Microsoft presented plenty of Dynamics CRM details, updates, and insights at last week’s Convergence conference, and we wanted to share our thoughts on how this information can be of use to current Dynamics CRM users.
MarketingPilot will present Dynamics users with new marketing automation options
Microsoft’s acquisition of brings a broad marketing automation package into Dynamics. Part of the upcoming "Gemini" release, MarketingPilot can help Dynamics users plan, develop, execute, and analyze multi-channel marketing campaigns. We’re reserving final judgment until we see it go live, but it looks like it will give Dynamics users another solid marketing automation platform choice (alongside ClickDimensions, CoreMotives, and ExactTarget).
More social technology features for Dynamics CRM are on the horizon
Microsoft is moving forward with their plans to integrate (Microsoft's social media offering for corporate customers) into Dynamics CRM. Microsoft also announced their acquisition of NetBreeze, a social monitoring company out of Switzerland. A NetBreeze demonstration showed an attractive interface that allows marketers to monitor social activity, analyze actual tweets/blog/posts/etc. and respond as needed. There were no specific dates provided on a NetBreeze integration date, but the capabilities look promising.
Expanded mobile options are also on the way
Microsoft made it clear that they want CRM users to be able to access the application across a variety of devices, with a user experience that makes the most of each device. There are changes in store for the Orion timeframe, and looking past Orion, the Microsoft team discussed mobile experiences for marketing and customer service, for Android devices, and for phones.
Business Intelligence didn’t get much focus
Despite the rapid development of business intelligence capabilities in SQL Server 2012 and Office, business intelligence and analytics got very little mention from the Dynamics CRM team. (We believe that this is an area where Dynamics customers can unlock additional value from their CRM platform, and we continue to .)
Current Dynamics users should benefit greatly from these upcoming improvements to the user interface, as well as the enhancements to marketing automation, mobility, and social. For more information on Convergence, Dynamics CRM, and business intelligence, visit Madrona Solutions Group at , or click to contact us directly with your questions and comments.
By Madrona Solutions Group, Dynamics CRM and Business Intelligence Consulting, Seattle, WA
