Microsoft takes CRM products to market

Microsoft takes CRM products to market

Microsoft yesterday unveiled plans to deliver customer relationship management software to medium-sized companies which will put the software giant head-to-head with other major CRM players, such as Siemens and PeopleSoft.

The Microsoft Customer Relationship Management software line will be released later this year and yesterday the company confirmed that some customers were currently testing the beta version of the package.

‘We built Microsoft CRM on the Microsoft .NET foundation to open up tremendous opportunities for internet service vendors and partners to extend their systems by using web services,’ said David Thacher, general manager at Microsoft’s business solutions group. ‘This is a market that is largely underserved today.’

Details on packaging and pricing were also revealed, with the standard version software going for $395 per user plus $995 for the server, and advanced version going for $1395 per-user plus $1990 for the server.

Analysts expect CRM software to explode in the medium-sized office space. According to Joe Outlaw, research director at analyst house Gartner-Dataquest, the respective penetration rates of CRM solutions by small and medium-sized enterprises are 2% to 3% and about 20%, respectively.

‘These markets are at early stages of adoption with large opportunities for CRM vendors that approach the markets with the right products and messages,’ he said.

‘SMEs don’t want large-enterprise solutions at discount prices or with minor modifications, such as a few features turned off. SMEs want products and services designed, priced and delivered from vendors that understand their needs and are committed to meeting them.’

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource