11 Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Considerations

Does CRM technology matter? Arguably, you could make any modern CRM application serve your purposes. But some, in the long run, are easier to use than others. In our CRM Smackdown, we evaluated the options, and concluded that in most cases, any organization should select cloud-based software. For the record, most of our customers have selected Salesforce.com — and never looked back.

Evaluating Microsoft Dynamics CRM Against Salesforce.com

But how does Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 stack up? Glad you asked. Here’s how we rate Microsoft’s cloud-based CRM software, on 11 essential fronts:

1. Business Outcomes: Successful CRM implementations begin by identifying your business requirements, selecting the best technology for the job, and then implementing the software so it supports each of your business requirements. But in Innoveer’s experience, Microsoft CRM Dynamics resellers tend to focus on technology, rather than business outcomes.
   
2. Outlook: Businesses often pick Microsoft Dynamics CRM for its Outlook integration. But even this Outlook model has some limitations, including application bloat and offline data access restrictions.
   
3. User Interface: An Outlook upside is that users are already comfortable with the interface. Then again, cloud-based CRM software provides a modern user interface that any Facebook user can quickly master. Plus, Salesforce.com and its partners also offer flexible Outlook interfaces.
   
4. Service In The Cloud: When it comes to handling call centers, customer service in the cloud, as well as for customer and partner portals, Salesforce Service Cloud leads the market. While Microsoft Dynamics CRM does offer some service functionality, it’s relatively basic in comparison.
   
5. Social Marketing: Microsoft’s social marketing options look rather basic, especially in comparison to Salesforce.com’s Facebook and Twitter tie-ins, as well as its social media monitoring via Radian6.
   
6. Chatter: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 doesn’t offer an equivalent capability to Chatter. The closest option, SharePoint, has promise, but also flaws. Furthermore, using it simply for Chatter-like capabilities would be overkill, since it’s substantially more expensive.
   
7. Platform: Want to build bespoke Microsoft CRM Dynamics applications in the cloud? Prepare to know your Azure, .Net and SQL. Whereas Salesforce.com offers Force.com, which is much more straightforward and provides a complete platform in one environment.
   
8. Mobile Computing: Force.com also provides automatic deployment capabilities to the Apple iPhone, iPad, as well as Android devices. Historically, Microsoft hasn’t tended to play well with those devices.
   
9. Application Market: Salesforce.com’s partners provide extremely useful add-ons via AppExchange. The equivalent for Microsoft would be its independent software vendor business partners. But just as Apple App Store commands the most market share — and best applications — in the mobile device marketplace, AppExchange offers many more capabilities than the competition.
   
10. Global Cloud Deployments: The previous version of Microsoft’s cloud CRM software, Microsoft CRM Live, was previously available in the United States, but not globally. Accordingly, Microsoft Dynamics CRM “in the cloud” is less well known outside the United States, and thus may face increased user adoption challenges, compared with the marketing and infrastructure muscle behind Salesforce.com worldwide.
    
11. Cost: For almost any company that’s evaluating CRM, subscription or license cost is an important factor. But with CRM projects’ high failure rates, weigh cost versus other factors, such as Chatter, social media integration, and greater ease of use. If those will drive higher user adoption rates, consider them a worthwhile investment.

Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics CRM?

With the above analysis in mind, when it comes to selecting the right CRM technology for the job, your first question should be: What impact do we want CRM to have on our business?

If you’d like CRM software to have a significant impact on your business strategy, then in Innoveer’s experience, Salesforce.com software has a much better track record, not least because its marketing, sales, and service capabilities are more robust. Also factor in AppExchange, Force.com, Chatter, and social media integration — amongst other features — which further enhance your marketing, sales, and service team’s ability to stay connected with your customers, all in the service of meeting your business goals.

Start With Business Goals, Not Technology

Speaking of business results, in Innoveer’s experience, the businesses that get the most out of CRM don’t start with technology. Instead, they begin by articulating their business goals, selecting the right technology for the job, and then implementing the CRM software, ideally in small stages. At each stage, deliver discrete business functionality, designed so that users embrace it (hint: because it makes their lives easier). Do this correctly, and you’ll nail the business outcomes. Because that’s the real measure of CRM project success, no matter which technology you select.

Learn More

While it’s fun to talk technology, a successful CRM program is one that delivers targeted business results. To ensure that your CRM program addresses these big-picture concerns, review our “top 10 questions” for marketing, sales and service, and see how your CRM program compares to best practices and our benchmarks.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user Saxon.

One More Thing

Innoveer is now part of Cloud Sherpas -- come visit us on our CRM insights on the Cloud Sherpas' Base Camp blog.