Dynamics 365 Sales is a cloud-based CRM platform, while Dynamics CRM was originally offered as an on-premise solution. In this article, we look at the differences between them.

When you are evaluating whether to migrate from Dynamics CRM to the Dynamics 365 suite of cloud apps, you will need to consider what new and improved functionality it offers. In this article we take a look at some charts which compare the functionality available in Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales.

User Interface Comparisons

Before comparing functionality, here’s a comparison of the user interfaces for Dynamics CRM prior to Dynamics 365.

Dynamics CRM User Interface Comparison

Compared with the Dynamics 365 9.x user interface, Unified Interface offers improved navigation, streamlined forms, and more powerful search. See the next sections for more details.

Dynamics 365 Sales and CRM have been transitioning towards a unified interface, which is designed to provide a consistent and optimized experience across devices and screen sizes. The chart below shows the features of each iteration of the software and reflects this transition:

Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales User Interface Comparison ChartDynamics CRM user interface comparison table


Documents and Reporting

Documents and reporting have changed too over time. Dynamics CRM has a limited set of document templates and reports that can be customised, while Dynamics 365 Sales offers a wider range of templates and reports that can be tailored to specific business needs.

Dynamics CRM requires third-party tools or custom development to integrate with SharePoint, OneDrive, or Teams for document management, while Dynamics 365 Sales has native integration with these Microsoft services for seamless collaboration and sharing.

Dynamics Sales also does away with complex SQL-based queries and leverages the power of Power BI analytics in Dynamics 365 dashboards. These dashboards can also be personalised and embedded in other applications.

Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Documents and Reporting Comparison ChartDynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Documents and Reporting Comparison Chart


Intelligence and Integrations

Intelligence and integrations is one area where Dynamics 365 sales really differs from Dynamics 365 CRM. Although integration with Outlook has been around since the 2016 version, Dynamics 365 Sales has more fluid native integrations with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and many other Microsoft Webapps.

Dynamics 365 also allows you to create customised surveys with Customer Voice, and it natively integrates with Microsoft Teams, OneNote, LinkedIn and Power Apps canvas apps, a type of app that you can create in Microsoft Power Apps without writing code. None of which were available in previous versions.

Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Intelligence and Integrations Comparison ChartDynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Intelligence and Integrations Comparison Chart


Process Automation

Process automation has improved significantly from Dynamics CRM to Dynamics 365 Sales. Dynamics 365 Sales includes a number of new features and capabilities that make it easier to automate your sales processes, including a more powerful workflow engine, pre-built workflows, business process flows, and integration with Power Automate, Microsoft’s low-code/no-code automation platform.

Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Process Automation Comparison ChartDynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Process Automation Comparison Chart


Related Products

Dynamics 365 seamlessly integrates with a number of related products that can be used to get more out of your Dynamics 365 Sales platform, such as Project Operations, Power Apps Portals and Customer Insights.

Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Related Products Comparison ChartDynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Related Products Comparison Chart

Sales and Marketing

There are several sales & marketing features that are available in Dynamics 365 that were not available in previous versions including Sales Insights, native integration with social channels like LinkedIn & Facebook, creating of customer journeys and event management.

Dynamics CRM vs Dynamics 365 Sales Sales and Marketing Comparison Chart


Why Should You Care?

Dynamics 365 has a new user experience with enhanced user interface in comparison to previous versions, and the UI is optimised for mobile viewing, so you can access it from anywhere, on any device.

There is a reduced need for customisations due to added functionality, and a reduction in hardware upgrade costs due to upgrades being handled in by Microsoft in the cloud. The platform is more flexible than ever, and users can benefit from the massive investment in the latest security protocols that will protect their data in the cloud.

Why make the move to Dynamics 365?

Overall, Dynamics 365 Sales is a more modern and powerful CRM platform than Dynamics CRM. It offers a number of advantages, such as a cloud-based platform, a unified user experience, improved security, new features and functionality, and improved performance and scalability. Here we take a look at some of these in more depth.

Security

Microsoft has invested over $1 billion in security, and you can use this to your advantage. Some of the security features of Dynamics 365 include:

Flexibility

Dynamics 365 operates on a monthly subscription model, the benefits this model include:

Reduced IT costs

Dynamics 365 can help you reduce your IT costs over on-premise in a number of ways, including:

Cross-Platform Support

Dynamics 365 is powered by a native HTML5 browser-based user interface, which ensures seamless business operations from anywhere at any time. This means that:

Consistent Updates

Take full advantage of Dynamics 365 evolving features and newest functionality with regular, seamless updates. Dynamics 365 updates offer a number of advantages, including:

Native, Modern Ecosystem

Connections to Microsoft 365 apps, Microsoft Power Platform apps, and other external industry data sources are seamless:

Want more information on Migrating from Dynamics CRM to Dynamics 365?

At Synergy Technology, we have years of experience of helping our customers make the move from on-premise to the cloud. If you feel now is the right time for you to move your Dynamics CRM to the Cloud, contact us now for a chat with one of our Microsoft Dynamics 365 experts. Whether you are already a Synergy Technology customer, or if you are looking for a new partner for your cloud journey, Synergy Technology will be happy to help.

Synergy Technology is an official partner of Microsoft and we can offer Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service solutions across the UK. To learn more about anything in this news article, or to book a call with one of our Microsoft Dynamics 365 specialists, please contact the Synergy team today. You can call us on or send us an email via our contact page at any time and we will be delighted to assist you.

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