MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365 Vs.  SALESFORCE: CRM COMPARISON

It is time for your business to implement a CRM system. However, like every other business, you want the best IT solution. Trying to choose the best-suited software in the CRM market can be quite overwhelming. New CRM software and applications are being launched from time to time.

What software is the best rated by users?

When it comes to CRM software, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce are the market giants.

In this article, you will learn:

• What is CRM and its importance?
• Factors to consider when choosing CRM software.
• Next steps to take after choosing a CRM that suits your business needs.

CRM and why it is Important for your Business

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a Business IT solution organisations use to collect, organise, and manage all customer-related information. 

The main goal of the CRM system is to improve data management, streamline business processes, and improve customer relationships and experience.

Benefits of implementing a CRM system 

• It helps to monitor your leads and prospects.
• It acts as an organised database for your business.
• It helps to synchronise and share data easily within the organisation.
• It can help improve customer retention by helping you understand your customers and their needs.
• It helps to increase your productivity by streamlining the sales cycle, among others.

The software can generate detailed reports and analytics on your business.

Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce: A glance at both platforms

Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce are the major competitors in the CRM market. Microsoft Dynamics is a product of Microsoft, while Salesforce is a product of CEO Marc Benioff and a major force in Silicon Valley venture capital.

Both Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce have several similarities. They offer cloud-based solutions, similar CRM features, and AI automation and are highly customisable and built to meet industry security standards. 

The question then becomes— should you choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce? What makes them so different?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Vs. Salesforce: Their Differences

Pricing

For a cost comparison, Microsoft Dynamic is slightly more affordable than Salesforce by only a tiny margin. At a glance, though, the Salesforce base price is cheaper than that of Microsoft Dynamic. However, after calculating the additional costs to include all other necessary functionalities, Microsoft Dynamics edges out Salesforce.

Ease of use

Microsoft Dynamics has a user-friendly design and interface. It also enjoys the advantage of having a familiar Office 365 or other tools interface, making it easier to navigate. However, it still requires a bit of a learning curve.

Salesforce, on the other hand, was created to be a practical sales tool for sales teams that are not tech-savvy. While this tool might appear user-friendly, the number of tools to use with it can make it quite overwhelming. It may require more training because it is highly customisable software.

Third-Party Integration

Salesforce excels in this aspect. Salesforce’s AppExchange provides an extensive library of add-ons available to its users. If you rely on several software tools to run your business, this is a huge decision factor.

Microsoft Dynamics has expanded its ecosystem and formed partnerships to offer more integration options. Microsoft Dynamics is, however, fully integrated with the Microsoft Office suite, which includes One Drive, Excel, Outlook, and others. Therefore, if your business is heavily rooted in Microsoft Office, this is an advantage.

Microsoft Dynamics vs Salesforce: Pros and Cons Analysis at a Glance

Microsoft Dynamics pros:

• This software is affordably priced compared to Salesforce. Its licensing model is flexible, ensuring it is cost-effective and accessible for even small businesses.
• Microsoft offers a 99.9% uptime enforced through its Service Level Agreement (SLA). Salesforce, however, only provides an SLA on request, which is subject to negotiation.
• It enjoys synchronisation and seamless integration with other Microsoft products— Office 365, Outlook, and Power BI.
• It also has a native integration with LinkedIn. LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Microsoft Dynamics 365 use LinkedIn data to create Microsoft Relationship Sales. This is used to identify leads and encourage personalised engagements.

Microsoft Dynamics Cons

• It supports fewer third-party integrations than Salesforce.

Salesforce Pros

• AppExchange, owned by the company, is one of the largest B2B stores in the industry. It features a vast range of third-party integrations for the business.
• Salesforce has a dedicated education network for its users called Trailhead.

Salesforce Cons

• It is highly priced and may be unaffordable for small and mid-sized businesses.
• Unlike Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce is a standalone CRM software. If your business needs to share data with other software, you must install connectors. This increases due to set-up and integration costs.
• Reports show that some users believe that Salesforce’s Field Service Lightning is not as integral to the overall CRM solutions as Microsoft Dynamics’ Field Service app.

Making a Decision: Next Steps

Now that you know the basic information about Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce, you should understand that making a choice is not a straightforward decision. Your choice will depend on factors such as your budget, your business needs, and your business goals.

Here are steps to take to ensure you make an informed decision:

• Consult with an expert: Consider booking a consultation with a D365 CRM Consultant or expert at Mercurius IT.
• Testimonials: Testimonials by other users and businesses are the right way to know if a CRM software or partner will be a good fit. Read our testimonials.

A client – Prateek Banthia, DIRECTOR, Memo Fashions, had a fantastic experience using Mercurius service.

“Working with Mercurius really helped us think about how we could improve our business.

Their solution has addressed many of the problems we faced and has made a real difference to our business productivity; ultimately helping our bottom line.”