Microsoft Announces New Service Update and Competitive Offer for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Building on the innovation described in the Dynamic Business vision recently discussed at Convergence 2009 Europe, Microsoft Corp. today introduced the November 2009 service update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the third service update delivered in 18 months. The service update offers new features at no additional cost to customers, including free mobile access, enhanced data import, customizable views and simplified pricing. Microsoft also announced that customers that switch from Salesforce.com and Oracle CRM On Demand products can get Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online free for six months, in addition to their free 30-day trial.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"The new service update to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online demonstrates our commitment to simplify the customer experience, deliver rapid innovation and offer more value at a lower price," said Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. "Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online enables businesses to begin driving productivity and results in a matter of minutes."

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service update brings the following:

• Fast online access. Organizations can get started with a trial or paid subscription to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in less than five minutes. Customers are able to access the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service through a Microsoft Outlook interface, via a Web browser or from a wide range of mobile devices -- all at no additional charge.
• Simple contact management. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a single, unified view of customer information that helps sales people manage accounts and drive revenue. A new Get Started Pane delivers guidance, training and access to communities, and Microsoft Knowledge Base articles, allowing users of all skill levels to maximize their productivity. In addition, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online makes it easy to import data from other CRM applications.
• Better sales performance. Sales managers benefit from strong sales forecasting and their sales teams benefit from workflow capabilities that ensure that customer engagements happen quickly and consistently. A new home page dashboard provides real-time views into key metrics that help prioritize daily activities.
• Better economics. Microsoft has simplified and reduced its Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online pricing for all customers. All Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online offerings are now available at $44 per user per month, and include offline support, 200 custom entities, 200 workflows and 5 GB of storage.
  

In addition to its free 30-day trial, Microsoft is offering six months of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online at no additional cost to existing customers of Salesforce.com and Oracle CRM On Demand. This reinforces Microsoft's focus on delivering more value at a lower cost than competing CRM vendors, whether through on-premise or on-demand CRM deployments. Eligibility requirements and other details of this offer can be found at http://offers.crmchoice.com/moreforless.

"Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is a perfect fit for our business," said Laura Tantaros, sales operations specialist for Trion Group Inc. "We were able to get started and train our employees very quickly, largely due to the Microsoft Outlook user interface, and adapt the service to our specific business needs easily."

"We've built our business on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and we've helped more than 75 companies adopt the service in the past year," said Steve Bowles, chief executive officer of Pelagic Solutions Inc. "In our experience Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online simply delivered a lot more capabilities and value than other software as a service (SaaS)-based CRM systems, at a lower price."

The new November 2009 service update will be available to all Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online customers by Nov. 15, 2009. Businesses can get started today by signing up for a no-cost 30-day trial by subscribing at http://crm.dynamics.com.

About Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of easy-to-use, integrated and adaptable ERP and CRM applications that enable business decision-makers to quickly respond to market shifts, take advantage of new trends, increase their competitive edge and drive business success. Microsoft Dynamics solutions are delivered through a world-class network of partners who provide specialized services and additional innovation to help customers excel in their industry.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.