This morning, Microsoft published their PreRelease Guide for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 Update.  Two of the biggest changes coming in this update are around mobility and browser availability.

Mobility

With the Q2 2012 Update comes the launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile, an online service available to Dynamics CRM users for an additional $30 per user per month.  A CRM Mobile user can deploy CRM on up to 3 of the following devices:

Dynamics CRM Mobile is available in 10 different languages and provides offline access with automatic syncing capabilities.  Each Dynamics CRM Mobile user has advanced administrative tools to customize and personalize their own user experience.  It has also been designed to adopt the native capabilities of the device.  That means that it is optimized for touch and you will have the same capabilities that you would have in other apps on your iPad or iPhone.  For example, if you are on the road and need find directions to a customer location, you can simply tap the address in CRM Account record and it will automatically pull up the Google map to the location.  Now to call them and let them know you are on your way, just tap the phone number in CRM and it will auto-dial them.

Dynamics CRM Mobile lets you use your devices the way that you always use them to help you work the way you are accustomed to working.

Additional Browsers

In the spirit of empowering you to work the way that you already work, Microsoft has expanded the browsers that Dynamics CRM can be run on to include:

That means that even if you don’t have a Dynamics CRM Mobile user license, you will be able to access your Dynamics CRM web client on your iPad or iPhone anytime, anywhere.

Be ready to take advantage of the additional features and functionality that will be available in the Q2 2012 Update.  Start your Dynamics CRM Online free trial today so that you all set to start using CRM on your iPad or iPhone the day it becomes available this spring!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM holds a prominent place in the “leaders” quadrant due to its many strengths including its global reach and language availability, the user interface compatibility with Microsoft Outlook, the ability to create custom interfaces, the multitenant architecture, the vast partner network, and the integration with the Microsoft stack.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online was assessed as an individual product for the first time this year and was placed in the “visionaries” category.  In addition to all of the strengths of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which it shares, the cloud deployment combines proven and committed service levels, flexible contracts and a low price ($44 per user per month at time of writing).

Sage SalesLogix was given a spot in the “challengers” segment.  It addresses the needs of sales professionals by leveraging its strengths including its choice of on-premise or cloud deployment methods, advanced mobility options, adaptability for varying deployment sizes, and proven customer support strategy.

SageCRM held onto its previous position in the “niche” quadrant due to its strong integration focus with Sage ERP solutions, providing an affordable end-to-end business management solution with effective opportunity management and an impressive vision for enhanced mobility.

Sage ACT! serves an important “niche” in the SFA market by providing an easy to use, inexpensive contact management system that is widely used by salespeople.

To help you decide which of these sales force automation solutions is the right fit for your organization, request a free business strategy assessment today!

Oracle’s Siebel CRM

Sales Force Automation – Also positioned in the leader’s quadrant, this solution ranked just below Dynamics CRM for its ability to execute its vision but had a more advanced “completeness of vision”.

Customer Service – While both Forrester Research and Gartner agree that this solution offers stronger functionality for customer services organizations than Dynamics CRM, Gartner ranks them Oracle slightly ahead of Microsoft when it comes to the product vision whereas Forrester puts Oracle’s strategy significantly behind Microsoft’s.

For Midsized Organizations – This product is only considered a “strong performer” for this market, far behind the overall market leader, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, because it does have strong functionality that fits midsized business needs, it is too expensive to deploy in organizations this size.

For Large Organizations – While Oracle’s Siebel CRM narrowly beat out Microsoft’s current offer usability, Dynamics CRM’s strategy was determined to be significantly better suited for large organizations than Oracle’s.

Oracle CRM On Demand

Sales Force Automation – Also fell below Microsoft’s overall product strength but has a more innovative sales force automation strategy than Dynamics CRM.

Customer Service – Forrester indicated that Oracle CRM On Demand is on pace with Microsoft’s strategy, but far below them in terms of current product functionality.

For Midsized Organizations – As an affordable SaaS solution, this solution was close behind Dynamics CRM and the only Oracle owned CRM product that was deemed a “leader” in this market segment.

For Large Organizations – While it lagged behind Microsoft in both current product offerings and future product strategy, it did beat out its Seibel counterpart in terms of strategy.

Oracle E-Business Suite CRM and Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM

Customer Service – Forrester ranked both products in their “strong performers” category, well behind Microsoft Dynamics CRM, while Gartner placed the E-Business Suite in their “niche players” quadrant, giving them the lowest ranking on “completeness of vision” of any product included in their study.

For Midsized or Large Organizations – In both categories, both solutions were deemed “strong performers” but only for organizations already leveraging the corresponding ERP suites.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Sales Force Automation – Dynamics CRM was deemed to have a stronger overall product, more viable strategy, more competitive pricing, and more satisfied customers than any of the Oracle CRM products.  However, it fell slightly short of Oracle in “completeness of vision”, although this study was published before full details about the then forthcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 were available.

Customer Service – While a solid leader in this market segment with one of the most competitive product strategies for customer service functions; Dynamics CRM’s product capabilities do not match those of Oracle’s Siebel CRM.

For Midsized Organizations – Microsoft Dynamics CRM and its SaaS version, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online were the obvious, overall leaders in all areas, thanks to their advanced functionality while retaining an ease of use, rapid deployment and time-to-value, competitive pricing structure, native integration with Microsoft Outlook and inter-operability within the Microsoft stack.

For Large Organizations – While not the most functionally advanced solution for large organizations, Dynamics CRM’s product strategy far out-paces the Oracle solutions for businesses this size.

View each of these Forrester Wave and Gartner Magic Quadrants to read the complete analyst reports on these products and how they address these market segments.

If you currently use an Oracle CRM product and are considering  making the switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, do so before June 30, 2011 to pay only $34 per user per month and also receive a $200 per user pay-out for each Dynamics CRM Online user purchased (regardless of how many Oracle user licenses you own).

• Integration with other Microsoft Office products that you use every day
• Operating environment being within Outlook
• Ability to streamline data so that individual users see the information most relevant to them through the role-based views
• Easily personalized, Office-like user interface

All of these characteristics combine to make Microsoft Dynamics CRM the most usable CRM solution on the market today, according to a recent independent study by Nucleus Research. 

Nucleus identified Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SalesForce.com as the two industry leaders in their Technology Value Matrix for CRM, which assesses a solution’s usability and functionality. 

According to the Matrix and the accompanying research note, both of these leading software solutions have extensive, insightful, and well balanced functionality across their sales, marketing, and customer service capabilities as well as being suited to support a global customer base.  However, since functionality means nothing unless the product is used, the ability for people to easily use an intuitive system is incredibly important – and that is where Dynamics CRM outshines SalesForce.com.

Get started using Microsoft Dynamics CRM for your own business today with a 30-Day Free Trial!

The price of CRM software is typically determined on a per user license basis plus an annual software maintenance fee.  With an on-premise deployment, there are up-front server costs to consider as well.  For a hosted, or cloud CRM solution, the price is usually based on a per user per month fee.  If a CRM software company offers tiered packages, with variable functionality from package to package, they will reflect the difference in their per user pricing.

Microsoft includes all of their CRM functionality in a single package so that they can offer a single, standard price for a solution that can help you streamline and enhance communication and processes across your organization.  The standard pricing for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is $44 per user per month.  Now through June 30, 2011, new purchases of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online are only $34 per user per month for the first year of service.

But how does that compare with other market-leading CRM products like it?

The short answer is that the cost of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is very competitive!  Companies save an average of 32%, or $21 per user per month by choosing Microsoft CRM Online over SalesForce.com.

To find out exactly how much you would spend on Dynamics CRM versus SalesForce.com or Oracle, Microsoft has created a cloud CRM price comparison tool that you can work with commitment free today!

If you are currently using SalesForce.com or Oracle and considering making a switch, you can receive a $200 per user pay out for every Microsoft Dynamics CRM user you purchase before June 30, 2011.  Contact us to take advantage of this offer before time runs out.

As a result, existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM users with an active Microsoft Software Assurance agreement can access the new version immediately via the Microsoft Download Center.

Not only does the full release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 take the solution global, making it available in 40 markets and 41 languages, it also raises the bar for CRM performance and scalability.  CRM 2011 is scaled to 150,000 concurrent users in a single instance while delivering sub-second response times. 

To learn more about Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, experience the Power of Productivity that it brings at an upcoming launch event.

With the “Cloud CRM for Less” offer, organizations with a current license of Salesforce.com (Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate Editions) or Oracle (Siebel CRM or CRM On Demand) can receive $200 for every Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online user purchased now through June 30, 2011! 

This is not an “exchange offer” either.  You are not limited to only purchasing as many Microsoft Dynamics users as you had Salesforce.com or Oracle users.  In fact, you can purchase up to 250 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online users and still receive the $200 per user incentive.  Learn more about this offer here.

Aside from the cash offer, there are a number of compelling reasons to consider switching from Salesforce.com or Oracle to the easy to implement, easy to use, and easy on your bottom line solution, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.  See and hear from this company that made the switch already.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (formerly known as CRM 5) will officially launch in January 2011 and along with its enhanced customer relationship management functionality, it brings with it the embodiment of 6 of Gartner’s 10 Strategic Technologies:

Cloud Computing
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online embodies everything an organization could want in a cloud solution. Dynamics CRM Online combines the full feature set of the on-premise deployment with the flexibility, ease of implementation, and cost effectiveness of a hosted solution. In January, it will be available for the remarkably low rate of $34 per user per month for the first year of service.

Mobile Applications and Media Tablets
Through Microsoft Mobile Express, users can have all the functionality of CRM virtually anytime, anywhere, enabling your teams to stay connected to the tools and information they need and support their customers wherever they are through a Web browser on a mobile device. Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is installed on the server, not on the mobile device, so you can support all of the smartphones and mobile devices in your organization with a single solution, which helps streamline updates and maintenance.

Social Communications and Collaboration
CRM 2011 features a much anticipated contextual integration with SharePoint 2010, which enables better collaboration across your organization and promotes social interaction through the use of wikis and blogs. The Outlook Social Connector in CRM 2011 allows you to instantly see the activities, photos, status updates, and connections of an individual by simply clicking on an Outlook item, such as that individual’s email address. In addition, by using social media widgets and CRM Web Resources, you can create a customized social activity dashboard within CRM 2011 that allows you to track relevant conversations without ever leaving the product.

Next Generation Analytics
The combined power of CRM 2011’s reporting and dashboarding capabilities and SharePoint 2010’s collaboration tools enable you to not only provide personalized, real-time business data to decision makers, but can also assist you in predictive analysis anytime, anywhere.

Social Analytics
As with all customer, prospect, and vendor interactions, social interactions can be tracked and analyzed in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. CRM 2011 will build off of the foundation for social analytics it laid in version 4.0 with the Social Networking Accelerator which integrates directly with Twitter. Further social networking integrations are forthcoming.

Context-Aware Computing
CRM 2011 steps into the world of context-aware computing with contextual menus based on the role-tailored user experience of the solution, as well as logical navigation paths to enhance the user experience. Additionally, the Help menu in CRM 2011 is contextually aware, bringing up information relevant to the screen it was pressed on, so the user does not need to search on the item they are looking for assistance with.

Get a sneak peek of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 on December 14th at our complimentary webinar!

According to general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Brad Wilson, “Our new beta release for cloud-based and on-premises deployments allows customers and partners to try the product and see the benefits from the investments that we’ve been making.”

Sign up for the beta today at http://www.crm2011beta.com.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 delivers the Power of Productivity through familiar, connected and intelligent experiences for users inside and outside an organization, including:

• Familiar experiences through a next-generation native Microsoft Outlook client, Microsoft Office contextual CRM Ribbon, RoleTailored design and user personalization
• Intelligent experiences through guided process dialogs, inline data visualizations, performance and goal management, and real-time dashboards
• Connected experiences through cloud development, Windows Azure integration, contextual Microsoft SharePoint document repositories, teamwork and collaboration, and the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace

Microsoft made changes to their plans across the board, starting with name.  What had previously been known as CRM5 is now officially Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.  They also added 8 additional international markets to the 32 that had previously been announced where CRM 2011 will be available, bringing the total to 40 countries and 41 languages. 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 promises to deliver “The Power of Productivity” through familiar, intelligent and connected experiences for people inside and outside an organization. This release will also enable users to easily access Microsoft Dynamics CRM extensions and custom solutions from within their system through the integrated Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace, which is being released in September 2010 along with the public beta of Dynamics CRM 2011 Online.

Learn more about what to expect in the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011!