Microsoft Offers Payback To Switch to Dynamics CRM Online -- Redmondmag.com

Microsoft Offers Payback To Switch to Dynamics CRM Online

By Scott Bekker
08/29/2011

A new promo announced by Microsoft on Monday offers a payback incentive to organizations if they will switch to Dynamics CRM Online.

Under the terms of the deal, Microsoft is offering to pay customers $150 per user seat if they will switch from a competing product, such as CRM solutions from Oracle, Salsesforce.com or SAP. The deal coincides with the beginning of Salesforce.com's Dreamforce conference, which is going on this week, and it represents the standard tactic of pre-emptive announcements to steal a news cycle on the competition's conference. However, the newly announced "Cloud CRM for Less" offer will run through the end of March, assuming the unspecified amount of funding for the program lasts that long.

In explaining the timing of the deal, Michael Park, corporate vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions sales, marketing and operations, said in a statement that a lot of hype in the market is creating confusion for customers right now. "We also realize there are some hard costs associated for customers that decide to move vendors," Park said.

The offer applies to organizations with between 50 seats and 500 seats in the United States or Canada and requires a two-year-licensing subscription. That payout of $7,500 to $75,000 can be used for anything, Microsoft documentation says, although the company expects the payments to help customers pay partners for migration services or other integration work.

In a news release about the promotion, Microsoft cited two partners as examples of companies creating profitable business lines around Dynamics CRM Online -- Hitachi Consulting and Slalom Consulting. Brian Rimmer, Slalom's national solution director for CRM, was quoted as saying the new promotion would help Slalom fit complete Dynamics CRM Online solutions to customers' budgets.

Meanwhile, Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft's Dynamics CRM product management group, said the cost of Dynamics CRM Online, which is $44 per user per month, combined with the cashback offer improves already favorable economics. "Customers choose Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online over solutions from Oracle, Salesforce.com and SAP to get compelling increases in productivity and user adoption, as well as significant reductions in ongoing costs,” Wilson said in a statement.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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