Why Migrate SalesForce to Dynamics CRM?

3 Reasons Why Customers Migrate SalesForce to Dynamics CRM

We are frequently asked by SalesForce customers about migrating to Dynamics CRM.  SalesForce customers that we have talked with have many concerns pushing them to look at other options such as, user cost, data storage cost and technical concerns.

1. User Cost – Selecting the right SalesForce product is different, so it is very common for a company to start on one product and realize it is not the right one for them, then need to spend more...sometimes much more.  This can be due to sales process not uncovering all the requirements, additional “nice to have” features, or even changes in a client’s business processes.  Costs can also increase once your initial contract is up if you received a discount.  On top of all this, SalesForce is priced at a premium, and some companies don’t consider it a good value.
2. Storage – Determining data storage needed is a tricky thing, especially for the future growth of a company.  Companies should be happy to exceed their data limit, which means they are succeeding as a business, but the cost of success could be high with SalesForce.
3. Technical Concerns – Some companies found one or all of these concerning: 1) SalesForce may not integrate to existing production systems as easy as expected, 2) no flexibility in deployment options 3) data owned and controlled by someone else.

Looking for new options usually means looking at competitive solutions and we have had the opportunity to work with companies who recently went through this process. Below is one project in particular in which we faced a tight timeframe from a client in a hurry to migrate. The key to success in migrating this Salesforce client to Mcirosoft CRM was planning. 

Migrating from SalesForce to Dynamics CRM:  Don't skip planning!

Planning:   Like any good deployment, a SalesForce migration starts with a good plan, and the most crucial element in these plans is usually the date your contract expires.  Once we identify the prospective go live date, we prefer to add a few weeks of cushion and then schedule backward from there including time for discovery, building a new solution, migrating and testing.  Since few projects go exactly according to plan, it is best to build in time for unexpected events though some timeframes are tighter than others. On this project though, the client started their search a bit later than most and only had two months to go before their SalesForce contract expired.  If we couldn’t migrate them in time, the client would have faced a costly renewal or the prospect of running the business with no CRM. Neither of those options were attractive, to say the least.

Since we had a firm deadline, it was time to examine requirements. What was working today and what was not?  What did the client want in their new system that they didn’t have now? How important was it?  Ultimately, this company decided to maintain their current business processes, reports and data structures to keep the number of variables to a minimum.  This made NexTec’s challenge more surmountable by limiting this part of the project to documenting their existing system and how users engaged with it.  Although we did identify things the client wanted to change in their system, we decided together to move those items to a later phase when deadlines were not so pressing. NexTec then created a detailed project plan outlining actions, responsibilities and deadlines for the activities on the project. We knew there was very little slack in the schedule for hiccups along the way, but we had already migrated several SalesForce customers to Dynamics and already knew what to expect.

Once we knew what to do and when to do it, we had to execute the plan, and keep a sharp watch over it.  I’ll discuss some of those tasks, and a few challenges in my next blog.
- See more at: http://www.nextecgroup.com/blog/how-can-i-migrate-from-salesforce-to-dynamics-crm/#sthash.PBfQiibt.dpuf

Please feel free to contact the NexTec Group at 206-505-7980, by EMAIL or visit our website at www.nextecgroup.com. We would be happy to discuss all your options in more detail. At NexTec Group, we’ve been implementing ERP solutions and supporting businesses for more than 20 years.  Our clients are primarily SMBs (small-to-midsized businesses) in industries such as food ERP, food & beverage, manufacturing (process manufacturing), distribution, pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy (oil and gas), and related industries.  

AUTHOR:  Russell Harper - Another version of this blog was previously posted on November 16, 2015 - How can I migrate from SalesForce to Dynamics CRM?