Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has become an integral part of most business’s software arsenal and Salesforce has been the market leader in the field for quite some time. However, Microsoft Dynamics poses a credible alternative to Salesforce since both offers similar functionality and integration options. The question is, therefore: which one should you choose?
Familiarity vs. ease of use
While Salesforce may be the most familiar of the two, Dynamics boasts the fluidity and user-friendly interface of Microsoft’s Office 365 range of software products. Both Salesforce and Dynamics 365 are built on a modular system which allows users to choose the options that work best for their particular business. So what should you consider? However, it must be said that Dynamics does a better job of seamlessly integrating with other Microsoft Office productivity software.
Modular construction
Both software suites offer modules designed especially for sales, retail and customer service-oriented businesses. The modular design makes it possible to invest only in the functionality that your business needs, thereby cutting costs. Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics offer very similar modules and add-ons but Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers more flexibility when it comes to the ability to interact with other products.
Salesforce has a core app – Sales Cloud – that can be customised with additional modules. A web-based app, Sales Cloud is designed to help users leverage multi-channel relationships with customers, while Dynamics’s core offering is more geared towards managing existing customer relationships and developing new ones. One important difference between the two products is that Salesforce is sold solely as a cloud-based solution, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 is available as a cloud-based solution and also offers a desktop version.
Cost and pricing options
Both products offer a variety of pricing options that depend mainly on the modules that you select. Payment can either be made in yearly lump sum format or on a monthly basis. Both products are priced to be cost-effective but Microsoft Dynamics 365 is more scalable, especially when choosing one of their standard packages.
In conclusion
Both Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 are leading solutions in the field of CRM. When choosing the best option for your business, you should compare the need for product integration flexibility (Microsoft Dynamics 365) and multi-channel relationship leverage (Salesforce). Whatever you decide, it is certain that a CRM solution is now vital to business success.
