Microsoft Pushes CRM In Public Sector

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 provides a suite of marketing, sales and service capabilities. The new version delivers roles-based CRM functionality within a native Microsoft Office and Outlook interface, event-driven workflow, and reporting and analytics capabilities based on Microsoft Excel and SQL Server. A Web-based interface is also available, along with offline capabilities, and compatibility with mobile devices.

“[The latest version] allows a more structured, integrated and consistent interface between government and its constituents,” says Kevin Faulkner, senior director of product marketing for CRM. “That&'s such a big part of what&'s needed in terms of tracking and classifying inbound e-mails, reaching out to constituents in a consistent manner, and knowing who has what hot issues to improve campaign strategies.”

VARs can use the CRM platform, which is built on Web Services, to develop customized solutions –- a field-inspection system for agriculture, for example –- and easily tweak that solution for other agencies with similar constituent management requirements. In addition to federal, and state and local agencies, partners can tailor the solution for education institutions seeking a means of tracking, managing and corresponding with incoming students and alumni.

“Our partner base [for CRM] has already grown from less than a dozen to a few dozen since we told them of this release, and I expect that will grow to more than 100 partners in the next couple of years,” says Sig Behrens, director of public sector for Microsoft business solutions. In fact, of all the products Microsoft offers, CRM is the fastest-growing in the world, with 100 percent average growth year-over-year.

Partners definitely recognize the potential -– particularly in the public sector.

“They&'re building a practice within CRM, both at the system-integrator level as well as the smaller players focused on niche markets inside government,” Behrens says. “They&'re seeing CRM as a platform for giving customers capabilities that perhaps before required a different Microsoft .Net framework or a competitor&'s development tools. We like the change –- we want them to consider CRM as a full and capable development platform.”