ERP Solutions

Microsoft Preparing to Launch New Cloud-Based CRM Solution

Microsoft is launching a new cloud based CRM solution.  This online version is called Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customer Relationship Management) 2011 and will be available to customers on February 28th.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will be available as an on-site CRM solution and a cloud based CRM solution.  Microsoft will launch Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in forty different countries and forty-one different languages.  Microsoft is one of the largest and most profitable Enterprise Software Companies.  They were late comers to the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and Customer Relationship Management market unlike competitors Oracle and SAP.  However, Microsoft has become an Enterprise Software Company to reckon with.  Microsoft plays hard too!  In 2010 Microsoft offered Salesforce.com customers a two hundred dollar per user rebate if they would switch over to Microsoft’s CRM solution.  However, this battle wasn’t the first between Microsoft and Salesforce.com.  Also in 2010, Microsoft sued Salesforce.com over patents and won.

Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management 2011 Online version is suppose to be a very user-friendly solution that provides robust functionality and is vowed to streamlines customer processes.  Most all of Microsoft’s products interoperate with each other, which has helped Microsoft take market share from other Enterprise Software Companies.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online version is supposed to have the capability to easily integrate with other software platforms.  This cloud Customer Relationship Management solution will enable salespeople to track customer cases, measure productivity, improve customer satisfaction, track leads, and improve overall sale force efficiency.  It will be interesting to see if Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online version lives up to all the hype.

Microsoft entered the Customer Relationship Management market when they acquired a Danish company called Navision.  Then, they went on to acquire to more companies to build their ERP solutions.   These two companies were called Great Plains and Solomon.  Besides Salesforce.com, Microsoft also competes with FrontRange Solutions and Interact Commerce in the CRM market.  The Customer Relationship Management market is predicted to become a multi-billion dollar worldwide market over the next decade and Microsoft wants a piece.  It will be interesting to see just how fierce the competition becomes between the big players; Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft.  As the economy recovers from our recent economic recession, we are sure to see more and more companies purchasing a CRM solution. 

Written by :

kristine H