CRM 3.0 - Are you Ready for it?
I attended the CRM 3.0 Partner Readiness Training in Dallas this past Tuesday and I must say, I am really impressed with the product. No, I’m not saying this because I’ve been drinking the Microsoft Koolaide for 8 years, its really true. If you’ve worked with CRM 1.0 or 1.2 and got a bad taste for it, you really need to give CRM 3.0 an honest shot. The new Marketing components are a well needed addition, but the new SKU’s are what really got me excited.
Now wait a minute before you think I’m off on some sort of sales pitch. What I’m excited about is the new Small Business Edition SKU. It’s a version of CRM 3.0 that is designed for Small Business Server 2003 and provides all the functionality of the full product line at a scaled down price. Here’s a side by side comparison.
|
Feature |
In SBE? |
In Pro? |
|
Click Through Setup |
Yes |
Yes (if on SBS) |
|
PID 3.0 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Registration and Activation |
Yes |
Yes |
|
BCM Migration |
Yes (at ship) |
No |
|
Server Management Integration |
Yes |
No |
|
Configuration Wizard |
Yes |
No |
|
Fax Routing Extension |
Yes |
No |
|
Welcome Mail |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Small Business Roles |
No |
No |
|
Remote Web Workplace link |
No |
No |
If you have customers that are considering CRM solution, there’s no reason hold off on the purchase, because any customer who buys CRM today will receive a free upgrade to the next release with Software Assurance.
CRM Standard users today will receive the same or better when upgrading to 3.0 for more info on it, check out this site.
Special offer: Buy now and get full rights to Microsoft CRM 3.0
If you didn’t know about the Partner Readiness Tour, check out the list for remaining tour dates.