Salesforce vs. Microsoft Dynamic 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce are the top CRM solutions for businesses seeking customer relationship management and sales support. But, which CRM system is the best? Read to determine which of the two platforms is ideal for you. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 

Pros: 

• Cost flexible: Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides a flexible price structure that supports early adoption as well as incremental growth of your usage. 

• Seamless integration: The degree of integration with other Microsoft business tools is amazing, making it an excellent choice for existing Microsoft power users. 

• Secure to use: You can effectively restrict data access across your company by using role-based, record-based, and field-level security methods. Data encryption is standard, and administrators can use Azure Key Vault to self-manage database encryption keys. 

• Business intelligence: Business Intelligence (BI) features to aid in the implementation of AI capabilities by providing smooth interfaces, advice, and interaction with Microsoft Dynamics 365 modules. It helps with everything from sales, marketing, and customer service to finance and fraud protection. 

• 360-degree customer service: Microsoft Dynamics CRM enables your team to provide customer service and support through knowledge-driven case management, including dynamic advice from data and report dashboards. 

Cons: 

• Additional cost for data storage: Every subscription begins with 10GB of cloud storage space, and you receive 5GB more when you reach 20 Enterprise-level users, but these limits are easily surpassed.  

• Requires training: There is a lack of expertise for organizations looking for an implementation partner that can simplify business processes while also improving technology. Although Microsoft is working to address this issue by focusing more on new certifications and partner training. 

• Server code adjustments: Users are unable to make server code changes, limiting your ability to personalize your website. 

• Navigation:  The platform comes with several layers of features, but the user interface makes it difficult to navigate between them. 

• Price is higher:  The basic cost of implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 is more than that of Salesforce. 

Salesforce 

Pros: 

• Customize: Salesforce UI can be set up to create new objects and fields, tabs, verification requirements, and workflows without the help of a developer. Its AppExchange is one of the industry’s major B2B markets, with thousands of third-party integrations to help companies get more out of the platform. 

• Cloud-based solution: Service Cloud has been a huge success, with Gartner predicting that Service Cloud accounted for 20% of Salesforce’s new revenue in 2016. This module’s growth shows no signs of slowing down. 

• Compatible: Salesforce work with all desktop browser. It is compatible with Mac and Windows, along with both Android and iOS on the mobile front. 

• Simple design: Salesforce offers a well-designed user interface with a clean design that makes a lot of functions easily accessible and makes your data easy to understand. 

• Activity management: The Activity Timeline and Recent Activity Recap tools help you keep track of significant deals and alert you when they’ve stopped. 

Cons: 

• Customization cost: While configuration adjustments are free, deployment may need engaging and paying a Salesforce Admin regularly. 

• Complex for small businesses: Salesforce may not be the ideal solution for small businesses without a dedicated sales staff due to the complexity of the setup and administrative needs. 

• Transformations: As Salesforce releases platform upgrades, you’ll need to maintain your custom-built tools up to date as well. Of course, this will require time and money. 

• Complicated reporting: The number of steps needed to create a report can be tedious. The reports generated can also be hard to understand. 

Implementation cost: Salesforce vs. Microsoft Dynamic 365 

Microsoft Dynamic 365: 

There is a 30-day free trial available. Microsoft Dynamics 365 comes with a variety of premium add-on apps that you can mix and match to meet your specific business requirements. 

• Sales Professional plan: $50 per user/per month for a first-time user and $20 per user/per month for existing users, billed annually 

• Sales Enterprise plan: $95 per user/per month for a first-time user and $20 per user/per month for existing users, billed annually 

• Microsoft Relationship Sales: $130 per user/per month, billed annually 

• Customer Service Professional plan: $50 per user/per month for a first-time user and $20 per user/per month 

• Customer Service Enterprise plan: $95 per user/per month for a first-time user and $20 per user/per month for existing users, billed annually 

Salesforce:  

Salesforce offer every plan with a trial period of 14-days. 

• Essentials plan for all-in-one sales and support: $25 per user/per month, billed annually 

• A professional plan with complete CRM: $75 per user/per month, billed annually 

• Enterprise plan featuring customizable sales CRM:  $150 per user/per month, billed annually 

• Unlimited plan for “unlimited CRM power and support”: $300 per user/per month, billed annually 

Choosing a customer relationship management platform for your company is, of course, a crucial step. Both Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 provide comprehensive platforms with a wide range of tools to help you enhance all of your business processes. In the end, the option to choose either/or will be based on your specific business needs.