The Case for Upgrade: Pitching Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customers on CRM 2011

Have you been sold on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 by your colleagues?  Are you trying to sell your company on the benefits of an upgrade?  If you're already a Dynamics CRM customer and you already understand improvements that Microsoft made in CRM 2011 over CRM 4.0, then the case may seem like a slam dunk.

But as today's CRMUG DayOne session "Making Life Easier with Dynamics CRM 2011" revealed, many customers who are still on Dynamics CRM 4.0 - the majority of the session's audience based on a show of hands - have yet to convince their teams to make the move to the latest and greatest.

What makes CRM 2011 such an alluring option? In the eyes of the session leaders, Dynamics CRM expert Anne Stanton and Shawn Dieken of Microsoft Premier Field Engineering, the list is long and pervasive. 

Charts and Dashboards

Let's start with charts.  Dynamics CRM 2011 provides a variety of charts that might seem straight forward in the competitive CRM software realm - a sales funnel visualization or a pie chart of lead sources with drill down.  But end users of these types of charts can now add, replace, and adjust charts on their own with just some basic user training.  "You don't have to have to be a developer to create a chart," explained Stanton.  "And don't worry, developers don't really like doing SSRS reports for end users so this is a win for them too."

Dashboards again allow users to take the reins in CRM 2011.  Many dashboards can be created and configured to suit end users' needs - no developer needed. The key, according to the speakers, is the right user training.  And because ...