The Microsoft Dynamics CRM product is a complex solution and it dependent on an extensive use of the Microsoft stack. As a CRM partner I am regularly connecting to our client’s servers to install, customize or manage their installation. There are a lot of things I have learnt over the years about Windows Servers both through formal training, informal self taught activities, and by the school of hard knocks. But since I didn’t come up through the ranks to CRM via a network/infrastructure admin role I just discovered a trick that most people on the network side know.

Over the years when I have connected to a client’s server I have seen on occasion the following warning message. What I have always done is drop an email to the network admin and they have fixed. I presumed they went around and asked people if they were logged onto the server and to log off. Or had some other ‘sophisticated tool’ to solve the issue. Today, I discovered that there is a ‘hack’ that you can use and what they probably use to fix the issue.

mstsc /v:00.00.00.00 /f -admin
Replace 00.00.00.00 with your server’s IP Address or server name. e.g.SERVER

Type in your administrator password.

This will then connect you to the Console Session on the server and allow you to remote control the machine again. Once in Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then  click Terminal Services Manager. In the left hand column you should see your server name. Click on it once. Note the Users Tab in the right pane. You should see a list of users. You need to reset the two “Disconnected” users. You can do this by right clicking the disconnected user and selecting “Reset.” You should now be able to connect with RDP again after Start – Log Off. When logging in under this special Console session always kill the inactive sessions first, because if you get disconnected again you will have to connect your monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Only use this session to terminate the other two sessions and not for any other use.

More detailed technical information on these command lines: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947723

Today I received an email reply from the president of a prospective vendor whom we had been in contact with via their outside sales person for the last 2 months. If you have ever been in this situation or fear of being in this situation, you know exactly why you need a CRM system. Business owners – if you ever needed justification to invest in a CRM system the email below is exactly why you need to move forward today!

I will be the first to tell you that it’s about more than the technology as technology by itself won’t solve all your business  issues but it will create a framework from which you can manage your business.

The email snapshot is the actual reply (redacted) I received today from a possible but now ex-vendor to our company to a ‘what the heck email’ I sent earlier this morning.

Would you want to be in his position for the last month? How much business did they lose? How many people will never, ever consider doing business with them? How many prospective clients went somewhere else in the last month?

Here is what a CRM system would have done for him:

1. Provided immediately visibility into all the open opportunities owned by this salesperson.
2. Contact information at the prospective clients.
3. The current status and the next item due in the pending relationship.
4. The history of any meetings and correspondence.
5. Specifications and/or quote documents.
6. A method for quickly and proactively communicating the news to the prospects and who will be the new contact person going forward.

All of the above would be residing in a central location for the president to review and hand off to the replacement salesperson. Who knows where this information is now? Yellow pads of paper, spiral binders, Excel Spreadsheets, the salespersons head, some other island of automation personal account organizer, or even worse – on the salesperson’s personal iPhone?