1) The correct answer is A.
True. Microsoft has been able to capitalize on its CRM efforts in part because sales representatives have traditionally used Outlook to conduct their business. Today, Microsoft's CRM competitors tout their own Outlook integration. According to Brad Wilson, general manager for Microsoft CRM, their latest CRM application will offer a similar "ribbon" tool and provide tighter Outlook integration than the 3.0 product.
Read more about Microsoft's CRM success and customer wins in this news article: Best Buy gears up for Vista, Microsoft CRM.
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2) The correct answer is A.
Flexibility and ease of use is a major factor for many Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers, including Chempoint, a Bellevue, Wa.-based distributor of specialty chemicals.
"We look at it as a product that's very easy to use," said Edward Lux, vice president of technology. "It doesn't have real deep functionality. It's wide."
Learn more in this SearchCRM.com news article: Microsoft CRM targets usability. Then browse our special report from Microsoft Convergence: Microsoft CRM: Microsoft Convergence: Top headlines.
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3) The correct answer is B.
False. The midmarket CRM leaders, according to the report, are RightNow Technologies, Oracle Corp.'s Siebel CRM Professional edition, Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and Oracle's Siebel CRM On Demand. In this year's report, Microsoft was named a leader for the first time, thanks partly to its Dynamics CRM 3.0 release.
For a more complete analysis of Forrester's latest Wave report, read Midmarket CRM makes Wave.
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4) The correct answer is B.
False. In Forrester's latest report on enterprise CRM suites, which evaluated 13 applications, the Siebel and SAP applications emerged on top, but there were plenty of applications Forrester considered strong contenders, including Infor CRM, Epiphany and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
To read more about the top enterprise CRM vendors according to Forrester, read CRM software rankings tell a familiar tale.
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5) The correct answer is D.
In January 2007, Microsoft announced that its next major release would involve offering Dynamics CRM via the Software as a Service (SaaS) model to select partners through its Technology Adoption Program (TAP). One of those partners is Invoke Systems, a Baltimore-based reseller that provides vertical versions of Microsoft CRM. The chief advantage of the next release for Invoke is the ability to switch among deployments -- on-premise, partner-hosted or via Microsoft SaaS -- all based on the same metadata, according to Jason Hunt, Invoke's chief technical officer. It's what Microsoft is calling the "portable model." Microsoft already offers the option of partner-hosting, with Microsoft partners hosting and managing the data, but Hunt said that only two of Invoke's roughly 60 customers are hosting now.
Read more in this SearchCRM.com news article: Microsoft takes next step toward SaaS CRM.
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6) The correct answer is B.
False. According to Microsoft CRM expert Richard Smith, Dynamics CRM users can take advantage of two key features in Windows Vista. The first, Vista Gadgets, are mini-applications that display weather, time, news, traffic, and other data on the desktop. Dynamics CRM activities, reports, and alerts can also be displayed as gadgets. The second, BitLocker Drive Encryption, ensures that all data, including CRM data, is encrypted on the user's laptop, should the laptop be compromised or stolen.
Looking for more information about how Windows Vista and Dynamics CRM will affect your organization? Ask a question to Microsoft CRM expert Richard Smith.
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7) The correct answer is C.
According to a recent article, Microsoft adds analytics to CRM, capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Analytics include dashboards that track performance, reports, and cross-sell and up-sell opportunities that are created via predictive analytics. In addition, business performance management functionality allows users to access real-time graphical views of key performance indicators (KPIs). Business users can also conduct reporting and ad hoc analysis on Microsoft CRM data without IT involvement, according to Microsoft.
Read more about analytics capabilities in this article: Microsoft adds analytics to CRM.
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8) The correct answer is A.
True. Microsoft purchased Colloquis Inc. in October 2006 for its automated customer service technology.
The New York-based company makes a self-service tool that answers customer questions with a natural language processing technology.
Microsoft said it will offer services based on Colloquis technology to online businesses as well as incorporating it into its own applications. It will begin by offering a managed service called Windows Live Service Agents, a hosted customer service application, based on Colloquis technology.
Find out more about the acquisition in this news article: Microsoft extends into online service with Colloquis buy.
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9) The correct answer is C.
In a presentation at Microsoft Convergence 2007, Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft CRM, revealed Microsoft's own struggle with complex CRM systems.
"Eight or nine years ago, Microsoft bought a large enterprise CRM package," Wilson said. "I won't say who but you can probably guess. It's a company associated with large complex CRM."
Microsoft spent tens of millions of dollars on a system that was rated a 14 on a scale of 200 by users in an annual application survey, according to Wilson, and while there's obvious public relations incentive for Microsoft to rip out Siebel Systems and replace it with its own application, there's a move afoot to make CRM more user friendly.
Read more in our special report from Microsoft Convergence: Microsoft Convergence: Top headlines.
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10) The correct answer is A.
Microsoft revealed some of the new features in its forthcoming release of Titan, which includes a multi-tenant on-demand application, at the 2007 Convergence show.
Read more in this SearchCRM.com article: Microsoft gives first glimpse of SaaS CRM.
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