January was a busy month at Concentrix. The New Year kicked off with final preparations for the long-anticipated release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, beginning with the launch of the cloud version, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online on January 17th.
Cloud computing is maturing and we’re getting an increasing amount of enquiries about cloud ERP as well as cloud CRM. In fact to illustrate how important it’s becoming, Microsoft launched Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 ‘in the cloud’ before it launched the on-premise version (the on-premise version is due for release on Feb 28th).
As a service to our customers and to mark the launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, we held our first Microsoft Dynamics CRM User Group for a selection of our existing clients. We invited a small number of customers to our offices on the 19th January that have been using previous versions of the software for a while now.
As well as giving an introduction to the new version of the software, the User Group kept delegates up to date with all the latest inside news from Concentrix and the latest developments in the CRM field generally, and of course an in-depth look at Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.
The User Group was fully interactive and we kept the numbers small so that everyone had a chance to fully participate. It included a session to ask questions, informally meet our CRM team and provide feedback on the product and the service we’re providing (and a good lunch!). Thanks to everyone who managed to attend. Feedback was excellent and we will extend the invites to our whole Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer base for future events.
ERP in the cloud is also generating interest recently, particularly since we started offering Microsoft Dynamics NAV as a cloud ERP solution. We began this after the 2009 R2 release last December, and one of the reasons was because this enhancement made deploying and setting up Microsoft Dynamics NAV in the cloud much easier for business partners and developers. The cloud deployment offers the same functionality as Microsoft Dynamics NAV on-premise, and if you’re interested in there’s a recent post on the ERP Software Blog Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics NAV as a Cloud ERP Solution? – it would be great to hear your comments.
One of the key features of the latest versions of both Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM are their integration with each other, and also integration with Microsoft SharePoint. If you haven’t already seen it, take a look at our new pre-configured SharePoint intranet solution called BizNetix, which is a great way to get your SharePoint project started. We’ve already installed the system in a variety of businesses. This includes our own! We use Biznetix within Concentrix as our own intranet and it’s helped a lot of our staff understand SharePoint better – as well as providing all the usual functions you’d expect from a company intranet. We have also introduced BizNetix to a number of our customers, including recent product user groups and had some excellent feedback.
On the subject of User Groups, the next Sage 200 User Group is scheduled for 15th March. If you’re a Concentrix client using Sage 200, Sage Line 100 or MMS you will receive your invite shortly. We are also running paid courses on using Sage 200 for Business Intelligence. The one-day courses will show you how to use the business intelligence functionality of Sage 200 to quickly and efficiently analyse data, make better and more informed business decisions, and gain an in-depth understanding of what's really happening throughout your business. For more information on these courses please contact your Concentrix account manager.
Back to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 launch, Microsoft is aiming for this product to become the leading mid-market cloud-based CRM solution. Concentrix believe it will have a significant impact in the UK. The product is strongly competitive in terms of price, power, flexibility and functionality in comparison with its main cloud competitors. Microsoft has invested literally billions of dollars in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, and a lot if this investment has been in worldwide infrastructure to support its cloud version. Microsoft is also running a switch campaign. If you are currently using a competitive CRM Solution, such as Salesforce.com or Oracle, you could receive £130 per user if you switch to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Concentrix put out a press release earlier this week to support the belief that the product is going to shake things up in the UK (Launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Set to Shake Up the UK CRM Market). It will be interesting to see how competitive products such as SalesForce, Oracle and NetSuite react to the product launch and Microsoft’s price and go-to-market strategy.
Despite the strength of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Concentrix is committed to supplying solutions that meet the requirements of our clients, hence Concentrix remains and will continue to remain product agnostic. Products such as Sage CRM or FrontRange’s GoldMine are still often the right choice for customers – it depends on your business processes and what you are looking to achieve from a CRM solution.
For independent advice or help selecting an ERP or CRM solution, for an informal chat about SharePoint, or to find out more about any of the products, solutions and services we provide, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Concentrix.
Good post on integration with NAV, Sharepoint, the cloud. Very much looking forward to MS "really" joining the SaaS game. MS 4.0 was good, but the online version for 5.0 looks to be a game changer. Very curious to watch the development.
Posted by: Cliff | 06 February 2011 at 11:00 PM