The Best Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM Review Report
View The Top Dynamics 365 CRM Reviews
This review contains:
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What is Dynamics 365 CRM?
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The Pros and Cons of Dynamics 365 Sales
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How Does Dynamics 365 Sales Measure Up to the Competition?
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What Do the Experts Say?
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Dynamics 365 Sales’ Price and Value
This review focuses on the Dynamics 365 Sales application, which specializes in CRM sales functions for enterprise and mid-market businesses. After reading this guide, you’ll have enough information to make an informed decision about Dynamics 365 CRM and if this solution is right for your business.
What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, and what does it do?
Bottom Line: Dynamics 365 is Microsoft’s CRM suite of five cloud-based applications: Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Field Service, and Project Operations. You can purchase individual apps or the entire set, depending on your needs.
Dynamics 365 Sales Features
Dynamics 365 Sales Core Features
- Forecasting
- Lead and Opportunity Management
- Marketing Lists and Quick Campaigns
- Products, Price Lists, and Product Bundles
- Quotes, Orders, and Invoices
- Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) and Data Enrichment Solution Delivery
- Live Org Charts
- Product, Relationships, and Hierarchies
- Competitors, Sales Goals, and Territory Management
- Partner Relationship Management
- Microsoft Office 365 Integration
- Gamification
- Knowledge Management
- Reporting and Analysis
- Customization and Extensibility
Dynamics 365 Sales Advanced Modules
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Predictive Forecasting
- Pipeline Intelligence
- Predictive Scoring
- Relationship Analytics
- Connection Insights
- Notes Analysis
- Assistant Customization and Premium Cards
- Conversation Intelligence
The Benefits of Dynamics 365 Sales
Bottom line: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales excels because of its centralized data, integrations, cohesion across platforms, customization and configurations, cost efficiency, and Advanced Find tool.
Centralized Data
Dynamics 365 Sales hosts customer information in the cloud, which keeps your data organized and accessible. Your sales, marketing, and customer service teams can work from the same client profiles and update that info in real-time. This structure breaks down silos and lets your departments collaborate and build off of each others’ work.
Data unification also makes analysis and reporting easier. You can search the system like an SQL database, grab the data you need, and export it into a report for distribution throughout your company.
“Dynamics 365 allows users to access data at a centralized location that is easy to access. It improves operational efficiency,” said a Capterra reviewer.
Integrations
Dynamics 365 integrates with a wide variety of software both within the Microsoft platform and in the broader market, increasing its versatility as a solution. It comes with pre-built integrations to Microsoft 365 and its collection of tools such as Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel. You can effortlessly send information from these programs to Dynamics 365. For example, you can add new activities to a customer’s account from an Outlook email chain.
Dynamics 365 also has built-in integration with Power BI, which provides advanced predictive analysis tools. This integration shows sales insights that you may not have noticed before. All these Microsoft tools and more can be part of your Dynamics 365 Sales solution, with additional third-party apps available at Microsoft’s AppSource hub.
If your preferred business solution doesn’t have an existing integration, no worries. The right Microsoft partner can help you build a custom integration.
According to a Capterra review, “Simple and intuitive User Interface across the Dynamics Suite. At the end of the day, you can’t beat the integration with other Microsoft Products most companies already use.”
Cohesion Across Microsoft Platforms
The Dynamics 365 user interface is similar to Microsoft’s other product interfaces. Menu options appear in a user bar on the lefthand side of the screen, and the bar tracks which account or contact you’re currently working with. This helps you follow your workflows and find information more easily within the system, which means less time spent on routine tasks—and more time spent on essential projects.
“The usability is easily adopted for users familiar with other Microsoft products. Dynamics 365 has several interfaces that cross over browsers and tablets,” says this TrustRadius reviewer.
Customization and Configuration
Dynamics 365 Sales lets you configure its systems to suit the unique needs of your business. You can create or adjust workflows to match your business’ existing processes, reducing learning time for your employees and helping them work more efficiently.
The software has built-in customization abilities, but for more advanced customizations and add-ons, you can take advantage of Microsoft’s .NET developer framework and the software’s xRM capabilities.
“The software is really well done, the module is easily customizable and the code is up to date with today’s standard,” says one G2 reviewer.
Cost Efficiency
Microsoft’s collection of CRM applications, including Dynamics 365 Sales, is an affordable option for most businesses. Dynamics 365 offers more features and functionality for less money out-of-pocket than similar CRM products targeted at the mid-market. With its subscription-based model, you never have to worry about reselling or purchasing additional copies of the software. Various role-based licenses that cost less than a full user license are available, making the solution even more cost-effective.
According to one Capterra reviewer, “The price point for Dynamics 365 is comparable to its competitors but it offers more value for the money.”
The Advanced Find Tool
Advanced Find is a powerful tool and a significant benefit of Dynamics 365 Sales. Available from the main toolbar, Advanced Find helps you generate complex searches using every field and category present in the system. With the ability to be as specific as you need, you can pull whatever subselection of your data you want to evaluate and quickly translate it into a report. Users often ignore this tool because of its unique UI and steep learning curve. However, with proper training and the help of a good Dynamics 365 partner, this tool can do things you would never expect from a CRM.
As one G2 reviewer writes, “The best feature of it and the one I found most efficient is Advanced Find. By using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales it is easy to track cases and form useful reports.”
The Drawbacks of Dynamics 365 Sales
Bottom line: Despite its integrations and customizations, Dynamics 365’s user interface, rigid configuration, price tag, segmented functionality, and steep learning curve may not benefit some businesses.
User Interface
Dynamics 365’s default UI will be easy to learn if you’re familiar with Microsoft’s user interface. If you’re transitioning from other CRMs or don’t regularly use Microsoft products, you may need some time to adjust to the layout.
Fields and data are often organized awkwardly on the screen, mainly when scroll bars are featured or the window is resized. The interface might seem out of date, lacking the polish and visual unity of its competitors.
The user interface may help or hinder operations depending on what is enabled or disabled during the implementation process. If your Microsoft partner configures your software based only on standard practices rather than your company’s unique needs, the user experience may be insufficient. Choosing a Dynamics 365 partner who takes the time to understand your business processes is crucial to getting the most out of the system.
As one GetApp reviewer explains, “The user interface can be improved. The whole system for CRM is too rigid and not that user friendly like a few other competitors.”
Rigid Configuration
While Dynamics 365 is incredibly customizable during the setup process, your software settings are hard to adjust once the system is in place. If your needs as a business ever change, the solution might struggle to adapt to your company’s new processes.
It’s crucial to understand how the configuration will impact your business and the way the software works. Before you implement the Sales module, you should consult a Dynamics 365 partner or another expert to educate yourself about the decisions you’ll need to make. Your Dynamics 365 partner can also help you understand what your company needs now, what you will need in the future, and how the solution can be set up to meet all of those needs.
According to this TrustRadius reviewer, “The abundance of bells and whistles makes Dynamics 365 a hard program to properly learn. Especially configuring it to our liking at the beginning was an experience I am not eager to repeat.”
The Pricetag
Dynamics 365 Sales is reasonably priced for a mid-market or enterprise company, but it might be too expensive for a small business looking to upgrade its CRM. And even if the sticker price seems affordable, the subscription cost is subject to change, and additional fees for training, implementation, and integrations will vary among Microsoft partners.
If you’ve evaluated the price and are experiencing sticker shock, it’s essential to understand you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cheaper alternative. While the competition may seem more affordable, if you want a solution as powerful and versatile as Dynamics 365, it would cost more in the long run. In that case, it may be best for your company to search for a small-business solution.
“I think that the only con that I can see in this software is the price that Microsoft charges for Dynamics 365,” writes a reviewer on Capterra.
Segmented Functionality
Dynamics 365 Sales is designed for sales teams and their specific contact management needs. While the system can track marketing lists, most other marketing functionality is not available in this particular application. Dynamics 365 Sales integrates with leading marketing automation tools and the Dynamics 365 Marketing application, but both will cost more than using just the Dynamics 365 Sales module. This is the case with other modules in this CRM suite—if you want well-rounded capabilities, you’ll need to invest in multiple solutions.
According to one GetApp reviewer, Dynamics 365 “needs addon upon addon to accomplish the same functions as much cheaper software.”
Steep Learning Curve
Dynamics 365 is a little harder to learn than most other CRMs due to its wide range of features. Even if you understand the software, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and confused by the program’s powerful yet complex systems. Additionally, while Dynamics 365 Sales’ standard Microsoft UI is familiar to experienced Microsoft users, it is slightly different from most other CRM offerings on the market and may take some getting used to. The number of online training resources provided by Microsoft may be minimal, but your local Microsoft partner will often offer additional resources and training.
“Even the basics on the Dynamics are hard to learn. You will have to invest a lot of time on it before you can start using it as intended,” says one TrustRadius reviewer.
Is Dynamics 365 Sales a Good Fit for My Business?
Bottom line: Dynamics 365 Sales is a good fit for most businesses in various industries, particularly mid-market companies, companies with large sales divisions, and Microsoft-based offices.
Budget
Dynamics 365 CRM uses a subscription model where users pay a monthly fee for the software. It’s priced per user and has different licenses based on the functionality you want, so pricing varies customer to customer.
Microsoft is very transparent about its user license pricing, so you can easily calculate your software costs based on the number of users you want or need. For example, if you have a small team with 5 users, you’ll spend about $5,000 annually. If you’re a larger organization with 20+ users, you’ll spend closer to $20,000 or $25,000.
Your implementation cost will vary based on the functionality you’re implementing and the complexity of your business. Base Dynamics 365 implementations typically start at $10,000 to $12,000. An average implementation is about $15,000 to $18,000. And a more complex implementation that involves something like integrating a marketing automation tool or building custom workflows will cost about $20,000 to $25,000.
Your Foundation
If your office predominantly uses Microsoft products for daily tasks, Dynamics 365 will fit seamlessly into your existing environment. The solution integrates with tools like Microsoft 365, OneNote, and Power BI to increase your system’s power and efficiency.
If your everyday processes mainly operate on non-Microsoft programs, Dynamics 365 Sales may not be able to reach its full potential, and another CRM solution might prove a better fit.
Capabilities
While Dynamics 365 Sales covers the same functions as most other CRM solutions, as the name indicates, its features focus more on sales than marketing. This makes the software a better fit for companies with a large or expanding sales division. If your company focuses on marketing, you’ll want to consider Dynamics 365 Marketing or other marketing automation tools that you can integrate with your sales solution.
How Does Dynamics 365 Sales Measure Up to the Competition?
Bottom line: Dynamics 365 sets itself apart from other CRM providers with its unique commitment to the Microsoft platform, partner network, and deployment flexibility.
What Do the Experts Say?
Bottom line: Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 CRM suite, including the Dynamics 365 Sales module, is recognized throughout the industry as a leading product with high customer satisfaction.
G2 Crowd’s Spring 2022 Mid-Market Grid® Report for CRM names Dynamics 365 CRM as a leader and high-performer across various industries.
Dynamics 365 Sales is the recipient of a Customer’s Choice Award from Gartner due to its robust CRM and lead management capabilities.
As of 2022, more than 86% of Dynamics 365 reviews on GetApp are positive, and a whopping 94% of reviewers said they would recommend the software.
We were the first Certified Microsoft CRM Partner in the world and have used Microsoft’s CRM solutions for more than 15 years. We believe in the flexibility Dynamics 365 CRM gives us to adapt the system to our unique needs.
How Much Does Dynamics 365 Cost and Is It Worth It?
Bottom line: Dynamics 365’s price and value will vary based on your business. Use a price calculator to estimate your costs.
The software
As a stand-alone product, Dynamics 365 Sales is a subscription-based solution, with a recurring monthly charge for each user you have on the system. Alternatively, suppose you want to integrate your sales database with Dynamics 365 Marketing or Customer Service. In that case, you’ll need to build out a bundle and get a pricing estimate from your implementation partner.
For more information and pricing options, please check out our Dynamics 365 Price Guide.
The implementation
Your implementation costs will vary depending on your chosen Microsoft partner and your needs as a business. A straightforward quick-start implementation of the Sales app only, using the software as it is out of the box, might cost $3,000. A more complex implementation of multiple apps that involves tailoring the software to your processes could cost as much as $25,000 or more.
A reasonable industry average implementation cost estimate to use for your initial consideration is $15,000. Be sure to consult any potential partners about their costs before committing to an implementation.
The value
Dynamics 365 Sales meets the needs of growing mid-market companies that are outgrowing the capabilities of their current small business solutions. Dynamics 365 helps your business by providing:
Rapid growth. As your company grows, so does your customer base. Beyond a certain point, keeping track of all customer accounts and associated products and services might be unwieldy using small business software. This issue is compounded in the sales department, as for every potential customer your business has, there may be multiple leads in the pipeline. Dynamics 365 Sales helps you manage your existing customer base and leads, letting you search and sort data as you see fit.
Better reporting and analysis. With increasing amounts of data, the time it takes to prepare reports and statistics increases exponentially. This makes it hard for you and your executives to know the outcomes of your decisions and plan future growth. With Dynamics 365 Sales’ powerful tools and integrations, you can slice up your data whatever way you need to and learn things about your company’s metrics you may have never considered. This information can be exported to Excel or PowerPoint and presented however you desire, letting you guide your business better than ever before.
Dynamics 365 Sales may provide value to your business if your company currently struggles with growth or reporting. If you’re unsure whether a new CRM solution will be worth the cost, try collecting data on how long basic sales processes take at your company and if more efficient software could save you both time and money.
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