If your priority is tight integration with Office 365, Dynamics 365 Sales is the most natural fit. It’s built for that ecosystem.
You get:
Native Outlook + Teams integration
Excel as a live data layer, not just export/import
SharePoint for document management out of the box
Power Platform for automation without heavy dev work
For deal flow (VC/PE), it works well, but you’ll likely need some customization or a light ISV layer to match your exact pipeline model.
Alternatives like Salesforce or HubSpot can integrate, but it’s always “connectors + extra setup”. Dynamics feels more native and seamless if you’re already on Microsoft.
Short take. If you live in Office 365 daily, go with Dynamics.
Practice Leader - Integration at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Sep 14, 2015
To be very direct, you are looking at the wrong problem. I will not buy a CRM which integrates with Office 365. I will buy a CRM for my business need and then look at Office integration. Integrating CRM should not be a problem. Having said that Dynamics being an MS solution will probably come pre-integrated or will have readily deployable connector. Likewise Most CRMs will have this integration supported in some way. I have seen this supported for SFDC. What will also help is to know, what use cases are you looking for in Office 365.
Associate at a venture capital & private equity firm with 51-200 employees
Vendor
Sep 15, 2015
Firstly thanks to everyone. Secondly I will split my answer in to two; (1) our needs and (2) about the approach.
We are a VC, we are currently using a CRM we are not pleased with, and we just moved our organization to 365. We are looking for simple CRM functions to manage our deal flow (i.e. the investment and screening process of companies coming to raise money form us). We currently have 7 stages for the process: (1) initial contact, (2) first meeting, (3) due diligence, (4) hot (5) rejected (6) follow up (7) invested - this stage turns the opportunity to a portfolio company which than needs to simple documents management functions (we upload board minutes and such). We need simple alerts and task management and other functions we came across in practically any CRM we looked into. However, and this bring me to the second poiint, while looking at different options and doing pilot and trials, we realized that without a really good integration we will simply go bad to our bad habbits of not updating the process well enough, as it requires to much managing. This is why we have made the integration into 365 the MUST feature we need, and on;y one that do we will then compare and decide based on the fit to our process.
Thanks again,
Yonatan
I agree with the responses which state that a detailed review of goals, priorities is the proper approach to take before getting to far down the product review path. If you don't you will find yourself in a maze of options with no way to discern one from the other in terms of value to your organization.
Also, every vertical has a list of proprietary CRM software tools which have been developed to solve a particular problem. In addition, there are many verticals which have developers who have chosen to build on top of or integrate with a platform such as with Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.com.
Dynamics CRM is a suitable horizontal CRM platform for many businesses to modify and configure to their specific needs. And, it certainly provides the one requirement outlined above of Office 365. This is a very standard integration for many CRM software options today. But, again, it's not enough to dictate one over the other.
Dynamics CRM does integrate natively with Office 365. Other CRM products will integrate too but will require some add on integration work. Dynamics CRM is also a development platform (xRM) and is used by financial industry for various LOB applications/processes. Although the selection of CRM system should be determined by your business needs foremost - Dynamics CRM is a great platform that should work for you.
Hi Yonatan,
Before recommending any CRM, I would like to know certain details about your business
1. Business process.
2. What functionalities do you need other than integration of Office 365.
3. How much is your budget.
Also, please have a look at this www.technologyevaluation.com/research/evaluation-centers/ where you can evaluate different CRM's as per your requirement.
Please do write if you need more help on this.
CRM solutions are essential tools for managing customer relationships and streamlining sales and service processes. They provide businesses with insights to improve customer satisfaction and retention.CRM systems are designed to capture customer interactions through various channels, including phone, email, and social media. These platforms help optimize customer data management, allowing businesses to nurture leads and enhance customer relationships. Users often highlight the importance of...
If your priority is tight integration with Office 365, Dynamics 365 Sales is the most natural fit. It’s built for that ecosystem.
You get:
Native Outlook + Teams integration
Excel as a live data layer, not just export/import
SharePoint for document management out of the box
Power Platform for automation without heavy dev work
For deal flow (VC/PE), it works well, but you’ll likely need some customization or a light ISV layer to match your exact pipeline model.
Alternatives like Salesforce or HubSpot can integrate, but it’s always “connectors + extra setup”. Dynamics feels more native and seamless if you’re already on Microsoft.
Short take. If you live in Office 365 daily, go with Dynamics.
There is an app that provides excellent integration between Office 365 and Salesforce.
store.office.com/salesforce-app-for-outlook-WA104379334.aspx
To be very direct, you are looking at the wrong problem. I will not buy a CRM which integrates with Office 365. I will buy a CRM for my business need and then look at Office integration. Integrating CRM should not be a problem. Having said that Dynamics being an MS solution will probably come pre-integrated or will have readily deployable connector. Likewise Most CRMs will have this integration supported in some way. I have seen this supported for SFDC. What will also help is to know, what use cases are you looking for in Office 365.
Firstly thanks to everyone. Secondly I will split my answer in to two; (1) our needs and (2) about the approach.
We are a VC, we are currently using a CRM we are not pleased with, and we just moved our organization to 365. We are looking for simple CRM functions to manage our deal flow (i.e. the investment and screening process of companies coming to raise money form us). We currently have 7 stages for the process: (1) initial contact, (2) first meeting, (3) due diligence, (4) hot (5) rejected (6) follow up (7) invested - this stage turns the opportunity to a portfolio company which than needs to simple documents management functions (we upload board minutes and such). We need simple alerts and task management and other functions we came across in practically any CRM we looked into. However, and this bring me to the second poiint, while looking at different options and doing pilot and trials, we realized that without a really good integration we will simply go bad to our bad habbits of not updating the process well enough, as it requires to much managing. This is why we have made the integration into 365 the MUST feature we need, and on;y one that do we will then compare and decide based on the fit to our process.
Thanks again,
Yonatan
I agree with the responses which state that a detailed review of goals, priorities is the proper approach to take before getting to far down the product review path. If you don't you will find yourself in a maze of options with no way to discern one from the other in terms of value to your organization.
Also, every vertical has a list of proprietary CRM software tools which have been developed to solve a particular problem. In addition, there are many verticals which have developers who have chosen to build on top of or integrate with a platform such as with Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.com.
Dynamics CRM is a suitable horizontal CRM platform for many businesses to modify and configure to their specific needs. And, it certainly provides the one requirement outlined above of Office 365. This is a very standard integration for many CRM software options today. But, again, it's not enough to dictate one over the other.
Dynamics CRM does integrate natively with Office 365. Other CRM products will integrate too but will require some add on integration work. Dynamics CRM is also a development platform (xRM) and is used by financial industry for various LOB applications/processes. Although the selection of CRM system should be determined by your business needs foremost - Dynamics CRM is a great platform that should work for you.
Salesforce is a good choice, many customers had done this integration without a problem.
I have personally not worked on any one of them hence cannot give the perfect answer.
Please have a look at the below
www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx
www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2013/07/01/11-terrible-crm-systems-for-your-company/
Hi Yonatan,
Before recommending any CRM, I would like to know certain details about your business
1. Business process.
2. What functionalities do you need other than integration of Office 365.
3. How much is your budget.
Also, please have a look at this www.technologyevaluation.com/research/evaluation-centers/ where you can evaluate different CRM's as per your requirement.
Please do write if you need more help on this.