Microsoft has released its Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 to the SA market.
The offering is focused on enterprise social networking, allowing companies to engage with customers, build brand relevance and collaborate to stay ahead, says Microsoft.
According to Kethan Parbhoo, the head of Microsoft's Dynamics business in SA, CRM 2013 was first unveiled in November.
The new release gives users the ability to access their information on a variety of devices; provides a fluid user experience, enables access to relevant information and delivers richer contextual information.
"Traditionally, customer relationship management (CRM) solutions have helped automate sales, service and marketing for organisations. But the next big thing in CRM is social CRM and enterprise social networking," said Parbhoo. "Three years ago, social networking was considered largely irrelevant in the world of business - but today it's a core tool that businesses use every day to connect better to their employees and customers. Enterprise has evolved to become social enterprise."
He explained that one of the biggest selling points of CRM 2013 is its user interface, adding that people want the same user interfaces in the enterprise, as they have on social networks.
"The new user experience organises information in a clean, consistent and easy-to-access manner," he explained.
The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that using social tools companies can raise the productivity of interaction workers by as much as 25%.
Microsoft notes that its position in the social enterprise space has been boosted with the acquisition of Yammer, an enterprise social network in the enterprise software industry.
Yammer allows companies to stay connected with customers by putting social tools in the context of what people are doing.
Further boosting Dynamics CRM 2013's collaboration abilities is Microsoft's alliance with social intelligence provider InsideView, which embeds real-time company and contact information from 30 000 sources into Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This helps marketing, sales and account management professionals to engage more effectively with prospects and to better secure deals.
"CRM today should be an enabler that detects trends, facilitates decisions and suggests actions that lead to successful outcomes and relationships. The new CRM, with its enterprise social abilities, is transforming the way we share information, and allowing us to focus of flexibility, agility and effectiveness to keep our customers happy," said Parbhoo.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives customers access to mobile client applications on Windows 8 tablets and iPads, as well as touch-enabled experiences on Windows Phones, iPhones and Android phones, without a separate licence fee, he pointed out.
The new offering is available for $50 per user.
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