Microsoft CRM Launches!
REDMOND, Washington
January 21, 2003
Microsoft(R) Business
Solutions (Microsoft) today announced the North American
availability of Microsoft Business Solutions CRM (Microsoft
CRM). The new product supports and automates the CRM
strategies of mid-market organizations,
helping them build lasting and profitable relationships
with their most important constituency: their customers.
The solution enables businesses to take advantage of
technology and related services that were previously
reserved for large enterprises with big IT budgets.
Microsoft CRM offers an up-to-the-minute view of all
interactions from initial lead through lifetime customer
history. Featuring an intuitive user interface, Microsoft
CRM is accessible both as a browser-based application
and through Microsoft Outlook™. Sales teams have
integrated, up-to-date information, facilitating better
work in team environments, increasing efficiency and ultimately
improving the customer experience. Customer service employees
are armed with a solution that helps meet a greater number
of service agreements and provides higher customer satisfaction.
Microsoft CRM is
the first Microsoft business application built on the
Microsoft .NET infrastructure, facilitating a simpler
connection of disparate systems and enhancing integration
with external Web services such as credit checking,
analytics and marketing automation services that extend
the core functionality of the solution. The flexibility
built into Microsoft CRM allows mid-market businesses to determine the degree to which they
want to automate and share information across their
organizations.
"Microsoft CRM is
a key component of Microsoft Business Solutions' overall
mission to give mid-market businesses the tools they need to succeed on their
terms, their schedules and their budgets," said David
Thacher, general manager of Customer Relationship Management
at Microsoft Business Solutions. "Microsoft CRM empowers
businesses to deliver the kind of superior service that
keeps customers coming back for more."
Microsoft CRM comes
in two versions: Standard Edition, which provides a
broad range of CRM functionality for a stand-alone CRM
environment without extensive business automation and
integration requirements, and Professional Edition,
which enables more complex CRM functionality including
work-flow rules, customization and back-office integration
with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
"The entry of Microsoft into the CRM arena validates
the business need for this technology and adds credibility
to the vendors already in the marketplace." We believe
that Microsoft CRM provides a new approach to a CRM implementation
to help you improve your customer relationships."
The solution meets the needs and fits within the budget
and IT resources of mid-market businesses," said Mark
E. Engelberg, President and CEO of Compulan, a Microsoft
Business Solutions CRM Certified Partner. "This CRM product
can be easily tailored to meet a variety of specific vertical
and industry requirements and has built-in support for
advanced customizations, integration of additional code
and unique user interfaces."
Availability
and Pricing
Microsoft CRM is
available for purchase in North America. Retail pricing
for Microsoft CRM ranges from $395 (U.S.) per user,
plus $995 (U.S.) for the service or sales servers for
the Standard Edition, to $1,295 (U.S.) per user, plus
$1,990 (U.S.) for the service and sales servers for
the Professional Suite Edition. The product is available
as an on-premise solution or as a hosted solution through
Compulan. The North American version of Microsoft CRM
is not available for purchase outside the United States
and Canada at this time, but localized versions of Microsoft
CRM for the Europe and Middle East, Asia-Pacific and
Latin America markets are being developed and are scheduled
for release in the second half of 2003.
About
Microsoft Business Solutions
Microsoft Business
Solutions is a division of Microsoft and offers a wide
range of business applications designed to help small,
midmarket and corporate businesses
become more connected with customers, employees, partners
and suppliers. Microsoft Business Solutions' applications
automate end-to-end business processes across financials,
distribution, project accounting, electronic commerce,
human resources and payroll, manufacturing, supply chain
management, business intelligence, sales and marketing
management, and customer service and support. More information
about Microsoft Business Solutions can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/.
For more information about Microsoft CRM, please click here.
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