Some thought leaders have warned of a pushback by the masses against modern technology. But so far, results show that people continue to be intrigued by technology and appreciate it. A recent article by Accenture about technology trends shows that the way forward for companies is to work more closely with their customers, better understand the data, and realize that they are not only purchasers — but are co-owners — in the development of products and services. One tool that makes these objectives possible is through customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Among the many popular CRM solutions are Microsoft Dynamics and Infor CRM. If you have already narrowed your choices to include these two, this article aims to help you reach a more informed decision. This Microsoft Dynamics vs. Infor CRM comparison will include some of their major features and characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.
If you’re short on time or if you’re still exploring other options, we can help. Use our Product Selection Tool to request a free shortlist of CRM software recommendations. We’ll ask a few questions to learn about your needs and then match you with five vendors we think you’ll love. Getting started is easy and takes less than five minutes.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics is a business solution that combines CRM and ERP from the Redmond, WA-based corporation. It is made up of several applications that work better together to give accurate, timely, and intelligence-based information. Microsoft works with many partners and system integrators in offering their products, service plans, and training, among others. The software serves the sales, customer service, manufacturing, financial, public sector, and retail industries. In fact, Dynamics 365 is giving additional focus to the retail industry, which has experienced major changes in the last 10 years compared to other industries.
Among the applications inside of Microsoft Dynamics are sales, marketing, customer service, and many more. With constant and consistent use, you can gain many advantages such as:
- Win more deals
- Find and nurture the right leads
- Deliver positive customer experiences
- Automate process to increase efficiency
- Create personalized engagement to build brand loyalty.
Infor CRM
Infor CRM is an Infor CloudSuite product. Infor builds cloud-based business software products for companies in specific industries. It has products available for about 20 industries, which include aerospace and defense, banking and financial services, construction, fashion, healthcare, retail, and others. The company was founded in 2002 by Jim Schaper as GGC Software Holdings. It changed its name to Infor in 2012, and early February 2020, was acquired by Koch Industries. Their headquarters are in New York.
Read also: SugarCRM vs. SuiteCRM: Choosing Between A Proprietary And Open Source CRM
Infor has been described as easy to use and customizable. And the more you use the software, the more it is able to bring a complete view of customers and their activities. You can then maximize the impact of every interaction. It has sales productivity tools, management tools, and analytics, all of which can help identify opportunities, streamline workflows, and give accurate forecasting.
Feature comparison
Sales productivity
Microsoft Dynamics helps you sell smarter with intelligence-based tools. Advanced scoring models put scores on your leads and opportunities, so you can identify the right customers ready to buy. Your sales team can easily view customer interactions including those done by other departments such as marketing and customer service. An interactive org chart shows relationships visually, so it is easy to keep track which ones need more attention. It also has tools that minimize routine tasks and give suggestions to increase efficiency.
Infor CRM assists you in building rich customer profiles to get a clearer and wider view of your customer. The information helps you identify leads and opportunities easily, while streamlining your sales activities only to the most productive ones. Analytic tools put customer data to work, so your sales team gets better visibility of the sales process. Other tools include:
- Reports
- Dashboards
- Proactive alerts
- Automation of manual processes.
Customer service
The AI in Microsoft Dynamics works across applications to bring accurate and consistent information. You have access to several tools to handle a range of issues, from simple routine requests to complex problems. Aside from bringing quick issue resolution to customers, your agents are also better equipped using a single platform that can help them deliver personalized experience across different channels, like chat, text, email, voice, and/or IM. It is easy to route cases to your most qualified agent, while giving the customer a single, consistent experience.
The flexible configuration and usability of Infor CRM lets your customer service teams deliver personalized experiences from available customer data. You can build profiles that capture information and interactions across your organization and even from external sources through social intelligence. You can customize the tools to cater to unique customers, companies, or industry requirements. And with the data Infor collects, you can analyze and assess your KPIs to better understand the performance of your team and business, and then make decisions that create a positive impact.
Mobile apps
Microsoft Dynamics works across platforms including iOS and Android devices, which lets sales and support teams engage with your customers productively while on the go. You can easily add notes, update tasks, change schedules, or attach files using the mobile apps. It also has a personalized Workspace, where you can access your individual tasks, get suggestions, and view records quickly.
Infor CRM Mobile is a companion mobile application to their CRM software available for iOS. It can help your mobile workforce improve their productivity while increasing revenue. Your sales team can access information and documents, complete tasks and update account statuses, even when offline. The native integration makes use of iOS functionality for accessing contact information, meeting, directions, and file management. An Android version is in the works.
Conclusion
Microsoft Dynamics is an enterprise-grade solution that can be customized for any size of business. You can choose to start with one or few applications, and add more later as your business needs grow. It’s a system that gets smarter as you apply it more.
Infor CRM is a flexible and easy-to-use solution that can extend and expand also. When integrated with other Infor products, email, and third-party applications, it can provide a unified manageable platform where you get visibility of your organization across cloud, mobile, and social spaces.
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