Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    MS CRM Nears 1,000 Customers

    By
    Dennis Callaghan
    -
    August 2, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Six months into the release of Microsofts CRM suite, the company is already exceeding its expectations as its customer count approaches the 1,000 mark.

      “Were well into the hundreds [in customers], it wont be long before we can say were over 1,000,” said Holly Holt, group product manager for Microsoft CRM.

      Holt added that in Microsoft CRMs first quarter of existence, its already surpassed the business that was done during a three-year partnership with Siebel Systems Inc., when Microsoft and its Great Plains Software predecessor resold the Siebel Mid-Market Edition Suite.

      “This is a product thats designed very specifically for the target market its being sold into,” she said. “The technology base is easier to manage. And Microsoft is considered by customers to be a safe bet.”

      Size of customer deployments varies, from pilot sites with as little as five seats to one customer with 1,500 seats, which Microsoft expects to announce shortly, Holt said. The typical customer seat total is in the high 20s, she added. Theres about a 50-50 split between customers licensing the software and customers using it as a hosted service, according to Holt.

      Microsoft is relying on partners to build vertical-specific functionality on top of the platform, Holt said. To date, MS has signed up 1,300 partners altogether, though it has irked some with plans to open up all versions of the software to all Microsoft partners rather than just Microsoft Business Solutions CRM-certified partners. This is being done since Microsoft CRM is being added to Microsofts volume-licensing plan, which gives customers discounts based on how much Microsoft software they buy.

      Holt defended the practice, saying it results in lower prices for customers.

      “It gives the customers more purchasing power,” she said. “As they purchase more volume [of Microsoft software] they get bigger discounts.”

      The next release of Microsoft CRM, version 1.2, is slated for the fourth quarter and will support additional languages, bringing the total to nine; stronger reporting capabilities based on Crystal Decisions Inc.s Crystal Enterprise 9; improved setup and development capabilities; and back office integration with Microsofts Solomon and Navision brand applications.

      Down the road, Microsoft plans to unify its CRM products—Microsoft CRM and its Navision and Axapta sales and marketing modules, which are used mostly in Europe, into a single product, Holt said.

      Visit Microsoft Watch for

      more details on MS CRM 1.2 and Microsofts CRM licensing plans

      .

      “Well take the best of breed functionality and roll it into future CRM releases,” she said, though she gave no timeframe for when this integration would occur. “If customers are happy where theyre at, they can stay where theyre at, but eventually there will be a convergence.”

      Though quick to gloat over Microsoft CRMs success vs. its previous partnership with Siebel, Holt said she expects there will still be plenty of room for Siebel in the mid-market, which Siebel CEO Tom Siebel has pledged his companys commitment to.

      “Itll be interesting to see how the mid-market shapes up. But I think there will still be a lot of opportunity for Siebel as well as Microsoft in the future,” she said. “Theres a lot of deals out there.”

      Dennis Callaghan

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×