Why do you need both Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft CRM – Why are two products better than one?

Dynamics-crm

So why do I often tell companies that they need both Dynamics CRM and Dynamics ERP when other Dynamics partners propose just Dynamics NAV? What’s worth the higher licence cost and higher risk of two products, as opposed to one?

Well, put simply, we know that CRM built into Dynamics NAV:

  • has not been, and is not going to be, developed – there is no roadmap for it
  • in our experience has a 80% failure rate and is hated by 99% of the sales people who use it
  • is crude and unfriendly – it needs massive partner customisation to be useable
  • has no third party support unlike Dynamics CRM which has thousands of third party ‘apps’ and ‘links’

So now that’s put the boot in, you should be very cautious before deciding the Dynamics NAV inbuilt CRM is a road to go down.

What makes Dynamics CRM so special?

Well for one, it’s built to work in the first application all your customer-facing people open every morning, which is of course is Microsoft Outlook. That means they are already in Dynamics CRM and if they send or reply to a contact whose email address is in CRM it can be set to automatically log that email.

With apps for your phone and tablet as well as the ability to use the software via the web, it’s truly as mobile as your sales people. Combine that with dashboards and workflow, that frankly we would like to see in Dynamics NAV, and you have a truly world class system which already has millions of user worldwide.

So why doesn’t every Dynamics partner promote Dynamics CRM? Well, it takes a significant investment to set up a Dynamics CRM practice – with a team of a least ten or so just to be credible.

Very few partners are Microsoft Gold Certified for both ERP and CRM. Last time I checked in the UK I could only find five. If a partner doesn’t have the expertise in Dynamics CRM, they will not want to propose it as that will bring another party to the project and that’s a risk.

Talk to either the Dynamics NAV or CRM people at Microsoft, or in the wider user community, and I’m confident you will quickly confirm Dynamics CRM is what every business needs – if you have a team of people focused on new business, account management, customer care or marketing.

Make sure you’re getting the system that’s right for you and not being restricted by what your partner is capable of delivering. Please compare CRM inbuilt into Dynamics NAV with Dynamics CRM and see which one you would want to use.  You should also look for a partner with a single helpdesk with staff who understand (and use) both.