As your local Microsoft CRM supplier in the Kitchener/Waterloo area, Reis Information Systems is keeping our eye out for changing occurring with Microsoft CRM and the direction the Redmond software giant is taking with its customer relationship management software.

We are pretty excited on how Microsoft CRM will help many of our clients and businesses throughout Southwestern Ontario keep on top of their sales, marketing and client relationships using a robust CRM page.

A year and a month after Microsoft last updated its Statement of Direction (SoD) outlining the future direction of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, they have come up with yet another SoD release this year.  This year’s document is comparatively shorter (it has 7 pages while the April 2010 update contained a whopping 20 pages); it sure does bring us some good news. Here are some of them:

• Customers are allowed to deploy either cloud-based OR on-premise versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, thanks to Microsoft’s commitment to the “power of choice”.
• Social Media is the hottest thing right now, and Microsoft does not intend to leave its CRM unequipped. Micro-blogging, business activity feeds and social intelligence are some of the social and collaboration sub-points included in the SoD.
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM will continue to “harness and surface” the collaboration capabilities from Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Lync, and Microsoft Office which means we are going to see some great collaborations between Microsoft products. Skype-to-CRM integration in the future is something that is not far from our minds either what with the recent Microsoft’s Skype acquisition.
• Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace solutions will see improved provisioning and evaluation.
• Improved reporting with additional charting visualization and dashboarding capabilities!
• Cross-device support across desktop, PC, laptop, tablet and phone though the SoD does not zero in on specific devices.
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM will provide multi-browser support by utilizing HTML5. No specifications regarding browsers either.
• Enterprise organizations will get better support for running Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with better on-boarding, admin and integration capabilities.

After having heard all this, you must be eager to get your hands on the new versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Don’t worry; the SoD covers future release timing too:

• Semi-annual release cycle (spring and fall) of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to replace the three-year cycle between major releases.
• An “automatic update” to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to be released in Q4 of calendar 2011 by Microsoft. There will be a “scheduled update” to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in Q2 of calendar 2012.
• Scheduled updates expected to be larger in scope and complexity compared to automatic updates.
• An “update” for the on-premise version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be released by Microsoft in Q4 of calendar 2011. An “upgrade” of the on-premise version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM will also be available in Q2 of calendar 2012.
• On-premise upgrades may incorporate significant Microsoft platform innovations while updates offer smaller scale new capabilities.

Looking for a Microsoft CRM consultant?  Reis Information Systems can help your business use the power of Microsoft CRM to help your business grow and better serve your clients.  We provide a wide-range of CRM consulting services from our office in Kitchener/Waterloo.  Call us today to book your no obligation discussion on Microsoft CRM.