How Much Reliance Should Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Users Expect to Place on Its Expanded CRM Capabilities?

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 promises to have expanded CRM capabilities when it's introduced shortly.

But to what extent can it be used as a substitute for Dynamics CRM 4.0?

Not as much as users might hope.

"AX CRM has been enhanced a lot," said Dane Koepke, head of business development at Green Beacon Solutions, a Microsoft partner, at a presentation last week to users at a Dynamic Communities AX Users Group session. It can assign sales territories, integrate with contacts in Outlook, and helps monitor the sales process.

For users who are uncertain what to do, it makes sense to try the CRM function in AX 2009, he said. "If it doesn't work out, you can go to CRM 4.0 and integrate" AX 2009 and CRM 4.0, Koepke said.

He predicted, though, that most businesses will find the CRM function in AX unsatisfactory. For his own marketing needs, he said,  "I could not live in it. It's too broad."

Koepke's colleague, Richard Smith, an expert in Dynamics CRM, echoed that assessment. The AX CRM product "is a different product" from Dynamics CRM. It is designed for companies with a small sales team--for example, manufacturers in which the sales people are focused on meshing purchase orders with production capacity.

Kees Hertogh, Microsoft's director of Dynamics AX Product Management, seconds that view. The AX version of CRM is best for companies in which sales, promotion, and production "have a tighter connection into other processes, like quoting and maintenance." But "companies with large mobile sales forces" are likely best off with CRM 4.0, he added.