By Nicola Wright
Ready to get started with CRM?
Deciding that it’s time for your business to implement a CRM is a big step. It’s an exciting moment; you’re on the cusp of rolling out a tool that’s going to change the way you work, and hopefully, help take your business to the next level.
With so much hinging on making the right choice, however, it can be a pretty daunting time too. With an abundance of CRM products to choose from in today’s market, it can be tricky to know where to begin your search.
There are CRMs out there for every company type, size, and niche; if you let your individual requirements inform your search, you should be able to find a good match for your circumstances. But if an inclusive, established vendor is what you’re after, you might want to start by looking at market leaders.
CRM is currently the fastest-growing type of business software, but that doesn’t mean it’s a newfangled concept. The notion of customer relationship management has been around since the 1970s, and some of the biggest names on the CRM software market today have 15 years of experience under their belts.
To help you find the perfect software vendor for your organization, we’ve put together a series of guides comparing some of the largest and most popular CRM vendors available today.
In this edition, we’ll be comparing two giants of the business software market; Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce.
In terms of market share, Salesforce is the most popular CRM software in the world. Up until recently, product rankings in the CRM market were essentially Salesforce, then everyone else. Now Microsoft Dynamics is marking itself out as a clear competitor to Salesforce in the ongoing CRM war, and while it still has some way to go to close the gap, it appears more and more like a credible threat to Salesforce’s position.
Hundreds of CRMs can perform core functions like managing customer information, tracking sales, offering customer service, and analyzing data, but the reason that big vendors like Microsoft and Salesforce have managed to climb to the top is the depth and extent of their capabilities. Both Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce have developed broad functionality to offer much more than the core functions you’d expect from a CRM solution.
Salesforce’s CRM service is made up of many individual modules, or Clouds. Businesses can pick and choose which of these Clouds to implement in their business, depending on what they’re hoping to achieve. These modules cover all the basics of CRM functionality, including sales, data management, and marketing, and can be completed by adding smaller specialist modules to introduce capabilities such as marketing automation and field services.
The three key components to Salesforce CRM are:
Additional modules include:
Here’s what Salesforce’s three main CRM modules can do:
Module | Features include: |
Sales Cloud | Contact Management Opportunity Management Lead Management Reports and Dashboards Salesforce Mobile Email Integration Sales Forecasting Workflow and Approvals Files Sync and Share Data Management |
Service Cloud | Lightning Service Console Case Management Workflow and Approvals Omni-Channel Routing Telephony Integration Social Customer Service Automation with Macros Account and Contact Management Custom Reports and Dashboards Asset and Order Management |
Marketing Cloud | B2C Journey Management B2B Marketing Automation Email Marketing Data Management Platform Data Sharing Platform Social Media Marketing Digital Advertising Mobile Messaging |
Dynamics 365 also features three primary CRM-focused apps, with another due for release in early 2018. Each app can be used as a standalone service, or in conjunction with any of the other apps from the Dynamics 365 suite. All of Microsoft’s products, including Dynamics, Office, and Outlook, share the same data model and can utilize and learn from data from across all products.
The apps that make up Dynamics 365’s CRM service are:
Microsoft also offers additional apps including:
Here’s an overview of Dynamics 365’s main CRM features:
Module | Features include: |
Dynamics 365 for Sales | Customer data management Opportunity and funnel management Partner relationship management Task management Sales performance management Contract management Quote and order management Marketing automation Customer service Knowledgebase management Reporting and analytics |
Dynamics 365 for Customer Service | Cross-channel customer case management Self-service portals Knowledgebase management Service intelligence Incident routing |
Dynamics 365 for Retail | Payments Purchase orders Sales tax Call center Channel setup and management Modern Point of Sale (MPOS) and Cloud POS Order fulfillment Monitoring and analysis Discounts and price adjustments Products and merchandising Loyalty scheme management Inventory management Human resources Retail tasks Retail development and administration |
Dynamics 365 for Marketing | Confirmed features: Customer journey management Landing pages Email marketing Multi-channel campaign management Event planning and management, including event portals Lead management Webinars Marketing analysis with Power BI |
Microsoft Social Engagement | Social media management Social listening Social Selling Assistant Social analysis and insight |
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As with many market-leading vendors with several products under their umbrella, pricing for Salesforce can be complicated, with many apps, licensing levels, and add-ons to consider when trying to work out potential costings.
Personalized pricing is available for businesses who wish to license several modules together, so to get an idea of how much a Salesforce package will set you back, you will need to contact the vendor directly.
Salesforce does not publish pricing details for Marketing Cloud or Commerce Cloud, but you can get an idea of how much you’d be looking at per user from the pricing model for some of its other apps.
Module/Plan | Pricing | Includes |
Sales Cloud | ||
Lightning Essentials
|
$25 /user/month
(up to five users)
|
Lead management Web-to-lead capture Email templates Contact management Opportunity management Task management Mobile app access Configurable reports and dashboard Case management Lightning App Builder Unlimited online training |
Lightning Professional
|
$75 /user/month
|
As above, plus: Rules-based lead scoring Duplicate blocking Mass email Rules-based lead scoring Duplicate blocking Mass email Campaign management Person accounts Collaborative forecasting Forecasting mobile app Basic CPQ features Lead registration Developer sandbox Lightning for Gmail or Outlook Google Apps integration |
Lightning Enterprise | $150 /user/month | As above, plus: Calendar Custom forecasting fields Opportunity splits Enterprise territory management Advanced reporting features Workflow and approval automation |
Lightning Unlimited | $300 /user/month | As above, plus: Developer Pro Sandbox Access to Premier Success resources 24/7 toll-free support Developer support Configuration services Access to accelerators |
Service Cloud | ||
Lightning Professional | $75 /user/month | Case auto-assignment Web and email case capture Case escalation rules and queues Omni-channel routing Knowledge (read-only) Case milestone tracker Order management Lead-contact account management Service contracts and entitlements Social Customer Service starter pack Asset management Customizable reports and dashboards Opportunity tracking Task management Salesforce mobile app Email integration with Outlook Google Apps integration Developer sandbox Custom profiles and page layouts Lightning App Builder Unlimited custom applications AppExchange app integration Email templates Standard Success plan |
Lightning Enterprise | $150 /user/month | As above, plus: Advanced case management Community starter Work order management Advanced reporting features Offline access Integration via web service API Salesforce Identity |
Lightning Unlimited | $300 /user/month | As above, plus: Knowledge (read-write) Snap-Ins for Live Agent chat Developer Pro Sandbox Unlimited online training 24/7 toll-free support Developer support Configuration services Access to accelerators |
Dynamics 365’s pricing is publicly available, though that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s set in stone. Many vendors will offer custom pricing or discounts when licensing multiple products, so always try to negotiate a better deal.
To license Dynamics 365’s CRM solutions, businesses can either purchase individual standalone apps, or opt to license bundles of apps through one of several plans.
The Dynamics 365 Plan is a full set of both ERP and CRM apps, giving users access to every module in the suite. The Customer Engagement Plan focuses on CRM functions, and does not include the major ERP apps. It should be noted, however, that as Retail is an e-commerce app, it could be broadly classified as both an ERP and a CRM solution. Microsoft has chosen to align it to its ERP arm, and therefore is not available as part of the Customer Engagement Plan.
Plan | Price | Modules included |
Dynamics 365 Plan | Full user — $210 /user/month
Additional Users:
|
Finance and Operations Finance and Operations Retail Talent Sales Customer Service Project Service Automation Field Service Social Engagement Relationship Sales PowerApps |
Customer Engagement Plan | Full user — $115 /user/month Additional Users:
|
Sales Customer Service Project Service Automation Field Service Social Engagement Relationship Sales PowerApps |
Standalone Apps | ||
Dynamics 365 for Sales | Full user — $95 /user/month Additional Users:
|
Sales Social Engagement |
Dynamics 365 for Customer Service | Full user — $95 /user/month Additional Users:
|
Customer Service Social Engagement |
Dynamics 365 for Retail | Full user — $175 /user/month Additional Users:
|
Retail only |
Though their core functionality is similar, as we can see from both their additional features and licensing models, both products score extra points in particular areas. Let’s take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of each solution:
With extensive, mostly comparable features, it’s easy to see why Dynamics 365 and Salesforce have become market leaders. The critical differences between them, however, lie primarily in their purchasing models, so identifying which one is right for you will depend on your circumstances, and what’s most important for you to get out of your CRM.
If pricing, flexibility or user experience are vital issues, Dynamics may be the right choice. If you’re more concerned with user education, and having a robust, ready-to-go marketing solution at your disposal, Salesforce could be worth a try.
If you think either of these products could be right for you, get in touch with the vendors to ask for a tailored business proposal. The vendor will also be able to give you a clearer idea of costs, particularly as Salesforce does not publish pricing for many of its products.
In the meantime, you can get a feel for how both Salesforce and Dynamics 365 might fit in with your team by taking up a free trial.
Want to see how Microsoft Dynamics compares to other giants of the business software world? We’ve stacked it up against NetSuite, Oracle, and HubSpot to help you make the right choice for your business.
Thinking about implementing Dynamics 365? Browse our candidate database for free, and find talented Dynamics professionals who can help you make your implementation a success.
The key to an effective roll-out is having an expert on your side. Upload your specifications, and we’ll find the right Dynamics 365 professionals to make your implementation a success.
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