Microsoft Dynamic CRM is designed to offer superior customer service leading to retaining existing customers as well as attracting new ones. Microsoft Outlook is a great system for communication via email. It’s a wise choice to integrate these two highly powerful and popular software platforms. Integration results in better customer service, enhanced efficiency and effectiveness and superior productivity. These two Microsoft products integrate seamlessly to offer better user experience and synergy.

Advantages of integrating CRM with Outlook

• Single centralized location – It is possible to access Outlook emails, contacts and appointments along with complete CRM information for clients at the same location.
• Help facility – There is contextual help which users can access through the sales process.
• Chart views of data – There is facility to convert the data from CRM to any type of chart easily and conveniently.
• Flag task – It’s possible to flag task within the CRM that align with Outlook task for even months ahead.
• Create new rules – The user is able to make new rules for any specific opportunities in order to easily sort, filter or view them.
• Personalization – Exercise control on frequently used fields during setting up of personal preferences to track things more applicable to you without the need to involve IT or administrators.
• Create contacts from emails – The email tracking feature will automatically extract and show contextual information regarding those emails with all related for all the contacts involved in CRM. The user can create CRM contacts/leads/accounts in Dynamics CRM from emails at any point of time. An entire email can be converted into a case or opportunity.
• Get the best of both Outlook and CRM – Users can create emails with the powerful text editing functionality of outlook and the flexible features of CRM. Via Outlook users can access web resources, email templates and CRM custom fields.
• Superior navigation facility – There is a facility to easily track the CRM tasks on outlook. There also exists a set of new features which make easy and efficient the navigation of CRM tasks and records.
• Tracking activity through outlook – Activity tracking is a core process of a CRM system. This results in everyone in the organization being aware about the state of the accounts at all times. It is possible to access custom fields belonging to the CRM activity firm directly from Outlook. Adding custom fields to the activity forms in Dynamic CRM enables a better insight of the activities performed with the customers and prospects.
• Connect emails to tasks – There is a feature by which user can take prompt action on a particular email message. This is done by selecting the option of tracking the email message followed by selecting “Convert To” option. By doing so the user will be able to initiate an Opportunity, Lead or Case. Note that the Opportunity, Lead or Case form will subsequently open directly in Outlook. The user will be able to work on the email messages without the need to switch back and forth between the CRM and outlook.
• Quick Step feature – It is possible to transition an email message to an activity. This is done by creating a custom task using the Quick Step feature. If the user receives an email message, it can be converted to an outlook task. The user has the choice to track the item as the CRM task or phone call. This way users will have a clear knowledge about pending tasks and the ability to track all activities.

It is an interconnected world that we live in. The integration of Outlook and Dynamics CRM brings about features that better handle the demands of contemporary businesses and technology.