Dynamics 365 vs Dynamics CRM: is it worth the switch?

Dynamics CRM and Dynamics 365: What is the difference?

Let’s start with the basics. What is the difference between Dynamics CRM and Dynamics 365?

Dynamics CRM was launched in 2003 and aims to act as the customer relationship management department of Microsoft’s new Dynamics business software package, helping organizations with sales, customer service, and marketing operations.

In the next 15 years, Dynamics CRM has carried out many important updates, accumulating more than 40,000 customers in the process.

In order to become the new face of the Microsoft Dynamics suite, Dynamics 365 was launched in November 2016 and integrated the new version of the previous Dynamics program under a unified brand.

According to the MB-220 Dynamics 365 standard, there are several applications that provide CRM and ERP functions, which means that the company can operate all front-end and back-end operations from a unified platform. The Dynamics CRM, AX and NAV products form the basis of the new Dynamics 365 applications, which have been updated and renamed as part of the new suite.

For example, Dynamics CRM has been updated and divided into two modular applications; Dynamics 365 for Sales and Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, and the third application, Dynamics 365 for Marketing, will be launched in early 2018. Social media features are included in the integrated application Microsoft Social Engagement, which provides free sales or customer service licenses.

Dynamics 365 for Sales has the same core sales and marketing functions as in the latest version of Dynamics CRM, including the ability to manage sales leads, quotations, orders and invoices, and to build and run marketing activities.

Now, Dynamics CRM customer service functions can be found in Dynamics 365 for Customer Service, including case management, permissions, service level agreements, Unified Service Desk, queues, and knowledge bases.

Dynamics 365 for Marketing (not yet released) will leverage the partnership between Microsoft and Adobe Marketing Cloud to provide more comprehensive marketing functions and event management.

Dynamics 365 has also introduced many new applications to complement its CRM products.

Dynamics 365 for project service automation aims to help project-based companies work more efficiently by providing project and resource planning and scheduling, time and expense management, service analysis functions, and automation technology. .

Dynamics 365 for Field Service is suitable for organizations with operators working on site, and includes functions such as work order management, planning, billing, time management, inventory management, and area management.

The original Dynamics CRM software was withdrawn from the platform in July 2017, although existing Dynamics CRM customers can still use and purchase other user licenses of the software before the annual renewal date of the software, but new customers are no longer available . Now, any organization that wants to purchase a Dynamics CRM solution must choose from the new Dynamics 365 application.

How are functions compared?

For the sake of brevity, we refer to Dynamics 365 CRM as Dynamics 365 CRM for sales, customer service, marketing and Microsoft Social Engagement, which are closely based on the original Dynamics CRM software.

Dynamics 365 CRM provides all the functions previously seen in Dynamics CRM. Although Dynamics 365 was only launched at the end of 2016, new functions have been added. The following are some of the current proprietary features and services in Dynamics 365:

In-depth LinkedIn integration

Dynamics 365 users will benefit greatly from the LinkedIn acquired by Microsoft in 2016, and have already begun to see how the data of 500 million LinkedIn users will be integrated with the Dynamics 365 CRM application. By dynamically integrating LinkedIn into Dynamics 365 through Microsoft Exam Relationship Sales, users can find and establish relationships with the right people more effectively.

Power BI

By adding Power BI to its CRM interface, Dynamics 365 users can visualize their data and generate more detailed reports. Once connected, you can access all the features of Power BI without leaving Dynamics 365.

Microsoft Flow and PowerApps

Microsoft PowerApps and Microsoft Flow are new tools designed to help users create and customize in Dynamics 365 without coding. PowerApps is a drag-and-drop application builder that allows users to create new applications that connect to their systems, generate new data, and use them on the web or mobile devices without any professional development knowledge.

Flow allows users to create automated workflows between programs (including third-party applications). For example, you can set up a workflow to search for people who tweet about your brand. After sending a new tweet, the workflow will send you an email notification, add the tweet to the spreadsheet, and add the new customer record to Dynamics 365.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Dynamics 365 has a machine learning function, which allows the software to learn without having to go through explicit programming. By learning from the data contained in it and its execution, Dynamics 365 can not only provide smarter contextual analysis, but also make predictions and provide actionable next steps.

Business process improvement

Dynamics CRM users will be familiar with business processes, but in Dynamics 365, they have undergone some modernization. New features available include the ability to set GMP to “active”, “inactive” or “abandon”, and the ability to create new workflows using the drag and drop designer.