Salesforce.com vs Dynamics CRM Online

John Eccles, 06 March 2013

The main arguments made by Salesforce in promoting their software against Dynamics CRM online are out of date. 

I recently watched a video clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGgkM_hsmiI) on Youtube in which a Microsoft Gold Partner (identity hidden) explained why they had switched from Dynamics CRM to Salesforce.  Whether or not the video was genuine and there really was such a Microsoft Gold partner, I don’t know.  But the Salesforce.com arguments were clear.

What Salesforce.com claim:

1. Dynamics CRM has no alternative to Chatter for group collaboration

2. Only Salesforce.com allows use on any mobile device

3. It’s too difficult in Dynamics CRM for users to make charts, dashboards, reports and workflows

4. The interface makes it difficult to find data in Dynamics CRM – you have to open multiple windows.

Now there’s Yammer

In July, 2012 Microsoft completed its acquisition of the Yammer business oriented social networking service for USD1.2 billion.  On February 27, Microsoft made available an optional product update for its Dynamics CRM Online service which adds iPad and Yammer support.

In an article in Forbes, “Will Yammer hammer Salesforce Chatter?” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/shelisrael/2012/04/10/will-yammer-hammer-salesforce-chatter/) Shel Israel compares Yammer favourably with Chatter.

Microsoft has addressed the major argument and Dynamics CRM is now “social”!  Yammer provides business social networking for Dynamics CRM Online that matches and looks set to exceed that of Saleforce.com with Chatter.

Mobility Options for Dynamics CRM

 

(Picture from http://www.cwrmobility.com/)

A comprehensive range of mobile options for Dynamics CRM are available through Microsoft partner CWR Mobility. CWR have developed Apps for a wide range of devices that provide access to CRM functionality even when off-line.  The catch is that it comes at an additional cost.  But the Dynamics CRM licenses + CWR mobility licenses is still lower cost than Salesforce.com!

And Microsoft is making standard Dynamics CRM more and more mobile. It already has cross-browser support so I can use Dynamics CRM on an Android tablet via Firefox. And iPad support has just become available which provides strong functionality for the sales process.

Charts, Dashboards, Reports and Workflows

It is possible that the process of generating charts, dashboards, reports and workflows is more complicated in Dynamics CRM than in Salesforce.com. Conversely, the functionality is more powerful.  For example, charts can be drillable in Dynamics CRM.

One way to address the perceived difficulty is with training. Everything is difficult when you don’t know how to do it! Often when you are shown how to do it, it becomes easy and intuitive. (Or is that just me?)

Another way is via customisation of the out-of-the-box software to include for example sample charts and workflows which can be edited and saved by users rather than starting from scratch. Or perhaps some generalised reports in which the user can set ranges of data to be reported.  

Dynamics CRM Interface

The standard user interface for Dynamics CRM is data-focused rather than process-focused. So for some applications (like Sales) it is not the best.

(Picture from http://rc.crm.dynamics.com/rc/2011/en-us/whatsnew.aspx?ver=5.1)

In the latest release, Microsoft have included an optional process-focused interface for Dynamics CRM Online. This is limited in that it only covers the sales process, but it does show the direction the product is headed. The new interface will be much better for mobile devices.

The new process-focused interface removes the force of Salesforce.com’s argument. But there is more. Windows 8 Apps which interface with Dynamics CRM offer the possibility of taking the user interface to a whole new level.

  

(Picture from http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/power-8-crm/e716a6a1-7b5f-4903-9478-0156a7b427b4)

The user interface can be customised via a Windows 8 App to suit the exact requirements of the organisation.  Alternatively, Apps are already available in the Windows store and provide interfaces for common processes.  Power8 CRM from Power Objects is an example.

If mobile usability is critical, then a custom Window 8 interface for Dynamics CRM together with Windows 8 compatible mobile devices will provide the best possible result.

Other Advantages of Dynamics CRM Online

I have dealt with the main Salesforce arguments, but there are other compelling reasons to choose Dynamics CRM over Salesforce.com:

• Lower cost. Note that all the features are available in the standard version of Dynamics CRM Online.

• Microsoft have a 99.99% up-time guarantee for Dynamics CRM Online

• It integrates better with other Microsoft software – for example, it’s based on SQL Server and can be accessed through Outlook.

So Arthur, CEO of that Microsoft Gold Partner, if you’re reading this, perhaps you should reconsider and change back to Dynamics CRM Online – if you haven’t already.