Jan 17, 2011
Today Microsoft publicly released Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online, the cloud version!
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 On-Premise and Partner Hosted versions have a release date of February 28th, 2011.
Here’s the public Press Pass http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/jan11/1-17MSCRMOnlinePR.mspx
The updated CRM 2011 website has a free 30-day trial and limited time launch offer of $34 per user per month. http://crm.dynamics.com
Microsoft is also offering a cash back promotion for companies who switch to Microsoft CRM from certain Salesforce.com and Oracle products. http://www.cloudcrmforless.com
The Virtual Launch is on January 20th is at http://crm.dynamics.com/2011launch
The Chicago in-person launch is event is on March 8, 2011. Registration and detail are at https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032471465&EventCategory=1&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US
Jan 6, 2011
Now that the hot new Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 2011 is just around the corner Microsoft is offering a pretty nice promotion for users of several competing products. It’s called “Cloud CRM for Less”.
Not only are they offering discounted pricing, they’re giving cash back when you switch from Salesforce.com, Siebel CRM, or Oracle CRM On-Demand!
The discounted price is $34 per user per month. That’s pretty compelling compared to other systems at $65, $125 or more.
On top of that, they’re giving back $200 cash per user license purchased! So for example if you switch 30 users you get $6,000 back.
To qualify you need to switch from one of the qualifying products, purchase at least 15 user licenses of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and sign a two year agreement.
More detail is at http://offers.crmchoice.com/Cloud-CRM-For-Less/
A Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 30 Day Trial of the current version is at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/crmresults/countdown/thirtyday.aspx
A beta trial version of the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online is at http://offers.crmchoice.com/CRM2011Beta-Landing
The new Microsoft CRM 2011 version is really slick! If you’re using a competing product give Microsoft CRM 2011 a look.
Sep 20, 2010
Microsoft released Beta trial versions of both CRM 2011 Online and On-Premise.
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online Public Beta trial signup page
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 On-Premise Public Beta trial download page
Aug 29, 2008
Microsoft is now hosting a free 60 trial version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM at http://www.hostedmicrosoftcrmtrial.com/signup1.aspx. It’s pretty nice in that it offers some guidance on how to use it and it’s fully functional.
Here are a couple of thoughts I have about it:
1. No Microsoft Outlook
It uses the browser-based web version of Dynamics CRM and not the version that runs from within Microsoft Outlook.
When you buy a license of Dynamics CRM it includes both versions and you can decide to use either or both depending on your needs. Most companies are really interested in the Outlook version because that’s where sales, marketing, and service people spend a good part of their day.
So, what I’m getting is while this trial is nice it’s not showing a critical part of Dynamics CRM which might not give you a full idea of what the system is capable of.
2. Mixed Feelings on Trials
I tend to feel trials are more suited toward basic software that doesn’t need to be customized. Like photo organizer or scrapbook software.
Dynamics CRM is an easy to use application that offers a lot of built-in features and functionality. The trial should do a good job of showing you how it looks and its basic functionality.
My concern is some companies may have questions that the trial may not give a clear answer on. I’ve heard comments like “I can’t believe it doesn’t have (a specific feature)” when it actually does have the feature. Or it doesn’t have the feature but it could easily be added.
If you’re evaluating Dynamics CRM and the trial answers your questions, great. But for companies who may have more complex needs the trial doesn’t address, then what? I would suggest contacting a Microsoft Dynamics CRM consultant or consulting firm specializing in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ask them to help you with your evaluation. They should be able to answer your questions and show you how the product works based on your unique needs.
When I do a demo for a company I always suggest that we lightly customize it by adding some data fields, changing names, and adding some of the company’s data. I then walk through a “day-in-the-life” of a user like a salesperson or executive. This always gives them a better idea of how the system could work for their unique company.
So in summary, the trial is great but it may not be enough to help you see how well Dynamics CRM fits your company.
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Launch Date, Launch Events, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, promotions, release date, Special Offers