Here’s a question sent to the Concentrix email inbox recently: “Is the CRM functionality in Microsoft Dynamics NAV the same as in ?”
The answer is ‘No’ (unless you have a programme that connects the two applications). They are separate programmes and they do things differently.
The question arose because both products come under the banner of ‘Microsoft Dynamics’, and because (which used to be called ‘Navision’) does have some options for sales, marketing and customer service functionality. However the two applications are different and the CRM functionality in Microsoft Dynamics NAV is not the same as Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is specifically designed for customer relationship management. It’s an exceptionally powerful mid-market CRM solution with high levels of sales, marketing and customer service functionality. It is highly configurable and has a wide range of tools and features for everything from lead management to resource scheduling. It can also be deployed with advanced CRM functionality such as social media integration, and has a range of Accelerator programmes which quickly enhance some of the products functions for specific uses. Microsoft Dynamics CRM has delivered the concept of xRM (or ‘anything relationship management’) which enables organisations to manage all their relationships. And as well as being deployed as an on-premise CRM solution, is also is available.
The sales, marketing, and customer service functionality available with Microsoft Dynamics NAV will cover most of the fundamental CRM type functionality needed to help you run and grow a successful business. With Microsoft Dynamics NAV, there is a variety of optional features such as campaign management, contact classification, opportunity management, task management, and many more. These features will help your sales, marketing and customer service staff build customer relationships, find new customers, encourage loyalty, and keep them coming back. The product also has customer service options to help your staff respond quickly to customer-service issues.
But what about if you want to use the comprehensive CRM functionality and , while using Microsoft Dynamics NAV as your accounts, business management or ERP solution?
Microsoft Dynamics NAV is a business management suite, so it can use data from throughout your organisation to help you make decisions about costs, stock levels, resources, workloads, financial returns, and so on. Sometimes, businesses using Microsoft Dynamics NAV will want to take this a step further and integrate Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This makes a powerful combination. However, integrating the two applications needs an extra piece of software to connect them. There are different applications available to do this, and your will advise on the most appropriate; the choice depends on your business requirements and what you need from your overall system.
By Concentrix Ltd: , a
