For the past month now, our company has seen daily traffic to our web site from businesses seeking information around . This is quite remarkable considering that, during that time, Dynamics CRM 2011 had not even been released. I can’t recall a single new software release of any product we support receiving more than one or two hits to our site prior to its release. So where is the buzz for CRM coming from? A few things:
SalesForce.com isn’t the “force” it used to be
With the release of , businesses now have options for hosted customer relationship management. Given that SalesForce is 2 to 3 times more expensive than Microsoft CRM Online, this has created quite a bit of interest. Word is getting out as well that Microsoft CRM Online can provide real time access to data and dashboards while SalesForce doesn’t – not to mention 100 workflows built into Microsoft CRM Online vs. zero for SalesForce professional edition (can you say “heavy customization required”?).
Usefulness starts with the User
We all know that the number one reason for failed CRM implementations is lack of user acceptance. While there are many factors key to user acceptance, they all come back to one point: a CRM package needs to make peoples jobs easier. puts sales, service and marketing capabilities right inside the familiar native Outlook client, giving users easy access to the information they need to be successful.
3 words: price, price, and price
Okay, maybe I am repeating the first point a tad here, but I really believe the buzz around Dynamics CRM 2011 comes from the pricing promotions in the market. Microsoft has been very aggressive getting the word out on the $34 per month pricing they are offering for Dynamics CRM Online, as well as, the offer to rebate $200 per user for SaleForce.com clients.
There are probably other reasons as well, but one thing is increasingly clear - businesses are reevaluating their CRM systems to ensure they are getting the best fit for their business and most value from their IT investment. With the capabilities and cost effective pricing structures of Dynamics CRM, it is no surprise people are evaluating Microsoft more and more.
By Intellitec Solutions,
