My bluetooth presenter mouse quit on me so I have to use the touchpad on the laptop to navigate the demo which is a bit hard to do on dual screens :).

Also, one comment we received was that the title was a bit misleading. The title said something like "integrating CRM with ERP", which at a first glance has nothing to do with mobility. However, what we showed was how easy it is to mobilize data from other systems by integrating that system with MS CRM and then using CWR Mobile CRM to mobilize that.

It has been mentioned a few times now on several conferences, also in our presentation, and it seems to get more emphasis: MS CRM is more than an application, it's an application development platform. And because CWR Mobile CRM integrates so nicely with the MS CRM metadata system you could say: MS CRM + CWR Mobile CRM = Mobile Application Development Platform.

For our demo we used an ERP/CRM integration scenario. In just 20 minutes I created custom Warehouse and Stock entities (data that's typically in ERP systems and not in CRM) and mobilized those entities using CWR Mobile CRM. No programming required!*

* Of course you still have to integrate your ERP with your MS CRM system :).

What else was there? Of course there was the OFONE spoof during the keynote speech. The MS iPhone killer :).

Yesterday evening there was a MEDC party at the TAO club in the Venetian, a really fancy club. There was the Sumo Robot Wrestling competition organized by the MS Robotics team. The host for this event was the famous boxing host you see at the big fights. You know, the grey man that says: "In the left cooorner....". If anyone knows his name, put it in the comments :).

Anyway, it was fun to see this man host a match between vacuum cleaning robots powered by Windows Mobile! :)

Even though MEDC was nice, the groundbreaking and spectacular announcements were made at MIX 07. Among other things Microsoft announced Silverlight, a browser plugin for interactive web pages. See Scott Hanselman's post for the details. Also, the Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR) was introduced which brings support for dynamic languages like Python, Ecmascript and Ruby. Again, read Scotts post about this.

These are major initiatives which makes me wonder where to get the time to learn about all this new stuff. I also need to keep up with the new Windows Mobile 6 :).

So, all in all it's been pretty exciting in Vegas. Tonight I'm going to see the Cirque du Soleil KÀ show at the MGM Grand before travelling back home tomorrow. Next week "normal" work continues :).

Presenting at MEDC 2007

In about 3 weeks MEDC 2007 (Mobile and Embedded Developer's Conference) kicks off in Las Vegas. It runs from April 30 to May 3 and features more than 130 technical sessions and labs in the area of mobile and embedded development and solutions.

I will be presenting a session together with Michael Rich from Microsoft. The session will be on integrating CRM and ERP systems and extending it to the mobile field force. Michael Rich will focus on the CRM/ERP integration and I will focus on how to make the information mobile using our CWR Mobile CRM solution. Here the session description:

Integrating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems
Speaker(s): Michael Rich, Jeffry van de Vuurst
Most companies have some CRM/ERP packages running in their business. Those systems become even more powerful when you can extend this information to their sales field, customer service field, and other mobile workers. This session will cover hands-on ways to jumpstart projects integrating Windows Mobile with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With Microsoft CRMs Enterprise Connectivity that can provide mobile access to data from other Dynamics products, SAP, Siebel, etc.

So, you can guess I'm pretty excited about presenting at MEDC 2007 and in Las Vegas of all places!

I know CRM folks are not the primary target audience for MEDC 2007, but still, if you happen to visit drop me a line!

Just released: CWR Mobile CRM 1.1!

CWR Mobility is pleased to announce version 1.1 of our CWR Mobile CRM application!

This version contains lots of new features and improvements. Some of the highlights are:

• Uploading and downloading of attachments on the mobile client. This opens up lots of new possibilities for your field work force. Imagine you're an insurance agent and you're on location inspecting a damaged car. Just take a picture (your pda has a camera right?), attach it to a case and the office has all the information within minutes! And did I mention signature captures? With the ability to create custom controls and client-side callouts, the possibilities are endless!
• A feature rich calendar control with a timetable, day, week, month and even a resource view! From this calendar you can view and manage your appointments and serviceappointments.
• Fully graphical mobile form and view editors in the Mobile Configurator. Why should creating mobile forms and views be harder than creating CRM forms and views? Here are some screenshots.
  

This is the main screen where you can choose your options.


This should look familiar. Create tabs, add fields to the form, move them around. When you create a new form you can even choose to let the application generate a form for you based on the CRM form! Tell me that isn't cool :)


Double click a field and you can edit the field properties.

What about creating views? Ofcourse you can generate them, just as with forms. You can add several views and related views (associated views in CRM). You can add filter fields and change the view properties (whether you are able to delete records from a view, or create new records).

And here's a nice example how to edit the filter criteria for a view:


We've also added the ability to import and export not only individual forms and views, but also a complete profile. This makes it easy for us to create a default "vertical" profile that you can then import into your system. It also makes it easy to copy an existing form from one profile to another.

Profiles are not a new feature, they already existed in the first release. But I would like to elaborate a bit on profiles. A profile contains a selection of mobile entities with their own sync filters, views and forms. This is a very powerful feature. E.g. it enables you to have a Sales and a Service profile, each with their own mobile entities. Each profile has its own sync filters so the Sales profile could sync "all active accounts" while the Service profile could sync "all accounts with active cases".

Also forms and views are defined per profile. You could make the Account form readonly for the Service profile (they don't need to edit account info) and editable for the Sales profile (they manage account info). You can even define field level security using profiles!

So, watch this blog and our website for more information, soon to come!

Dynamics CRM video on Channel 9

I visit Channel 9 regularly to see if there are new interesting video's and today I saw an interview with Brad Wilson, Bill Patterson and Ben Riga about Dynamics CRM.

They're talking about Dynamics CRM as a platform for building all sorts of applications, not just CRM. Hey, where did we hear that before? :)

• http://blogs.msdn.com/mikemill/archive/2007/03/27/why-ms-crm-isn-t-a-crm-product.aspx
• http://ronaldlemmen.blogspot.com/2007/03/crm-as-development-platform.html

I'm curious to see what the future brings for CRM as a development platform. Go see the video, it's interesting.

So what does that mean for our CWR Mobile CRM application? It means we can mobilize just about everything! As long as you can define it in MS CRM, you can make it mobile. We might need to change the name from CWR Mobile CRM to CWR Mobile Application Platform though :).