Microsoft has hit a major milestone for its Microsoft CRM 2016 application. Forrester just ranked Microsoft ahead of Salesforce.com in their The Forrester Wave: Sales Force Automation Solutions, Q2 2017 report. Forrester Research is an Amercian market research company that provides advice on the existing and potential impact of technology. They are one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. Salesforce.com has held the top spot in this category for years, and they still have more clients and users than Microsoft, but as Jeff Foxworthy might say “Here’s your sign!”. Microsoft is making their move!
“Microsoft delivers on intelligent seller productivity.” – Forrester 2017 Q2 report
The leadership position just announced is based on last year’s product, the 2016 version of Microsoft CRM. The current product, Dynamics 365 Enterprise edition is poised to further the distance between Microsoft and Salesforce.com. The seamless integration between LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator and Dynamics 365 for Sales, Enterprise edition is going to make it more difficult for sales leadership in companies to justify the higher cost of Oracle, SAP or Salesforce.com. Here’s where the report places the top 10 products in the Forrester study.
What has given Microsoft the edge? Forrester says it is due to a “heightened focus on seller productivity”
These are exciting times to be a Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Office 365 partner. The toolset we can offer our clients is unbelievably rich and priced well below the other enterprise class applications.
When it comes time to be evaluated on the next Forrester report, we suspect Microsoft will again be chosen as the leader. Consider that in addition to the Relationship Sales (Sales App + LinkedIn Sales Navigator) there is another Application that focuses on HR productivity called Talent. This is an application that leverages the LinkedIn Recruiter functionality to attract candidates and then manage the interview and onboarding processes from inside of Dynamics 365 interface.
Other Applications built on top of the Dynamics 365 platform include Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, and Project Service Automation. Productivity is further enhanced because all of the Applications share a common, and constantly improving, user interface. And, with all of the data residing inside the Dynamics 365 database, reporting becomes easier for users and managers alike.
If you have been considering Salesforce.com and would like to see what Microsoft offers, please contact us at 800-513-5133 or by email at info@htcrm.com. If you’re ready to move off Salesforce.com, we are available to evaluate the transition process and bring you company up on Dynamics 365.
Harris Technology has been in the CRM space since 1992 and has been a Microsoft partner since 2002 focusing on the CRM product. We have an excellent reputation for building custom solutions for sales, marketing, customer service, and operations. We look forward to helping you.