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	Issue TOC Print full article Print this page Download as PDF E-Mail this URL Discuss this article Flame the author     In this article Introduction Integration & Customization ACCPAC CRM 5.5 Epicor Clientele 8.1 Microsoft Business Solutions CRM 1.0 Soffront CRM 8.0 FrontRange GoldMine 6.0 Executive Summary | How We Tested | Outsourcing CRM Report Card

We are impressed with Microsoft's foray into the CRM market. Although version 1.0 has quirks, it is nonetheless poised to be a contender. Like Epicor's, Microsoft's product is based on the .Net framework. However, because it's a browser-only program that can be deployed in-house or as a hosted system, it takes less work and expense to maintain on the desktop, with no client installation, upgrade or maintenance. You can also let mobile users access the system easily.

Installing Microsoft CRM was simple. The required XML Parser 4.0 and .Net framework are included--but preparing the infrastructure was no small task. We had to modify our domain, because Microsoft CRM requires its PDC (Primary Domain Controller) to be in native mode. We also had to install and configure Message Queuing Services before we could install the main application.

Microsoft CRM was the only product to correctly handle our CSV file of customers. The product imported every customer entry correctly. The mapping of fields from the file to Microsoft's data scheme was impressive, blowing away even ACCPAC's and FrontRange's solutions for mapping data.

However, navigation issues exposed Microsoft CRM's immaturity. While most browser-based applications provide easy access to all functions, some functions, such as searching, were hidden in the menu system and not readily accessible. Users will find it difficult to dive in and search for a contact or company on the fly. Creation of such records is a snap and links between documents and customers are easily navigable, but getting to them from the main page is difficult. We preferred ACCPAC's and Soffront's menus and personalization, which let us configure the interface in a portal-like fashion.