REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 17, 2007 — A new firm established specifically to help seniors learn about and access Federal Housing Administration (FHA) reverse mortgages has chosen Microsoft Dynamics CRM to manage its nationwide customer base and support the company’s growth, Microsoft Corp. announced today.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM, with modules for sales, marketing and customer service, offers customer relationship management capabilities that enable companies to maintain a comprehensive view of their customer and prospect base from initial contact through the sale and subsequent communications. Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage Inc., headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., will rely on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide an integrated view of customer and prospect data, sales reports and marketing information to reach qualified borrowers and help ensure high-quality leads.
When it launched its business, which is designed to help people over age 62 consider FHA reverse mortgages as a way to eliminate house payments and improve their quality of life, Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage considered both Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce technologies. The company ultimately chose the Microsoft solution because of its high degree of integration with applications that its loan officers used every day, such as Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel, and because it could host its own copy of the software for customization, rather than be tied to Web-hosted software that it cannot shape to its needs.
“The key aspects of our decision were the ability of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to be implemented quickly and efficiently, as well as its strong integration with Microsoft Outlook,” said Tim Borquez, section manager for Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage. “We liked the fact that our technical and business power users could customize the software, instilling confidence in its ability to grow as our business grows,”
Seattle-based Madrona Solutions Group, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, implemented the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, incorporating sales and marketing components, by instituting a rapid-deployment methodology to get Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage up and running quickly. Madrona also built a business-intelligence dashboard that furnished the company with consolidated forecast reporting to enable a consistent, up-to-date view of business performance. The system was integrated with c360 Word Mail Merge for further customization, along with a specially built de-duplication program from Madrona.
Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage began realizing a number of benefits from its Microsoft Dynamics CRM system almost immediately, including the following:
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Support for company growth. In one year, the company has grown to 55 employees from 15, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM supported this growth easily and without restrictions, while enabling the organization to manage its growth and the overall business effectively.
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Automated operations. Because Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage began its business with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, its efficiencies were high from the start. The solution’s workflow management capability automated many processes that the company otherwise would have done manually, such as title requests, appraisal requests and cover letters, thereby reducing administrative time and costs for its personnel.
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Accuracy of data. Microsoft Dynamics CRM integrates all the company’s data relating to individual customers and its overall customer base. As a result, Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage is using the solution to view its final sales amounts and projections for upcoming months.
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More targeted marketing. The reporting capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM allow the company to target its marketing efforts to more-qualified borrowers and improve the quality of its leads.
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Integration of operations. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is integrated into every aspect of the company, including accounting, sales and marketing. Therefore, it enables management to capture a complete picture of the company’s performance.
“The impact of Microsoft Dynamics CRM on our firm has been far-reaching,” Borquez said. “It has allowed us to improve our workflow and customer management, while making visible all the statistical aspects of our company so that we can judge our past performance to improve future productivity.”
In adopting Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage worked with Madrona to identify requirements and implement the technology so that the firm itself subsequently could customize the application further as needs changed.
“Microsoft Dynamics CRM houses all the capabilities that a growing company like Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage values most,” said Michael Park, corporate vice president for U.S. Dynamics business at Microsoft. “It integrates and automates information gathering, analysis and forecasting with easy-to-use features that help the sales and marketing staff better target prospects and help management set a more effective course for the company’s future.”
About Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage Inc.
Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage was formed specifically to assist seniors with making life-changing decisions regarding their homes and financial status. Its goal is to assist seniors in improving their quality of life, whether it’s enhancing one’s monthly income, paying off debt, or simply helping seniors fulfill their lifelong dreams. Other areas in which it assists are estate planning and insurance needs, such as long-term health care insurance.
About Madrona Solutions Group
Madrona Solutions Group is a Seattle-based Microsoft Gold Certified consulting company founded to help Northwest businesses use technology to boost their productivity and effectiveness. Key practice areas include full lifecycle customer relationship management services, focused on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product; business intelligence solutions, including executive dashboards and scorecards; and technology project management.
About Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions that helps businesses work more effectively. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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