Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, also known as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is truly one of the heavy hitters in an otherwise fragmented Customer Relationship Management marketplace. Microsoft made a commitment to the CRM product in 2003, and the story is that it really started out as a platform for “anything” relationship management, and the initial demo of the product mashed-up Sales, Marketing, an
d Customer Service, with the Customer being the center of many of the relationships created. The “C” for “Customer” in CRM could just have easily been replaced with:
•D for Distributors
•E for Employee
•G for Grant
•M for Member
•P for Physician
•R for Recruit
•V for Vendor
Only the names of the Accounts and Contacts have been change to protect the innocent. It can handle a broad range of implementations and can be thought of more like an application development platform than “just” a CRM system. What makes it a platform is the configurable and extensible functionality of the application. You’ve got everything you need to build something very near-and-dear to your business needs, including:
•Web-based application
•Mobile application
•Security
•Date entry forms
•Automated workflows
•Business Rules
•Reporting
•Microsoft Office, and especially MS Outlook Integration
The functionality can be somewhat overwhelming to start, but you’ll grow to know-and-love it as you gain an appreciation for all the possibilities
