Rapid Growth for Microsoft's CRM Business Solutions

HostReview.com
Wednesday, July 14, 2004; 12:00 AM

July 14, 2004 – (HostReview.com) - Microsoft Business Solutions CRM has been recognized in the industry as one of the fastest growing small and midmarket customer relationship management solutions. More than 2,500 organizations have acquired Microsoft® CRM, representing a community of more than 100,000 unique users since the product's launch in January 2003. Microsoft CRM helps both product- and services-based organizations automate their sales, marketing, customer service and reporting strategy and is delivered through a global community of local reselling partners.

"We are pleased that the growth and rapid adoption rate Microsoft CRM is experiencing is being recognized by independent industry experts, and continue to see this as evidence that Microsoft CRM is a solid investment for businesses that want to automate their strategy for building and maintaining profitable relationships with customers," said David Thacher, general manager of Customer Relationship Management at Microsoft Business Solutions.

In a recent AMR Research Inc. report ("The Customer Management Applications Report, 2003-2008"), AMR analyst Laura Preslan said, "Microsoft CRM saw amazing growth in 2003, topping the charts with a 94 percent growth rate. Customer references cite three top reasons for why they invest in Microsoft CRM: viability, Outlook integration and ease of use."

"We have been delighted with the Microsoft CRM system that was installed by Erudite Systems," said Kevin Freedman, chief executive of Freedman International. "It has given Freedman International a new level of customer-lead-tracking ability and is proving to be an invaluable component in our continued growth."
An example of a customer satisfied with their Microsoft CRM deployment is a leading provider of panregional marketing communications management solutions based in the United Kingdom. Freedman International chose Microsoft CRM to manage increased sales activity in 2004.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

"We have a very large database of contractors that work with our customers, and Microsoft CRM significantly improved our management of these resources and eased the administrative burden," said Missy Carbonneau, IT administrator at Bailiwick Data Systems.

Bailiwick Data Systems Inc., a Minnesota-based systems integration and IT professional services organization, turned to Microsoft CRM to help centralize sales data and standardize workflows across the business. Bailiwick was looking to move from a mix of multiple legacy systems used for customer relationship management and project management to a single CRM solution with a centralized database to facilitate the lead-management process and present a single, consistent face to the customer.

In the 18 months since its launch Microsoft CRM has extended its international reach and is currently available in nine languages and more than 53 countries.