When we talk about Microsoft Dynamics 365, the first question that comes to mind is “Is it a CRM or ERP?” The answer would be, both.  Dynamics 365 has components of CRM and ERP all built into one solution for better business management. Right now there are two different modules of Dynamics 365 available which are the Accounts Module and Sales Module.  Both these modules have complete functionality of what you would expect from an entity-relationship diagram (ERD). The Accounts Module combined with the Sales Module can fulfill your marketing automation, sales process, lead management, opportunity management, customer service, inventory management, order fulfillment, and finance & accounting needs.

What is a CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management.  It is a system of management that a company uses to see their customer’s interactions with the business and how those interactions affect revenue, marketing, and product development through the entire life cycle of a customer. A CRM focuses on three main areas:
  1. Marketing – getting new customers into the door
  2. Sales – converting those leads into sales
  3. Service – helping retain those customers as loyal patrons by providing excellent service

Why Does Your Business Need a CRM?

As a business owner, you probably have many tasks on your plate each day. You take care of payroll, marketing & promotions, daily operations, product development or service delivery, and the list goes on. Having a CRM in place for your business will help you focus more on moving forward by providing tools to manage all areas related to our customers: lead generation, customer retention, and loyalty programs.

What is an ERP?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. It is an integrated set of business processes and information systems used within an organization to provide planners and decision-makers with accurate data which improves business functions such as manufacturing and distribution support. An ERP focuses on three main areas:
  1. Finance & Accounting – managing the money
  2. Operations – creating the product or providing the service to sell to customers
  3. Sales & Marketing – getting new customers from the lead management process to the sales cycle

Why Does Your Business Need an ERP?

Having an ERP in place will help you focus more on moving your business forward by providing tools to manage all areas related to the financial, manufacturing, and distribution sides of your business. Similar to a CRM, an ERP will help you with forecasting expenses and revenue projections, product development, inventory management, order fulfillment, and billing.

Is Dynamics 365 a CRM or ERP?

Both. The Accounts Module combined with the Sales Module, in its entirety, is both a customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning system. It provides products to help companies manage their finances, operations, sales & marketing, lead management pipeline, and pretty much every other aspect of their business.

What Elements are Included in Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Dynamics 365 has a myriad of elements to help your business thrive. These elements include: sales, service, marketing, a customer data platform, and customer feedback.

Sales

The sales module can help your business with lead management, new prospect conversion, win-back campaigns, opportunity forecasting, and upsell/cross-sell tools. The sales module also features a complete CRM that lets you manage pipelines from a variety of angles.

Marketing & Service

The marketing automation feature in Dynamics 365 provides your companies with email marketing templates, customer segmentation tools through Power BI, campaign analytics to understand the impact of each campaign on future sales opportunities. The service module includes customer feedback integration with Power BI dashboards which provide real-time updates on performance metrics such as CSAT ratings and NPS scores. It also ties into Dynamics 365’s auditing functionality to ensure compliance in your organization.

Customer Data Platform

The Customer Data platform provides you with tools to help take control of the information in your CRM. You can bring in data from outside sources, match and merge duplicate records coming in through different channels, and view all of the information about your customer in one central place using Power BI dashboards.

Customer Feedback

Customer feedback gives you the opportunity to collect the voice of customer data that can eventually be reviewed by your team and used to make improvements to your products or services. The CRM in Dynamics 365 will help you compile all of the feedback into a single view, allowing for quick analysis and direct routing to departments who need it.

Why Should I Use Dynamics 365?

Dynamics 365 is a complete business solution that enables businesses to run their entire operation through an integrated set of systems working together seamlessly. Because it ties into Office 365, there are no hardware or software purchases necessary to get started; only an internet connection and login credentials. Dynamics 365 provides you with a host of tools to help your business grow at every stage, allowing you to focus more on the future of your company than the tedious tasks associated with managing everything yourself. Get your cybersecurity risk assessment from ITology today!