Microsoft Dynamics CRM veteran Bill Patterson taking leadership role with Parature team

One news item received less attention here than it deserved last week: Microsoft Dynamics CRM product team veteran Bill Patterson revealed that he has changed roles to join the Parature leadership team in Washington, DC as "Senior Director, Customer Self Service Solutions".

In recent years, Patterson has been a leader for Dynamics CRM's technology direction, application functionality, and product roadmap. We don't yet have specifics of Patterson's new role, but the move has a number of important implications in the Dynamics CRM world that are worth examining:

Patterson in a leadership role is a positive sign for Microsoft's commitment to the Parature acquisition. In short, having a committed Dynamics CRM team veteran in a leadership position at Parature is a good way to ensure that the solution gets traction on the Dynamics CRM product roadmap and in product marketing. It's also a two way street: Parature gets excellent visibility into Dynamics CRM's product direction and leadership. And assuming Patterson was involved in the deal, he already knows much about what makes the Parature organization tick.

This was likely a carefully considered decision. First, there's the obvious issue of moving across the country - Patterson is moving from the Pacific Northwest to the Washington D.C. area to join the Parature team. And assuming again that he was involved in the deal, which we know took several months (or more) to come together, there should have been ample time for Microsoft to consider and approve this job change.

Patterson has been at the center of key Dynamics CRM changes over many years. It's hard to point to anyone ...