Chanda Sandeep - Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Marketing Automation : Implement effective marketing strategies using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013

Alok Singh is a senior consultant for CRM at Neudesic, a Microsoft National Systems Integrator and Gold Certified Partner. He is a specialist on Microsoft Dynamics CRM and has been consulting with Fortune 500 clients on the technology for the past several years. For more than five years, he has been involved in creating various CRM-based enterprise solutions spanning multiple industries and domains such as sales and marketing, telecom, retail, and finance. In addition to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, he has been working on several other Microsoft technologies, including .NET, Azure, and SharePoint. His areas of interest include gamification, Internet of Things, mobile development, smartphone ecosystems, and haptic devices.

Firstly, I would like to thank Sandeep Chanda, my coauthor, mentor, and friend. Without his support, this book wouldn't have been possible. I would also like to thank Suman Choppala, who not only encouraged me to write but also created enough (positive) peer pressure to complete it, the reviewers Varun, Guido, Ahmad, and Dave for their valuable comments and feedback, and the entire team at Packt Publishing for their support and patience. Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents and my wife Nandini for all their support and constant pushing!

Sandeep Chanda is the Director of Solutions at Neudesic, a Microsoft National Systems Integrator and Gold Certified Partner. He has been working on several Microsoft technologies (including but not limited to .NET, Azure, BizTalk, SharePoint, and Dynamics CRM) for the past ten years, building large-scale enterprise applications spanning multiple industries. He is a technology enthusiast and speaks at various corporate events and public webinars. He has authored several articles on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 in DevX, and is the author of Microsoft Windows Identity Foundation Cookbook , Packt Publishing and Beginning ASP.NET 4.5 Databases , Apress . Recently, he has been involved in evangelizing aspects of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and developer collaboration using Team Foundation Server, and has been the speaker on these subjects at the Great Indian Developer Summit since 2012. He holds an M.S. degree in Software Systems from BITS, Pilani, and his areas of interest include service-oriented computing, cross-platform mobility, pervasive computing, haptic devices, and cloud computing. He is also a blogger for the DevX Issues column at DevX (http://www.devx.com/blog/dev_issues).

I would like to thank the entire editorial team at Packt Publishing, the reviewers Guido, Dave, Ahmad, and Varun, and my co-author Alok for doing most of the heavy lifting! I would also like to thank Dan Griffin from CoreMotives for helping us with the trial license and support on the product knowledge base.

Guido Preite is a software engineer working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM since 2010. He has experience with implementing Dynamics CRM in several branches (packaging, luxury goods, ground engineering, and the automotive industry), and he is an active member of the Dynamics Community and Stack Overflow. He currently works for eCraft Oy Ab, a Finnish Microsoft Gold Certified Partner focused on ERP and CRM solutions. He has a technical blog at http://www.crmanswers.net.

I would like to thank my family and my colleagues for supporting me every day.

Dave Corun is an architect with over 17 years of experience in software development and architecture. He's an active MCT and a frequent technical reviewer for Manning Publications . He has also authored .NET curriculums, delivered boot camps for .NET and CCNA, and mentored developers. He resides in Baltimore, Maryland. When not developing cool solutions for Microsoft at Avanade, he is a prolific musician.

Varun Kumar Lagishetty has been a senior consultant at Neudesic since 2010, working on Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation for clients across various domains. He has over six years of experience working on Microsoft technologies such as ASP.NET and MSBI.

I'd like to thank Sandeep Chanda, Alok Kumar, and those at Packt Publishing for giving me an opportunity to be a part of this book. I would also like to thank Aboli Ambardekar, Project Coordinator of this book, for her patience and guidance. I'd also like to thank those who helped me along the way to become a better consultant: my friends, and my family. Most of all, I'd like to thank my mother.

Ahmad Saad Masroor has over nine years of experience in the software development and IT industry, and is currently working at the Microsoft Inner Circle Partner as a CRM project manager. Prior to working with Microsoft, he was with companies such as HCL, PwC Advisory, Microsoft India Private Limited, and Bin Zayed Group, Dubai.

His mission is to offer a unique blend of industry specialization, project management, and technical- and customer-support skills to ensure his work supports the strategic objectives of his clients. He is committed to providing clients with highly valued business solutions. He has exclusively been developing and implementing solutions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. He has implemented contact center projects successfully for India's prestigious Aadhaar project (Unique Identification Development Authority of India).

Ahmad's effective interpersonal and communicational skills, ability to perform well under pressure, and excellent analytical skills, along with the ability to conceptualize and implement creative solutions to business challenges has brought him to be recognized among the best of clients. He has been an avid blogger and freelance writer for three years now. He reviewed the book