Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online versus SAP Business ByDesign
Get More Value with CRM Online
|
CRM Online |
SAP Business ByDesign |
| Subscription |
$44 per user per month |
$149 per user per month |
| Scalability |
5 to 50,000 users |
25 to 500 users |
| Free trial |
30-day fully-functional |
None |
| Rapid Deployment |
Days |
Weeks |
| Mobility |
Any smart phone or device |
Limited |
| User Adoption |
Familiar interface |
Unique interface |
As cloud technology becomes available in the business environment, many businesses plan to invest in cloud-based CRM offerings, whether entering the CRM market for the first time or moving their current CRM implementation to the cloud. This page contrasts two major cloud-based CRM offerings available today: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and SAP Business ByDesign.
User adoption rates are important when comparing software offerings. Decreasing the time it takes new users to become proficient with any software increases productivity, which contributes to a rapid return on investment. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online uses familiarity as a tool to reduce the learning curve and increase adoption rates. Its interface is similar to the interface of other Microsoft products like Outlook and Word, and it integrates naturally with other applications in the Microsoft ecosystem. A user already familiar with Microsoft products will be able to carry their proficiency over to CRM Online. SAP Business ByDesign has a unique interface, familiar only to SAP users.
Some CRM offerings are designed for businesses of a certain size. SAP Business ByDesign is intended for 100-500 users. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online excels in scalability, allowing anywhere from 5 to 50,000 users to log in and use the software concurrently. With Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, your business has lots of wiggle room if you wish to increase or decrease the number of CRM users. This gives you the flexibility to scale your software costs as you scale your business.
Testing a CRM package in advance can greatly reduce the financial risk and technical complications involved in a deployment. If you want to gain hands-on experience before making a decision, Microsoft provides a free trail of CRM Online that allows a subscription to be activated at any time during the first 30 days without any loss of data. The CRM Online demo is not a “lite” version; there is no reduction of function. If you choose to continue using CRM Online, you will not have to change environments, move data, retrain users, or suspend work. SAP Business ByDesign offers no trial or demo.
The business world is becoming increasingly mobile. Mobile access is an important factor in the overall effectiveness of business software. CRM Online comes with Mobile Express, a streamlined interface optimized for navigation on a small screen. Mobile Express works with any web-enabled smart device. By comparison, the SAP Business ByDesign mobile service is limited to midsize companies who are customers of feature pack 2.5, and at the time of this writing is only available for iPhone users.
The price of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is less than SAP Business ByDesign—$44 per user per month compared to $149 per user per month. CRM Online requires a minimum of only 5 users while ByDesign requires at least 25. Also, CRM Online can be deployed easily and rapidly; the registration process is simple and efficient. It can be configured in a single day, and the CRM Online free trial can be up and running in as little as a few minutes. This efficient deployment allows for a smooth transition into CRM Online, allowing your business to quickly leverage the software and realize the positive effects on your business flow.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will prove to be an asset for any company that utilizes it. With its faster user adoption through familiarity and integration, tremendous scalability, streamlined deployment including a fully-functional trial period, built-in mobile support, and lower subscription cost per user, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is the higher-value CRM offering.