Your choice of customer relationship management system (CRM) can be a game-changer for your company. You need a platform capable of helping you build meaningful customer relationships. It needs to streamline lead tracking, task automation, and contact management.
If you’re wondering, “Does Microsoft have a CRM?” the answer is yes. Dynamics 365 and Salesforce are two enterprise-grade CRMs capable of helping your employees work smarter, not harder. The following Microsoft CRM vs. Salesforce comparison can help you decide which solution would best fit your business environment.
What is Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides business users with a unified suite of tools. Customers can select different modules to include with their subscription, including Sales, Customer Service, and Field Service. You can also access tools like Power BI to leverage real-time data to help with decision-making. In addition, Dynamics 365 integrates with other Microsoft platforms like Office 365 and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
Dynamics 365 also offers two enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, one for small businesses and the other for larger enterprises. That’s one advantage that Dynamics offers in a Microsoft CRM vs. Salesforce comparison. Companies would need to purchase additional ERP support because the Salesforce platform is not built to work with transactional data.
What is Salesforce?
While Microsoft is a formidable opponent when it comes to operating systems, it’s currently king when it comes to CRMs. It continues to lead in market share over all competitors, including Oracle, Adobe, and Microsoft. Salesforce is a pioneer in using the cloud to host CRM functionality. That meant businesses saved money by not having to invest as much money in on-premises resources by subscribing to Salesforce instead.
Salesforce offers different sales, customer service, and marketing options. The platform lets users create applications, store and manage IoT data, and perform analytics. The solution is popular in healthcare organizations that use Salesforce Health Cloud to manage doctor and patient interactions.
Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce: Scalability and Customization
Microsoft Dynamics provides direct access to tools like Power Platform, Power Automate, and Power BI. So, businesses gain the ability to build applications with Power Apps, set up workflow automation, or perform analytics. The modular architecture simplifies scaling their use as needed. A company can start by using basic CRM functionality and then add additional modules as it grows.
Salesforce lets business users create customized workflows, objects, and fields using the customer-friendly interface. Developers can build custom applications that fit a business’s unique requirements. You can also access the AppExchange marketplace, which offers thousands of out-of-the-box integrations and apps you can easily customize and add to your Salesforce instance.
Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce: Integrations
If your company is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, Dynamics 365 would be a smart choice. It is compatible with Microsoft tools like Teams and Azure, providing a cohesive experience. So, you can build a dashboard in Power BI using data from Dynamics 365 and display it in a Power App.
Salesforce works with many third-party applications, which you can access through AppExchange. It also offers different API and middleware options, which allow organizations to connect multiple software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications into one environment. Salesforce also provides Chatter, a collaboration tool, and integrates seamlessly with Google Workplace.
Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce: User Experience
Microsoft Dynamics revamped all its applications in 2020 by updating their look to the Unified Client Interface. That means that the interface of a Power App looks similar to the one provided in the Dynamics 365 Sales module.
Users have a consistent viewing experience when working in any Dynamics 365 application. With Power BI powering all reporting tools and dashboards, your workers can set up appealing data visualizations customized for different audiences.
Salesforce provides the Lightning Experience, a modern user interface (UI) designed to speed up application development and implementation. Its drag-and-drop functionality lets users link Salesforce to any external application without having to write code. There’s also a performance map that lets you track the performance of different applications.
Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce: Security and Compliance
Salesforce and Dynamics comply with industry standards like GDPR, ISO 27001, and SOC 1 and 2. Dynamics 365 security covers applications at all levels thanks to being hosted in Microsoft Azure, which protects data with:
- Data encryption
- User authentication using Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)
- HIPAA/HITECH compliance
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO)
- Role-based access controls
Salesforce’s Shield platform provides multi-layered and data-at-rest encryption. There’s also a Field Audit Trail to keep up with everything happening within the Salesforce environment. Administrators can enforce role-based access and control who access Salesforce based on location.
Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce: Pricing
Costs are critical in deciding on a CRM solution, especially if you’re running a small or medium-sized business. Both companies offer monthly subscriptions to use different parts of their platform. The best way to decide between the two is to consider your business needs regarding CRM pricing.
- Is the user experience one of your top priorities?
- Are you looking to host your solution on-premises or in the cloud?
- Do you need to integrate with other third-party communication or document management tools?
- How much will your company need to scale up over the next few years?
- What is your CRM budget?
Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce: Automation
Microsoft Dynamics leverages Power Automate, previously called Microsoft Flow, to let users create workflows. You can connect to other Microsoft applications to automate common tasks. The platform provides Business Process Flows to guide users through setting up different processes like requesting quote approvals and communicating with leads.
Salesforce provides components like Workflow Rules, Process Builders, and Flows to set up automated tasks. Users can build workflows capable of automating complex business processes that kick in after triggering specific actions.
Choose the Right CRM With Internet eBusiness Solutions
Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce both have a lot to offer. For that reason, it helps to have a partner like IES who can assess your current needs and help you find solutions that work best for your company. If you’re trying to decide between Salesforce CRM vs. Microsoft Dynamics, we can help. Reach out today to set up a consultation with one of our representatives.
