Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes several ways to connect with your customers by using e-mail.
Which of these approaches you choose to use depends on the specific Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online features you want to take advantage of.
Lesson 1: Four ways to send e-mail using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
In Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, you can send e-mail by using one of the following methods:
- Direct e-mail
- Mail merge with Microsoft Office Word
- Quick Campaign
- Full campaign
The following table lists some of the differences between each of the e-mail communication methods.
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Direct E-mail
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Mail Merge
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Quick Campaign
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Full Campaign
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Templates
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Response tracking
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Yes (as an activity).
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Yes (as an activity) -
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook only.
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Yes (as a campaign response).
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Yes (as a campaign response).
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Unsubscribe request tracking
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No
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Return on investment tracking
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No
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No
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No
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Yes. Return on investment (ROI) can be tracked based on the cost of the campaign and its activities. The Campaign Performance and Campaign Comparison reports can be used to track and compare ROI.
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Automatically send e-mail messages
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Use marketing lists for recipient selection
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No
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Attachment in e-mails
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes (when using an e-mail template).
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Yes (when using an e-mail template).
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Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online E-mail Communication Methods
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Lesson 2: Four sample scenarios
Based on the differences between these e-mail communication methods, here are sample scenarios that may help you choose between these methods:
- Direct e-mail. Your organization's marketing team sends out a newsletter to existing customers at the end of each month. The newsletter uses a specific template stored in the Settings area. Detailed response tracking and reporting are unnecessary, and you don't need to use marketing lists to refine or filter the complete list of your customers.
- Mail Merge with Microsoft Office Word. As with direct e-mail, the newsletter uses a template. In this case, a Microsoft Office Word template library (for Mail Merge) is also stored in the Settings area. Microsoft Office Word templates allow you to use more formatting and images. As with direct e-mail, detailed response tracking and reporting are unnecessary, and you don't need to use marketing lists to refine or filter the complete list of your customers.
- Quick campaign. Your organization's sales team wants to send out a last-minute, 50 percent-off sale notice to a group of leads they've discovered by using the Advanced Find feature. Response tracking is necessary, but detailed reporting is not required. As a one-time campaign, it isn't necessary to save the group of leads as a marketing list for future reuse.
- Full campaign. Your organization is launching a new product six months from now. The marketing campaign will include many types of activities – telesales and events as well as e-mail. You may have purchased a targeted marketing list to use in your campaign. Careful tracking and reporting is crucial to measure the campaign's progress. It is also important to customize each activity to a specific audience and save those groups of accounts, leads, or contacts as marketing lists for future reuse.
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Related Links
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